Yakima Inks Year-Long Deal as Official Rack Sponsor of Medalist Sports

Yakima, an innovator in vehicle rack solutions for boats, bikes, winter sports gear, and cargo options, today announced its year-long, official rack partnership with Medalist Sports, the professional cycling tour management company that organizes the Amgen Tour of California, Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T, Tour of Missouri, the Colorado Stage Race, USA Cycling Professional Championships and the LIVESTRONG Challenges in Austin, Philadelphia, Portland and San Jose. Yakima’s field marketing team will be at each event outfitting over 100 athlete and official tour vehicles with its premium line of top of car bike mount products including HighRollers, SprocketRockets and Vipers. The partnership kicks off with the Amgen Tour of California in Palo Alto, Feb. 17-24.

“After successfully working together during last year’s Tour de Georgia, it seemed an obvious fit to forge a long-term partnership with Medalist Sports for their 2008 events,” said Joel Grabenstein, field marketing manager for Yakima. “This opportunity enables us to showcase Yakima’s best-in-class bike products in front of high profile cyclists competing in these world-class competitions.”
After the Amgen Tour of California, Yakima will outfit vehicles for Tour de Georgia, April 21-27; Colorado Stage Race, August 22-24; USA Cycling Professional Championships, August 30-31; Tour of Missouri, Sept. 9-14; and four LIVESTRONG Challenges, (Portland, June 29; San Jose, July 13; Philadelphia, August 24; and Austin, October 25-26).
– more –


”The partnership with Yakima is key to providing high class products for these professional events and our clients,” said Chris Aronhalt, managing partner of Medalist Sports. “Yakima’s innovative product line and first-class customer service initiatives go hand in hand with Medalist Sports’ mission to provide the best specialized cycling races across the nation.”

About Yakima
Yakima is a world leader in the design and manufacture of destination hardware and gear management solutions. Yakima’s products include: vehicle racks for bikes, boats, ski equipment and gear; a line of cargo boxes and bags for a variety of needs; and Ground Control, an integrated gear management system for the home. Yakima Products is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon. For more information, visit www.yakima.com.

About Medalist Sports
Medalist Sports is a full-service international sports marketing company. Medalist Sports specializes in the planning, promotion and management of multi-day, multi-jurisdiction sports and special events. The Medalist Sports team has experience in all facets of the successful management and promotion of world-class sporting and cycling events in the United States, England, Australia and China. Clients and event experience include the Tour DuPont, Tour de Georgia, Amgen Tour of California, Tour of Missouri, USA Cycling, Inc. and the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s LIVESTRONG Challenge Series. Medalist Sports’ headquarters are located south of metro Atlanta at P.O. Box 415, Tyrone, GA 30290. The company website is www.medalistsports.com.


###