Irvine-based Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP will sponsor the Aspire Racing team for the 2016-17 season, in the intellectual property law firm’s first foray into national sports marketing.
Aspire Racing is a cyclocross team owned by four-time U.S. champion Jeremy Powers, and also includes Ellen Noble, a leading female cycler whose roster of victories includes several U23 national and U23 Pan-American championships. They will compete in Europe and the U.S., including this month’s UCI World Cup in Las Vegas and Iowa. Other team sponsors include Thule, Bikeflights, BMW, Clif Bar and WD-40 Bike.
The sponsorship is part of Knobbe Martens’ “innovative new affinity marketing initiative designed to meet clients and prospects not only where they work but where they play.”
“There is a significant overlap between cycling enthusiasts and decision-makers in a variety of industries,” said Mauricio Uribe, who heads Knobbe Martens’ business development committee, in a statement. “Supporting [Powers and Noble] and … cyclocross more broadly will enable meaningful interactions with potential clients through our shared passion for cycling.”
Knobbe Martens has 173 local lawyers and offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
The firm sponsored the Southern California Cyclocross series for the past three seasons and has its own cyclocross team, Knobbe Cycling.
