Maxxis signs on as secondary sponsor as long running American team keeps going
With the recent withdrawal of stalwart professional cycling sponsors Rabobank and Euskaltel-Euskadi, American company Jelly Belly will add to its tenure as longest running pro cycling title sponsor, as it extended its sponsorship of the American continental team through the year 2015.
Next year will be the 15th season that Jelly Belly jelly beans have adorned the recognizable team kit. Another popular cycling sponsor, Maxxis, comes on for 2014 as the secondary sponsor, so the team will be known as Jelly Belly-Maxxis. Kenda was the secondary sponsor for 2013.
The team also brings in a new clothing sponsor in Fast Freddie Apparel, the cycling-wear company owned by current American road champion and Jelly Belly rider Freddie Rodriguez. New bike sponsor will be Argon 18, after the team rode on Focus bikes this year.
Just like its cycling team, the Jelly Belly company has been in business for decades, beginning as the Goelitz Confectionery Company, which can be traced back to 1869. The Jelly Belly jelly bean came about in 1976.
Rodriguez is set to continue with Jelly Belly in his stars and stripes jersey for 2014. Serghei Tvetcov, another of the team’s top riders in 2013, will return as well.
Kirk Carlson, the American under-23 road race champion, is one of the marquee new names. Carlson won the 2013 Sea Otter Classic. Jacob Rathe also returns to the team after spending three years at the WorldTour level with Garmin-Sharp. New names on the team include Devon Dunn, Johnathan Freter, and Steve Fisher.
“For 2014, Jelly Belly-Maxxis presents the complete package,” said team director Danny Van Haute. “We have a tremendous lineup of riders who are eager to excel as a team and get results, and we are welcoming aboard new sponsors who want to align themselves with a program that will deliver results on and off the bike.”
Jelly Belly will ride its usual calendar in the United States, along with some races in Asia, and will chase another invitation to the Amgen Tour of California, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, and the Tour of Alberta.