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Navigators Insurance to End Record Sponsorship Run

The longest running professional team sponsorship in American cycling will come to an end this season as Navigators Insurance will not renew for 2008. Navigators Insurance has sponsored the NJ based professional team bearing its name for 14 years making it the longest continuous team sponsorship in American cycling history, and one of the longest running in the world.

The team began in 1994 with the mission to help encourage and provide opportunity for budding American cycling talent, and with the support of the New York based insurance company has helped 70 athletes develop, nurture and prolong their professional athletic careers. At the turn of the millennium, the team began adding more experienced international riders to help broaden the experience of its predominantly American roster, and soon began to test their competitive grit in the European arena.

Over 40 American professional cyclists have officially donned the Navigators Insurance kit, and the team has earned an international reputation as a competitive force in the peloton. Over the last several years, the team has gradually increased its presence in the European arena, and the Professional Continental team has contested some of the great events in Western Europe while becoming a popular and recognized force in the international peloton. The team has competed on, and been victorious on six Continents and has included athletes from 15 nations, many who have represented their country in World Championship and Olympic competition.

The Navigators Insurance presence in cycling has also included a long standing support of amateur clubs and event sponsorship including the Elite National Criterium Championships and the Freedom Tour.

The Navigators Group was founded principally as a Marine Insurance Company but has since grown to offer a diverse portfolio of specialty insurance products to an international market., and after 14 years of utilizing cycling’s global penetration, it is time for the Company to move its marketing strategy in a new direction.

The Tour of Missouri (Sept 11-16) represents the Navigators Insurance Cycling Team’s final team event in the United States, while the Tour of Britain (Sept 9-15) culminates the team’s European campaign. Once again, several Navigators Insurance team riders will represent their country at the World Professional Road Championships in Stuttgart later this month.