It's a marketing investment - they are trying to gain a wider exposure for their brand and their company.

Successful marketers have long-recognized the fact that marketing must be viewed as an investment, and not simply a line-item expense. Like any investment, marketing programs must be evaluated on the incremental returns they generate, and the ability to do that exists today in a growing number of industries.

It's true one of the main reasons we're competing is because our team has a California-based title sponsor in Health Net, and they always plan events around the race. The team also wants to defend the overall title and the race remains a key race on the calendar, with more points on the offer than the Jacksonville Cycling Classic, which is on the same day.

It's a more intricate sport than perhaps people perceive. Most people think you get on your bikes and ride. The Tour de France coverage has kind of explained that it's a lot more than that. Hopefully, by the end of the week, people will start to understand it.

This just might be the most important race (this season), it's the home state for the team and home state for the title sponsor.

In a small company, marketing measurement is even more important. You are not generating 30,000 leads a month, you are generating a few thousand; and each lead is very valuable.