NORCROSS, GA (BRAIN)—Blue Competition Cycles Inc. and Ciclo Werks have entered into a six-year agreement in which the St. Agatha, Ontario-based bike distributor will become an exclusive Blue dealer, expanding the company’s affiliation with its Northern neighbors.
The agreement will allow Ciclo Werks, a five-year-old, family owned and operated bicycle distributor, and Blue to grow sales throughout the Ontario region and across Canada.
“We’ve always liked their bikes, especially their cyclocross line,” Ciclo Werks owner Tom Elsaesser said of the partnership. “We have a very good understanding of the Canadian bicycle market and look forward to helping expand Blue’s presence.”
While just seven years old, Blue has a long history with the Canadian bicycle and triathlon communities. The Norcross, Georgia-based company currently sponsors Canadian triathletes Magali Tisseyre, who captured Ironman 70.3 titles this year in Rhode Island and Boise, Idaho, Brent McMahon, who turned in the fastest bike split en route to victory at last month’s ITU World Cup race in Hungary, and the husband and wife team of Heather and Trevor Wurtele. Since 2009, Blue has also been partners with Victoria, British Columbia-based LifeSport Coaching, a worldwide leader in triathlon coaching. The Canadian National Road Championship for 2011 was captured by Veronique Fortin aboard a Blue Axino SL and last year the top Canadian finisher at the Cyclocross World Championships was on board a Norcross SL.
Those connections didn’t go unnoticed by Elsaesser.
“For us, it was an easy fit,” he said. “They have a good tri bike line, which a lot of the top Ironman athletes use in Hawaii and around the world. And they’re a small company like us, which I really like. It’s a very friendly atmosphere to work in. That’s important.”
The partnership with Ciclo Werks comes as Blue expands its worldwide presence. In the past year, the company has tripled its list of European distributors to 13 and more than doubled its U.S. sales force to 11. In 2010. Blue saw revenue grow by 38 percent just a year after posting a 32 percent revenue gain. Blue has been building on that success this year and expects another year of double-digit growth.
