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British brand Boardman Bikes sponsors athletes Pete Jacobs, winner of the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, and the Brownlee brothers, who dominated the triathlon at the London Olympics. Their success is, in part, due to the TT bikes they ride, created by time trial specialist Chris Boardman.
Boardman, British Cycling’s tech guru for nine years, the organisation’s chief ‘secret squirrel’, isn’t so well known in the US, and Fletch Newland aims to change that. Newland has been the North American sales director since April. He was previously with FSA and Cervelo.
In the UK, Boardman Bikes has a ‘performance’ range, available only via Halfords, and an ‘elite’ range, available via high-end IBDs. For the US market only the elite road road has been made available. The British brand currently has five dealers in the US and Newlands believes he will have signed another 25 by 2014.
"US customers love the Union flag on the bikes but it’s the performance of the bikes that’s the real selling point," said Newland.
Boardman Bikes launched in 2007. Chris Boardman won Olympic gold on the track in 1992.
