Tour de France Sponsorship Primer

As the Tour de France moves into the mountains and stage 16, today Business Week offers up a great primer for the corporate partners that are behind this year's field. If you want a quick look at the corporate faces behind each team we'd suggest you check it out. While stateside cycling events like the Tour of Missouri are struggling, BW makes the case that cycling's doping scandal, in part, as created a unique opportunity for small and mid-sized companies to obtain international exposure at a relatively low price. You buying it? The most interesting sponsor storyline by a mile is Lance Armstrong's new affiliation with Astana group, a coalition of state-owned companies from Kazakhstan. Of course, none of this matters if you don't zip up your jersey!