Lance Armstrong: Honey Man

Lance Armstrong news alert: Honey Stinger, the manufacturer of honey-based nutritional foods, announced yesterday a partnership with the professional cyclist. In addition to future product development and endorsement of Honey Stinger energy-food products, Armstrong became “part of the ownership team” in the Steamboat Springs, Colo., company. Says the man Lance himself: “I first tried Honey Stinger products during a mountain bike race in Colorado. I was impressed with the great taste and energy they provided. Honey Stinger works for me in training and racing because you want to eat them and they work. I’m excited to be part of the Stinger team and work with them on expanding the products and business.”

This is big — huge! — news for the small Colorado company. Though the conditions of Lance’s involvement are vague, according to Len Zanni of Honey Stinger “[Lance] will work with us mainly in a product development and promotions capacity. In the near future we’ll consider use of images of him riding or racing on packaging and other marketing materials.”

The story goes that Armstrong first met Zanni, Honey Stinger’s marketing director, when they teamed up to race the 12 Hours of Snowmass mountain bike race near Aspen, Colo., in 2008. The foundation for a new business partnership was hatched “over the course of long bike rides and get-togethers with company leaders,” according to a press release.

I have long been a fan of the Honey Stinger gel packs. Pure honey as fuel is a great alternative when you’re tiring of GU or CLIF Shots during an event. For more info on the Lance connection, check out this interview on CNBC — http://www.cnbc.com/id/36822988 — where Lance talks about the deal in depth to describe what the partnership dynamic with Stinger will soon look like.

—Stephen Regenold