Front end: Good gearing

Sponsoring professional bicycle-racing teams has one clear advantage. Your name is not only on the bike riders' jerseys, but you also buy the name of the team.

Financial institutions have joined the colourful pack of pedalling ads that was formerly dominated by manufacturers, retailers, charities and pressure groups. Most famous is Spanish bank Banesto - its team leader, Miguel Indurain, has won the three-week-long Tour de France (the most prestigious stage race) for five consecutive years and is the hot tip to do so again next month. Banesto claims his winning streak has drawn in more retail deposits, while the bank has milked the connection in its promotions. But not always successfully. A Spanish housewife who won "Big Mig's" 1995 Tour bike in a Banesto prize draw didn't know what to do with it. She complained it was blocking her hallway.

A pro bike team is a relatively cheap, high-profile publicity vehicle, particularly in western Europe. A team in the 22-strong first division (there are more than 60 pro squads in total) runs on, at most, $10 million a year. That guarantees your name exposure from February to October on public roads in half-a-dozen countries.