HELLERUP, Denmark, July 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Saxo Bank, the specialist in trading and investment, has more than Team Saxo Bank to celebrate following the 2010 Tour de France.

With Andy Schleck as team leader, the Saxo Bank team won four stages, the youth competition and finished in second place overall. Saxo Bank remained front and centre as the cycling drama unfolded, from Fabian Cancellara's time trial win in the Rotterdam prologue and Andy Schleck's seventeenth stage victory in the Pyrenees Mountains to the finale on Avenue des Champs-Elysees.

Bringing Saxo Bank fans together to support the Team during this year's Tour de France was an important goal for Saxo Bank in its third season as sponsor of the Team. The online bank organised on-site events that let fans and clients experience the race closer than ever before. In Rotterdam, Bruxelles, Avoriaz and Paris, hundreds of guests were given a chance to watch the race as VIPs, meet the riders for autographs and photos and see the mechanics working on the bikes.

Saxo Bank also provided exclusive online coverage on its website, Saxobanktakingthelead.com, including incredible behind-the-scenes look at Team Saxo Bank's tactics, training and, of course, the bikes. In addition to the website, Saxo Bank knit the community of cycling enthusiasts and Saxo Bank fans together with real-time race updates and latest Tour de France developments directly on their computer of mobile phones via Twitter and other social media actions.

    Saxo Bank's Tour de France facts and figures:

    - Searches for the Saxo Bank brand on Google doubled over the course of
      the Tour.

    - The saxobanktakingthelead.com website had an increase of 459.79% growth
      in absolute Unique Visitors during the Tour.

    - http://twitter.com/saxobank got a record 4,678 followers.

Lars Seier Christensen, co-founder and co-CEO of Saxo Bank, who followed Team Saxo Bank during most of the Tour, said that the sponsorship has not only proven a great branding opportunity for the Bank but also increased Saxo Bank's name recognition around the world.

Spanning three weeks and 3,642 kilometers, the 2010 Tour de France was one of the toughest and most demanding editions of the race in recent years. Following their performance at this year's Tour de France, Team Saxo Bank is now ranked as the number two cycling team in the world.

About Saxo Bank

Saxo Bank is an online trading and investment specialist, enabling clients to trade Forex, CFDs, Stocks and Equities, Futures, Options and other derivatives, as well as providing portfolio management via SaxoWebTrader and SaxoTrader, the leading online trading platforms. SaxoTrader is available directly through Saxo Bank or through one of the Bank's institutional clients. White label is a significant business area for Saxo Bank, and involves customising and branding of the Bank's online trading platform for other financial institutions and brokers. Saxo Bank has more than 120 white label clients and boasts thousands of retail clients in over 160 countries. Saxo Bank is headquartered in Copenhagen with offices in Australia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, UK, and the United Arab Emirates.

SOURCE Saxo Bank