• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, July 12, 2013

Talk about a crowded peloton. Ads for personal injury lawyers eat up a lot of time on local cable. So, it’s impressive when one stands out so much. Give a New York law firm a yellow jersey for ingenuity or maybe just realizing the intuitive.

During Tour de France coverage on the NBC Sports Network, Lucarelli & Castaldi has been running spots in Time Warner Cable's local breaks plugging its work with bicycle accident cases. Needless to say with the Tour audience made up of lots of passionate cyclists, it’s smart targeting.

“We’ll work to get your medical bills paid, have your bike repaired or replaced, recover lost wages and secure a cash settlement,” the voiceover says.

Who knew there were enough bike accidents to account for a core part of a legal practice? But Lucarelli & Castaldi has been in the bike-plaintiff business for 25-plus years.

Its short Tour de France ad begins with shots of all kinds of bikers and the voiceover: “Cycling in NYC, enjoyed by millions young and old, commuting, touring, racing and just having fun. But if you have an accident …

Cue sound of skidding and shot of an ambulance as the spot continues with: “You need lawyers who concentrate on bicycle accident cases.”

It ends with the firm’s moniker on screen bookended by the scales of justice intertwined with bikes.

The ads have already borne fruit as firm partner Thomas Lucarelli said “we actually got a couple of cases” from them. One big win in court and the ad buy could very easily pay for itself. Local cable costs, even in NYC, aren’t exactly at Super Bowl levels.

Lucarelli said the Tour ads are a first by the firm and it hasn't done TV in a while. But it does heavy marketing within the New York cycling community, backing the competitive Lucarelli & Castaldi Cup and serving as the presenting sponsor of the family-friendly Tour de Brooklyn.

As with most lawyers, it also relies heavily on word of mouth and cyclists can be a tight-knit group. “People talk in that community,” Lucarelli said. “Somebody who rides competitively gets into a bicycle accident (and) everybody that rides competitively with that person is going to know about it.”

Certainly, the firm’s work in bike accidents has roots in partner Philip Castaldi’s competitive cycling career, where he's a former category 2 rider with USA Cycling. Which probably isn't a bad background for navigating the challenging course that is legal advertising.