First, it’s huge. This will easily take up an entire page on my blog. Makes me look slack, since not only did I not have to put any effort into it, but it’s hundreds of words more than my usual posts. Second, while I’m excited about Interbike, I’m not sure I need to publish every press release they send me. There’s a decent chance that someone who reads my blog has enough interest in cycling that they already read this last Friday, when it came out. So why did I publish it? Because I read the part where a donation will be made to Bikes Belong, and I think that any time a company supports programs like this, they deserve some recognition.
So here it is:
ATHENS, Georgia and LAS VEGAS – September 14, 2007 – Swagger, LLC today announced details of the Bicycling Magazine Industry Cup, scheduled for Thursday night, September 27 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. The event is part of the World Criterium Championship, the final race in the 10-city 2007 USA Crits Championship Series.
The Bicycling Magazine Industry Cup is presented by and held in conjunction with Interbike, the annual bicycle trade show, which runs from September 24-28, 2007 in Las Vegas.
The inaugural Bicycling Magazine Industry Cup allows show attendees from all sides of the business end of cycling to compete for prizes on the same 1k course as the USA Crits professional series finale, which serpentines through the Mandalay Bay resort guaranteeing large numbers of spectators for the event.
Some of the industry luminaries registered to participate are Steve Hegg, Ned Overend, Dory Selinger and Wayne Stetina. Hegg was a two-time Olympic medalist at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California where he won a gold medal in the men’s 4000m individual pursuit and a silver medal in the 4000m team pursuit. Overend is a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World Mountain Biking Champion, XTERRA World Champion and a United States Bicycling Hall of Famer. Selinger is the 2005 United States Track National Champion and a Paralympics medalist. Stetina is a former multiple-time United States Road Champion and a current member of the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame.
“Sponsoring the Industry Cup gives Bicycling the perfect opportunity to rally alongside our clients in an event that will give everyone an energizing break from the Interbike show floor,” says Bicycling VP/Publishing Director Chris Lambiase.
During the race, primes from Planet Bike, Kinetic Trainers and Rock & Republic will be offered.
Pacific Cycle (Schwinn) and the Saris Cycling Group (CycleOps), have joined forces to create the SchwycleOps team. They have issued a “bragging rights” challenge to all willing to take them on. Jeff Frehner, President / CEO of Pacific Cycle, and Chris Fortune, CEO of Saris Cycling Group, are offering a challenge purse of $2,500 to be donated to Bikes Belong in the company names of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd-place finishers. $1,500, will be donated under the 1st-place finisher’s company name; $750 under the 2nd-place finisher’s company name; and $250 will be awarded under the 1st, 2nd and 3rd-place finisher’s company names, respectively. Frehner and Fortune are also providing a prime prize, an award-winning 2.4 Wireless PowerTap from CycleOps Power.
“We are truly excited to have industry heavy hitters such as Pacific and Saris Cycling Group step up their involvement in the Industry Cup event and support cycling at the front of the class,” said Ravi Rajcoomar, managing partner of Swagger, the country’s leading producer of criterium racing and organizer of the Vegas crits. “I wonder if there are any other industry players willing to put their money where their mouths are … because talk is cheap!” Others, apparently, have heard the challenge and are ready to answer it.
“We’re going to Vegas to do two things; shoot dice and drop SchwycleOps.” said Planet Bike product manager, Erik Olson. “And I figure we’ll be tired of dice by Wednesday, so there’ll only be one thing left to do come Thursday night.”
Planet Bike will make a $5000 donation in the company name of the last rider to cross the line (DNF and pulled riders don’t count) to the Thunderhead Alliance. The DFL rider will also walk away with a Planet Bike Alias HID lighting system and other swag.
Race winner jerseys are to be awarded in the Industry Cup in the following five categories:
· Manufacturer
· Media,
· Distributor,
· Retailer, and
· Pro Team Support Staff (mechanics, team directors)
Racing is open to 25 teams of 4 full time employees in the cycling industry whose primary income is derived from working for the company entering the event (not as spokesmen).
For more information on how to register for the Bicycling Magazine Industry Cup, go to http://finals.usacrits.com/ and click on “Industry Cup” at the top of the page or send e-mail to industrycup@usacrits.com.
Confirmed teams already include:
· Albabici-Nalini with Olympic medalist Steve Hegg and
two-time para-Olympian Dory Selinger
· Baby Jogger
· Bicycling with former Portuguese National and World team member Joé£o Corriea
· Bike Hugger
· Clifbar including founder Gary Erickson
· Cycle Safe with former professional Erik Saunders
· Fuji to include former US professional Champ Mark McCormack
· Giant
· J&B Importers
· Look
· Oakley
· Orbea Spain
· Orbea USA
· Outspokin
· Planet Bike
· Schwinn/CycleOps
· Specialized Team 1 with legendary World Champion Ned Overend
· Specialized Team 2
· Training Peaks with former professional and coach Dirk Friel
· Yakima-Shimano with former US Road Champion Wayne Stetina
About Swagger
Recognized as a leading action and adventure sports production company, Swagger offers an array of business services that include branding, creative services, events and athletes, media packaging and production, mobile programs, public relations and communications, relationship leveraging, sales and sponsorship, staffing resources, and strategic marketing. As the country’s leading producer of criterium racing currently producing over forty criterium events, Swagger has over 50 years of combined experience as a sports marketing and event management organization. Swagger has managed America’s premier criterium, the Twilight Criterium in Athens, Georgia for 27 years and has assisted with hundreds of large and small-scale events. For more information, please visit www.swagger.us.
About Interbike
Interbike, produced by Nielsen Business Media, the parent company of the Outdoor Retailer (OR), Action Sports Retailer (ASR) and Fly Fishing Retailer trade shows, is a full-service trade show company that creates, markets and produces high-quality expos and educational conferences. Producers of the OutDoor Demo and Interbike International Bicycle Expo, Interbike is the leading bicycle industry business-to-business event management company, bringing together top manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of cycling. Now celebrating more than 25 years of successful events, Interbike ( www.interbike.com) gathers more than 1,000 cycling-related brands and more than 21,000 total attendees annually.
The next 25 years of Interbike start with the OutDoor Demo in Bootleg Canyon, Boulder City, Nevada, September 24-25, 2007 and the International Bicycle Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 26-28, 2007.
About Bicycling Magazine/Rodale
Bicycling is the world’s leading cycling magazine and connects with millions of active, affluent professionals for whom cycling is the centerpiece of a vibrant, experiential lifestyle. Bicycling’s unique combination of travel, gear, fitness, style and award-winning stories — all surrounded by vivid photography and framed in elegant design — brings the sport to life for passionate readers who take us along for every ride.
As a global content company in health and wellness, Rodale reaches more than 30 million people in 57 countries each month through its category-leading media properties and integrated marketing solutions and is one of the largest direct-to-consumer businesses. Rodale’s nine magazine properties, all veteran publications in their categories, include the brands Prevention, Men’s Health and Runner’s World, as well as Women’s Health, Organic Gardening, Backpacker, Best Life, Bicycling and Mountain Bike. Today Rodale magazines are published in 47 countries. More information, please visit www.bicycling.com.
About World Championship Sports Network (WCSN)
World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) is the premier destination for fans of Olympic and lifestyle sports, delivering an immersive experience via exclusive live and on demand coverage of world class competitions, interaction with top athletes and in depth access to sports news and information year round.
WCSN offers comprehensive coverage of over 60 sports disciplines, through exclusive long term programming agreements across a number of key International Federations and National Governing Bodies. Major championship events in sports ranging from Track & Field, Skiing, Swimming, Gymnastics and Cycling to Volleyball, Karate and Taekwondo are featured online at www.wcsn.com and on television via WCSN’s 24/7 cable sports network. WCSN also markets Olympic sports in partnership with International Federations, National Governing Bodies, local organizations, clubs, sponsors, and through related websites and publications. For more information, please visit www.wcsn.com.
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