SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA– Columbia Sportswear Company (Nasdaq: COLM), a global leader in the active outdoor apparel and footwear industries, and California-based High Road Sports, Inc., the owner of Team High Road, today announced a new team sponsorship agreement that prominently places the Columbia brand at the starting line of the 2008 Tour de France on July 5.

Team High Road, one of professional cycling’s most successful young teams with star riders such as George Hincapie, Kim Kirchen and Mark Cavendish, will compete as “Team Columbia” for the remainder of the 2008 season and will unveil its new uniforms in Brest, France on July 3, two days before the start of Europe’s largest sporting event, the 95th Tour de France. In Europe and around the world, the Tour de France international cycling event is considered comparable to the United States’ Super Bowl in terms of popularity among fans and media exposure.

“Columbia Sportswear Company’s sponsorship of Team Columbia provides an ideal opportunity to elevate the positioning of Columbia in multiple European markets by communicating our authentic, outdoor, active, American brand to our target demographic,” said Tim Boyle, president and chief executive officer of Columbia Sportswear Company. “By sponsoring one of the top men’s and women’s cycling teams in the world, we leverage the international popularity and broad media reach of the cycling sport among enthusiast and recreational audiences, promote Columbia’s outdoor brand leadership in Europe and the U.S., and support our seasonal product initiatives, such as Omni-Shade™ apparel and accessories for sun protection.”

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - Ina-Yoko Teutenberg continued her dominating run at the Commerce Bank Triple Crown of Cycling, taking her fifth straight win with a commanding performance at the Commerce Bank Reading Classic women’s criterium on Thursday.

Teutenberg was part of a five-rider group that broke away from the field about halfway through the 25-mile race that traced a 1.8-mile circuit through downtown Reading. On the last lap the German High Road rider punched the accelerator with 200 meters to go, easily out-gunning Team Tibco’s Joanne Kiesanowski. Cheerwine’s Laura Van Gilder was third in the race that lasted one hour, one minute and 23 seconds.

Teutenberg also won the Lehigh Valley Classic criterium on Tuesday in Allentown, and swept the Triple Crown series a year ago.

“No way,” answered Teutenberg when asked if winning ever gets old. “Each one is a little different, so you appreciate them all.”

Unlike on Tuesday when Teutenberg had to bury herself to make a solo bridge across to the decisive breakaway, this time she was part of the key selection that was initiated by Kristin Armstrong, team leader of the Swiss-based Cervelo-Lifeforce squad and a U.S. Olympic hopeful. Only Teutenberg, Kiesanowski, Van Gilder and Alison Powers (Colavita-Sutter Home) could respond to the 2006 world time trial champion’s move, quickly making the race a five-rider affair.

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Mara Abbott, riding for the composite team Discover Bicycles/Athletes for a Cure, jumped from the field led by Jeannie Longo to catch the remnants of the break of the final climb to Mt Hood Meadows ski resort to win stage 4, the Wy’East Road Race at Mt Hood Cycling Classic.

“I knew that coming up here was my best chance, the pace slowed down a bit, Jeannie Longo was leading but she was switching side to side a lot, and she switched to the side and we bunched up a little bit and I decided to go. I caught the break about half way between when I attacked and the finish, it was awesome.” said a smiling Abbott.

As expected, the race came down to the last 2 miles. An early break with Martina Patella (ValueAct) and Kelly Benjamin (Cheerwine) was off the front, and the Aaron’s team, driven by Meredith Miller, led the chase. Longo added her power to the chase in the final miles.

“The break stayed away with 2 k to go. I caught Meredith with about 800 k to go.” said Beveridge.

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Photo by Ken Conley

GAINESVILLE, Ga. – After knocking on the door of a stage win yesterday, Greg Henderson (NZL) of Team High Road launched himself through the tight downhill turns of the Gainesville circuit finish to narrowly defeat teammate Andre Greipel (GER) and win Stage Three of the Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T. Finishing behind the High Road duo was Tyler Farrar (USA) of Slipstream Chipolte. With the win today, Henderson will take over the lead in the General Classification (G.C.) and wear the AT&T Overall Leader jersey during Stage Four.

“Right at the finish, I had Kansta Siutsou (High Road) and George Hincapie (High Road) looking after me pretty well. I don’t think we left the top five for the last three laps,” said Henderson, the 2003 Tour de Georgia Overall Sprint Champion. “Then coming up 500 meters to go, George just nailed it and Greipel (High Road) actually dived down inside me on the last corner. I was like ‘that looks good, three High Road.’ And it was just a drag race between Greipel and I to the line. And, yeah I was lucky enough to get it.”

Farrar moved to second place in the G.C., nine seconds behind Henderson. Stage Two winner Juan Jose Haedo (Team CSC) moved to third in the G.C. Several notable American riders moved up in the G.C. including, George Hincapie of Team High Road (18th), Chris Horner of Astana (20th), Tom Danielson of Slipstream Chipotle (24th), Bobby Julich of Team CSC (30th) and Levi Leipheimer of Astana (47th).

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Stage Two 1.2 mile downtown Redlands criterium race, sponsored by 1st Centennial Bank/KWB Wealth Managers, brought numerous attacks and a bunch sprint finish. 19-year-old Swedish star Emilia Fahlin from Team High Road sprinted across the finish line and took the biggest win of her young career. Alex Wrubleski, from Webcor Builders, and Brenda Lyons, from Advil/Chapstick rounding out the top three. Mara Abbott, from High Road continued her lead in overall points.

“This course has a lot of corners and fast laps, which I like,” said Fahlin, who is a first time Redlands Bicycle Classic participant. “Everyone talks about this race. It’s a big goal for the team.” Fahlin fought her way to the end, knowing she was to protect the lead of Mara Abbott and take time bonus seconds away from the opposing GC riders. “After I took off seconds for the first bonus I was a little tired, so I had to push it.” Fahlin took the time bonus sprint at the half way mark and then again at the finish.

“The race went according to plan,” continued Fahlin. “Since we only had four riders, it was perfect to have other teams do the work. Hopefully they will be tired tomorrow. With two laps to go Cheerwine and Webcor started to pull hard. I think the last lap was all Cheerwine but I saw that they were starting to get tired in the last decent before the last two corners. With the two corners to go I saw a rider come out and I just jumped on her wheel and came out around her in the last corner. It was really fun!”

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After battling it out with her breakaway companions, Katherine Carroll, from Aaron’s sprinted to a big win in Stage One. Former Canadian national champion, Alex Wrubleski, from Webcor Builders followed with second; and Leigh Hobson, from Cheerwine grabbed third. Mara Abbott, from High Road, just a few seconds behind in a group that bridged to the breakaway kept the yellow jersey, coming off of her win at Thursday’s Prologue race.

The pro women cyclists lined up to complete 4 laps of 17.5 miles in the 2008 Redlands Bicycle Classic Stage One Circuit race in Beaumont, Calif.
This year’s course required a different strategy from the former Oak Glen Stage One race. The 17.5 mile course took the riders through Beaumont’s rolling hills, bordered by open fields. Bogart Park provided a grueling hill that threw some of the hardest obstacles. After the steep climb, the wind to be difficult for the riders.

Some found the challenging course inviting. “I thought the course was fantastic,” said Hobson. “It was definitely a challenge with the climb, but it wasn’t as selective as a mountain top finish. Teams could race more aggressively.”

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Team High Road continued on their winning ways with Mara Abbott winning the Redlands Sun Time Trial Prologue with a 25 seconds lead over Aaron’s Kat Carroll. Coming in one second later, is High Road’s Kim Anderson to round off the podium. Under cloudy skies, Abbot, who finished fourth in last year’s prologue, raced the 5 kilometers and climbed the 207 final hill in eleven minutes and ten seconds, with an average speed of 26.98 km/hr.

“It went really well, I was able to keep a good mental attitude about it, I felt really confident, not necessarily confident that I could win but confident that I prepared myself to do a really good race.” said a very happy Abbott about her ride.

Women’s Podium (l-r): Kat Carroll (Aarons), Mara Abbott (High Road), Kim Anderson (High Road)

With both Webcor and Aaron’s team placing each three riders in the top fifteen, all with less than a minute between them, High Road is looking forwards to defending the jersey, even if they are only fielding 5 riders in this race.

“It’s going to be interesting, we’ve got some pretty strong teams to go up against, Webcor is in a good position because they have quite a few good riders get good placings, but we’ve got a good position too, we’ve got Kim in third, we’ve got Mara in first and despite the fact that we’ve only got five riders, they are all pretty fit, they’ve been riding well together and do what we can.” said High Road DS Kristy Scrymgeour.

Tomorrow’s stage is the 110km Beaumont Road Race, a new stage in the Redlands Classic, and everyone is expecting a field sprint. With time bonuses on the line, attacks should be flourishing.

Mara Abbott (High Road), winner

“To be able to, on a race like that, go out and do so well is really exciting because I know I prepared myself but you don’t know what everyone else will do.”

“The thing that I really love about this course is that it’s so interesting. There are so many things that happen during it, it’s not just a straight climb, it’s not a flat course, it’s so interesting. And there’s a million different ways that you could ride it, you could ride it all day long and ride it different every time so it’s really fun. I actually had fun riding this course every single year. This is my third time riding this course.”

“You know, I think when I started out, this was my first NRC race that I’d ever done, and then I ended up getting fourth last year, and so you learn more about yourself as a racer and hopefully keep getting better and better, that’s the natural progression.”

“Beaumont is fun, I actually like the loop. It’s cool, because it’s got a little bit of everything, it’s got flat sections, some long straight sections, it goes up through a climb through this little neighborhood and so it’s cool because it’s the kind of course that’s it’s whatever you make of it.”

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The indomitable Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (High Road) won the sprint of the 40 miles NRC Visalia Criterium ahead of the Tibco duo of Brooke Miller and Lauren Franges who all avoided the crashes in the last lap including in the last corner.

Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (High Road) wins the spring ahead of Tibco’s Brooke Miller and Lauren Franges

“I had a good position at the end and my team helped me out to get me there. I had the better position to Brooke coming out of her draft and get around with a bit more speed.” said Teutenberg.

“On the backside, Lauren jumped early which was exactly what we wanted to to, we wanted her to go for a full sprint on the corner with me on the wheel so she set me up absolutely perfectly. Unfortunately I also gave great leadout to Ina, but my team did such a great job of leading me out, I was really very excited about it.” said Miller about the last lap.

The pro women gathered on Sunday for the second day of the Sequoia Cycling Classic to tackle the flat and fast Visalia Criterium.

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Kristin Amrstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce) crushed the competition in the Sequoia Cycling Classic Yokohl Ranch Exeter Time Trial, winning the race of truth with a lead of four minutes seventeen seconds ahead of Alex Rhodes (High Road) and four minutes fifty seconds in front of Felicia Gomez (Aaron’s).

The US national champion Armstrong blitzed the finishing line in perfect form giving her a final time of one hour, one minute and thirty-one seconds. For anyone counting, Armstrong would have finished 26th in the Men’s Time Trial held earlier.

“It’s early so everyone is going to be at a different fitness level this time of year, March is early to be fit, people that are out here doing well today may not be the same people here in two or three months. It was a great course, a great organization I’m happy I came out here.” said Armstrong.

The Sequoia Cycling Classic Time Trial is the second race in the NRC Calendar for the women, and the heavy hitters came out to play. The first race, the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Criterium held in Santa Rosa, was won by Tibco’s Brooke Miller.

The 40 kilometer (24.6 mile) course started off with a 400 feet climb over Rocky Hill and into rolling and twisting Yokhol Valley gradually climbing 400 feet again before the turnaround and return to the start/finish line. The valley was absolutely beautiful with blooming mustard wildflowers but I doubt that anyone has a chance to enjoy it during the ride.

Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team), winner
“It was great, it was very terrained, tail wind going out, headwind coming back, lots of twisting and turning. They call it the race of truth for a reason and I really think that you couldn’t… there was not a minute out there that you could relax or take the pressure off, so I think that the people that are going to be up on the podium today are going to be the ones that raced hard the whole way.”

“I’m going up, I’m just now kind of coming into a little bit fitness. I leave for Europe on Monday, I’m going to do the Spring campaign with my new team Cervelo-Lifeforce and I’ll come back and race Montreal, Philly, Nature Valley with my team and then I prepare specifically for Beijing. My team is based out of Lucerne, Switzerland it consists of riders from all over the world and I’ll be the only American, but there’s a New Zealander, an Australian, some German girls, Swiss girl, Austria so it’s just a variety of gals, really nice, our team is really into time trial specialists, I think that so far, so good. It’s been a really fun time working with international gals.”

Alex Rhodes (Team High Road – Women), second place
“It was pretty, long obviously. I was happy with my ride, to come second to Armstrong, she’s awesome so to be on the podium, I’m stoked.

“Winds were not too bad. I sort of like the wind, it’s the only time where being a little bit heavier kind of helps (laughs) , see it helps when you eat ice cream. Obviously, with the team this year it’s nice to repay all the faith they have in me. “

Felicia Gomez (Aaron’s Pro Cycling Team), third place
“It was hard, it’s a hard course which definitely suits me better. Like short, flat prologue-like that’s not really my thing, give me something that’s strong, hilly and hard , I can stay out there for a long time. It was good, what can I say, I’m really pleased, it’s a big year, Olympic year, you’ve got to be coming out the starting block guns blazing. I feel like my fitness is where it needs to be, you know to lose against Kristin Armstrong, I mean geez, and then Alex Rhodes who’s one of the best in Europe, I’m pretty happy, really I couldn’t ask for more.”

“We got these new bikes, I’ve been on it for a week, I love the bike, they are great, they’re hand me downs from Quickstep, I’ll take Bettini’s bike any day (laughs). It’s great, the bikes are fast. I’ve been working a lot of my TT and so to finally put in a really good one, to see that the hard work has paid off, I’m thrilled.”

“I’ve been doing at least once a week of intervals on my TT bike and then riding it a lot. Last year I had drastically changed my position and obviously it didn’t work for me because I sucked so this year I went back to what I was a couple of years ago and just really worked on being comfortable on the bike and I always knew that I could put out the power but it was being in a position that would allow me to generate the power and go fast so I think I was able to do that.”

Time Trial podium (l-r): Felicia Gomez (Aaron’s), Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce), Alex Rhodes (High Road)

On a personal note, I’d like to thank the good Samaritan that came to my assistance in Visalia on Saturday evening. The gentleman not only to my help to fix my car but he went the extra mile (or 10 actually) to make sure that everything was okay, and then to top it off, he flabbergasted me by offering up his discount at the car shop. Wow. Thank you so much.

Women’s TT Top 10

1. Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team) 01:01:31.89
2. Alex Rhodes (Team High Road - Women) +04:17.07
3. Felicia Gomez (Aaron’s Pro Cycling Team) +04:52.19
4. Anne Samplonius (Cheerwine Cycling) +05:09.91
5. Katharine Carroll (Aaron’s Pro Cycling Team) +05:41.18
6. Leigh Hobson (Cheerwine Cycling) +05:41.88
7. Mara Abbott (Team High Road - Women) +06:11.37
8. Molly Van Houweling (Metromint Cycling) +06:35.50
9. Kristin Sanders (Aaron’s Pro Cycling Team) +06:52.69
10. Carmen Mcnellis (Aaron’s Pro Cycling Team) +06:54.29

Full results here.

Building on a successful first season, ValueAct Capital Professional Women’s Cycling Team is adding talent and experience to their roster. Nicole Evans, Leah Goldstein, Marni Hambleton, Lara Kroepsch and Chrissy Ruiter have joined the squad. ValueAct Capital will definitely be in contention this season for wins in the major stage races as well as the criteriums.

“Our team goal is to be one of the top three teams in the NRC,” states Lisa Hunt, the returning Team Director. “We really have an extremely well rounded and balanced team. We have climbers, we have overall riders, we have sprinters…..we have strong stage racers. We are going to be able to do basically every NRC race.”

New riders:

Nicole Evans rode for TEAm Lipton in 2007. She won both the 2006 High Uintas Classic and the Elkhorn Classic stage races. Evans was also 3rd place on GC at the 2007 Valley of the Sun Stage Race. Nicole’s strengths are in climbing and all-around riding.

Leah Goldstein is a three-time winner of Mt. Hood Cycling Classic. “We are targeting some of the key stage races…like Mt. Hood,” commented Hunt. “We plan to defend that title. Leah is our climber and our stage racer.”Goldstein is currently the Israeli national road race and time trial champion; she resides in Canada, where she trains in the mountains.

In 2007, Marni Hambleton joined the VAC team as a guest rider for Nature Valley, Altoona and Bermuda. Hambleton raced for the Symmetrics Women’s Professional team for the past 3 years, and was the silver medalist at the Canadian National Road Race in 2007.

Lara Kroepsch also comes to the VAC from TEAm Lipton. A talented criterium rider, Kroepsch has two collegiate national championships, along with top podium finishes at some of the NRC criteriums. She rode with T-Mobile prior to TEAm Lipton.“After racing professionally for many years you get adjusted to switching teams,” stated Kroepsch.

“It’s tough in the sport. I think women tend to form closer relationships with their teammates than men do. The good thing is….I have been riding a long time and I know these riders. It really is a small family out there competing. When you are selecting a team…it’s about the people you are riding with…the management…the riders…it’s everything. We become a family. We don’t get paid the big bucks so it has to be enjoyable. For me I made a conscience decision to join this team. I wanted to be riding with Lisa. I think riding for her will be very cool. I am very happy with being here.”

Chrissy Ruiter rode for Cheerwine in 2007. She was on the podium at the 2007 Athens Criterium and the Tri-Peaks Challenge. Her talent has earned her a spot on the US National Team for 2008, where she’ll be spending time in Europe with several other top US riders.

Returning Riders:

Sharon Allpress love for bike racing developed while she was sent on a UN peace-keeping mission to the East African country of Eritrea, a former Italian colony where cycling is the national sport. “My focus is on the stage races….to be helpful in climbing hills,” stated Allpress. “I love the stage races and the long endurance events. I love to them tactically because you have to be patient…..to let the race play out…..to read what is going on. I want to ride in support of my team….to get us the best possible finishes…to get us on the podium. I know we can do it.”

Hannah Banks is a promising young Australian with several national titles to her name. She spent 2006 racing with the Australian Institute of Sport National Team, which was based in Italy for the 2006 season and raced in the Women’s Giro di Italia and the Tour de l’Aude.

Courtenay Brown returns to the VAC team in 2008, but with a focus on multi-sport events. Last year, Courtenay transitioned to triathlons, and won her first two triathlons, including the Silverman.

Katie Mactier has two gold medals in the Individual Pursuit at the Sydney and Beijing World Cup Track events. “It’s a big year for me,” shared Mactier. “I have the Olympics coming up. I am preparing for the 3000m pursuit. I was really lucky last year as I had the opportunity to ride with VAC. They are a terrific group of girls. This year the program’s even bigger….and it’s a very important, key part of my preparation for August. We have some fantastic races lined up. Everybody here brings a unique element to the team dynamics. I am sure we are going to get a lot of great results. We also just enjoy each other’s company. We learn from each other….we share our different experiences. Everything I do this year is in preparation for August.”

“We are not curing cancer here. We are racing our bikes. We have been given an incredible opportunity…one that many would love. We have a team policy of, “No tears and lots of laughing.” We are very honest girls and give each other lots of encouragement. The girls here come from amazing backgrounds. They really are amazing. We sat around the other night and just shared tales…I feel very honored to be a part of this great team. Cycling is something we all share in common. Of course when we put our numbers on we are there to win but…..leading up to the race we want to have a good time.”

In 2007, Martina Patella finished on the podium at the Bermuda Grand Prix. “My personal goals are very vested in this team,” stated Patella. “When the team succeeds then I feel I have succeeded. We are going after the NRC title….and to keep establishing ourselves as a heavy hitting professional team….a team that can race their bikes and that are classy cyclists. I would love to see us as one of the top 3 teams in the country. I really believe we are capable of this….and that we have the chemistry to do it. We really work hard together. There are a lot of points available at stage races and we have great stage racers. In terms of personal goals, I would love to win a NRC race. I have been on the podium but I would love to get a win.”

Taitt Sato has been racing in Northern California since 2001. She enjoys hilly criteriums and flat road races. Before turning to cycling full time, her prior career was practicing transactional law. “This is my second year,” said Sato. “My goal for 2008 is to see how we can take this team to the next level….to make our presence known on the national arena. I am really focusing on riding in support of my team but also my have the opportunity to get my own name out there. I am really looking forward to seeing what we can do.

“Last year, we had a young, spirited team that really proved they had the ability to succeed. Katie Mactier’s wealth of experience really contributed to making this team ge,l” commented Hunt. “I wanted to build on that momentum, by adding more top stage race and single day race talent. It’s a great group of riders!”

The team will be contesting a full NRC schedule for 2008. Next on the schedule is the Sequoia Cycling Classic in Central California. The town of Exeter will be the start of Saturday’s Yokohl Ranch Exeter Time Trial, a 40-kilometer out-and-back course with two significant climbs, and neighboring Visalia will host Sunday’s Visalia Criterium.

Other Sponsors:
Blue Competition Bicycles: www.rideblue.com
Columbia Sportswear: www.columbia.com
DeFeet: www.defeet.com
Fi’zi:k: www.fizik.it
Michelin: www.michelin.com
Pictura Graphics: www.picturagraphics.com
PowerBar: www.powerbar.com
Reynolds: www.reynoldscycling.com
Ritchey Design, Inc.: www.ritcheylogic.com
Rudy Project: www.rudyprojectusa.com
Time Sport: www.time-sport.com
TRP Brakes: www.trpbrakes.com
Voler: www.voler.com
For more information regarding the team, visit www.teamvalueactcapital.com

ValueAct Capitals Katie Mactier-Looking for a Big Year