Bend, OR – The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team announced today that its riders and staff donated $5,000 cash to Fausto Munoz Esparza, the rider who was paralyzed in a horrific high-speed crash in last Sunday’s final stage of the Tour of Gila in Silver City, NM. The cash consists of the riders’ prize money they earned over last weeks 5 day Tour of Gila and staff donations.

In addition, Toyota-United will auction off a team jersey signed by all 14 riders on eBay beginning Monday in order to provide the general public with an opportunity to show their support for Fausto and his family.

Esparza 33, a former Mexican Nation Champion and father of three children, is in critical but stable condition in the intensive care unit of El Paso’s Thomason Hospital in Texas with a broken back which has left him paralyzed from the waist down. “He is very depressed and not sure what to make of this terrible situation. His wife, three children and parents have all come to El Paso to be by his side for the next three weeks until he gets out of the hospital” said Jose Manuel “Chepe” Garcia a Toyota-United rider and personal friend of Esparza.

“When I first heard how bad his accident was from Scott Moninger, (Asst. Team Director for Toyota-United) I immediately sprung into action and called Chepe who is a friend of Fausto’s to see what was up. I could hear in his voice how upset he was and how Fausto is very depressed and makes his living racing a bike, which is no longer the case. Then Chepe told me how Fausto has three children and a wife to support. Being the Team Owner watching my riders risk everything each week and being married with a baby girl on the way in September, the whole situation really hit home for me. I then spoke with our riders and staff and we all agreed to do something for Fausto no matter how small it may be; but we want to start the ball rolling in hopes that other teams and fans will follow suit to help Fausto in his time of need” said Team Owner Sean Tucker.

Supporters may visit the Toyota-United website beginning Monday May 12th to link to an auction of a team jersey signed by all 14 members of the team to raise additional funds. www.toyota-united.com
In addition, people may make a private donation to:

Wells Fargo Bank
1201 N. Pope Street
Silver City, NM 88061
Attn: Fausto Munoz Esparza Donation Fund

Letters can be sent to:

Patient: Fausto Esparza, ICU/12
C/O Thomason Hospital
4815 Alameda Avenue
El Paso, TX 79905

Photo by Kathleen Poulos

Richeze tested positive for an anabolic steroid during his victory in the fourth stage of the Circuit de la Sarthe on April 11 in the French city of Le Mans. He went on to win the seventh stage of the Tour of Turkey on April 20.

His withdrawal on the eve of the Giro means CSF will join the peloton with just eight riders.

“I received a communication from the International Cycling Union this afternoon,” said CSF sporting director Bruno Reverberi.

“I haven’t spoken to the rider,” he added. “From what they told me, it’s more or less the same product (stanozolol) as was used by Ben Johnson (who was disqualified after winning the 100m in the 1988 Olympic Games).

“Positive for a product of this type means the door.” The 25-year-old Richeze, who made his professional debut in 2006 for Reverberi’s team, then called Panaria, last year finished second in two Giro stages.

Peltonen will be joined by Ben Jacques-Maynes, who claimed the second spot at the recent Tour of Gila Time Trial; Richard England, winner of the Tour of Georgia’s Stage 5; and Teddy King, another big winner in Georgia, taking the King of the Mountains jersey. Jeremy Vennell,Graham Howard, and Aaron Olson round out the roster with strong talent to tackle to the 109.5 mile, point-to-point course with more than 7,000 feet of climbing.

Representing the BISSELL Women’s Elite Team will be Amy Stauffer, Sarah Maguire, Leslie Gaines, Jamie Dinkins and Beth Skau. For this 2008 UCI event, BISSELL will also sponsor the King of the Mountain competition which will see the nation’s best riders battle up five challenging climbs that define the terrain

ABOUT BISSELL
BISSELL Homecare, Inc. is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is a 132-year-old floor care innovator and international marketer of home cleaning products, including sweepers, vacuums, deep cleaning machines and cleaning formulas sold at retail locations worldwide. The company, in its fourth generation of family leadership, is the seventh oldest privately held manufacturing company in the United States.

Tour of the Gila
April 30 – May 4
Silver City, NM

Stage Four (May 3; Downtown Silver City Criterium): The Colavita/Sutter Home Men’s Cycling Team presented by Cooking Light took on the Silver City downtown criterium with the twin goals of maintaining Anthony Colby’s top five ranking in the general classification and using the speed and power of Argentine sprinter Alejandro Borrajo to pick up a second stage win. Gila leader’s Team Bissell controlled the speed of the peloton throughout much of the race. As the teams jockeyed for position with one lap to go, the eventual race winner Henk Vogels (Toyota-United) caught the field off guard with a jump into the final corner to take the win ahead of Alejandro, who crossed the line in second. In the women’s 25-lap criterium, Andrea Dvorak and Kristin McGrath of the Colavita/Sutter Home Women’s Cycling Team were able to protect Kristin’s 2nd-place GC ranking, finishing in the bunch sprint in downtown Silver City.

Stage Five (May 4; Gila Monster Road Race): After a huge team effort, Colavita/Sutter Home’s Anthony Colby and Tyler Wren rode to the base of the final climb with a select group of seven riders in contention for the race win. Anthony took third in the “Queen Stage” and Tyler followed in 6th. “Honestly, if Tyler wasn’t with me I would have suffered a lot,” said Anthony after his 3rd place podium presentation for the stage and the race overall. In the women’s race, Colavita/Sutter Home’s Kristin McGrath joined the select group of top North American riders ready as they approached the base of the climb, ready to pounce on the Gila Monster for a stage victory. Thanks to her valiant efforts climbing with the toughest competition throughout the five-stage event, Kristin brought home a 5th place finish in the overall.

Frenchman Stephane Auge, of Cofidis, retained the race leader’s jersey
after the 193km stage between Le Cateau-Cambresis and here.

Cofidis, and the Skil team of the race’s best climber Clement Lhotellerie,
were forced to work throughout most of Thursday’s stage to protect their
respective jerseys.

An early three-man breakaway went off after just 12km, but their lead was
allowed to hit a maximum of just 4min 45sec, at the 75km mark, before the
peloton upped the pace decisively.

They were caught with 11km to race, and in the final bunch sprint De Haes
surged ahead of his rivals after Gert Steegmans, the much-fancied Belgian
winner of Wednesday’s sprint, failed to produce the required speed.

Hushovd, of Credit Agricole, finished second with former under-23 world
champion Gerald Ciolek, of High Road, in third.

The Four Days of Dunkirk is a six-day race which culminates with Sunday’s
128km race around Dunkirk.

Four Days of Dunkirk cycling results
Results in the 193km third stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk cycling race between Le Cateau-Cambresis and Saint-Quentin on Thursday:

3rd stage
1. Kenny De Haes (BEL) Topsport Vlaanderen 4hr 38min 34sec, 2. Thor Hushovd
(NOR) same time, 3. Gerald Ciolek (GER) s.t., 4. Jean-Patrick Nazon (FRA) s.t., 5. Borut Bozic (SLO) s.t., 6. Jose Joaquin Gil Rojas (ESP) s.t., 7. Koen De Kort (NED) s.t., 8. Sebastian Siedler (GER) s.t., 9. Gianni Meersman (BEL) s.t., 10. Jurgen Roelandts (BEL) s.t.

Overall
1. Stephane Auge (FRA) Cofidis 13hr 49min 45sec, 2. Clement Lhotellerie
(FRA) 19sec behind, 3. Kenny De Haes (BEL) 2:44, 4. Rony Martias (FRA) 2:45, 5. Florian Vachon (FRA) 2:47, 6. Thor Hushovd (NOR) 2:48, 7. Jean-Patrick Nazon (FRA) 2:50, 8. Gerald Ciolek (GER) s.t., 9. Sebastian Siedler (GER) s.t., 10. Anthony Roux (FRA) 2:51

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WASHINGTON, May 8, 2008 (AFP) - Seven-time Tour de France winner and anti-cancer advocate Lance Armstrong said Thursday he has discussed banning smoking in public places across the United States with the three White House contenders.

“I’ve asked all the presidential candidates whether America should be smoke-free,” he told a Senate committee hearing on how to tackle cancer.

“The consensus is that it’s better left to the cities and states,” he said, agreeing that state- or community-level bans were “the way to go.”

“Second-hand smoking is something I’m very passionate about,” he told the committee.

“I don’t like to sit next to someone who’s smoking in a restaurant — I raced for 15 years in Europe and I’ve been around enough cigarette smoke to last me a lifetime,” said Armstrong, who overcame metastisized testicular cancer to win every Tour de France from 1999 through 2005.

Since he retired from professional cycling, Armstrong has become a leading advocate in the fight to beat cancer, a disease which, he told the hearing, claims 560,000 American lives a year.

Around one-third of cancer deaths are linked to smoking.

Armstrong said banning smoking, or using other means to make people never start, or kick a tobacco habit, were good preventive measures against cancer.

“We know what works in terms of cancer prevention — targeting tobacco, sun, diet and exercise.

“You now have cities like New York; Austin, Texas that are smoke-free,”
Armstrong lauded, before looking to the traditionally smoke-filled pubs, cafes and bars of Europe.
“Ireland has taken steps,” he said.

“For God’s sake, even Paris, France is smoke-free.”

Jefferson City, Mo. (Jan. 30, 2008) – Twelve cities around the Show Me State have been selected as Start or Finish cities for the second edition of the Tour of Missouri, an elite, point-to-point cycling stage race to be held September 8-14, 2008.

The second Tour of Missouri has been extended from six to seven days after an extremely successful inaugural event in 2007, and will showcase some of the state’s most beautiful roads and rolling terrain, rich history, and diverse scenery, from the start in St. Joseph, site of the Pony Express, to Kansas City, to the Ozarks, to the bourgeoning wine country, culminating with a blockbuster weekend again with stops in historic St. Charles and the ultimate finish in St. Louis with the Gateway Arch as a backdrop.

“Missouri is a beautiful place to call home, filled with countless natural and historic sites of interest to visitors both near and far,” Gov. Blunt said. “Lt. Gov. Kinder and I took the initiative to bring this race to our state because we recognized the many benefits it could bring to Missourians and our economy. Our state is prospering with the pro-growth, pro-jobs initiatives we have enacted together with our commitment to tourism with new signature events like the Tour of Missouri.”

Eight of the 2007 Tour host venues will return for this year’s edition, including Kansas City, Springfield, St. Charles, and St. Louis, which will each host a stage finish, Clinton and Lebanon which will each host a stage start, and Branson, second-time host of the individual time trial. A pass-through and start city last year in 2008, Jefferson City will host a stage finish with race circuits for the first time.

Joining the Tour of Missouri roster of hosts as a finish city is Rolla, and St. James and Hermann will each participate as a start venue, providing their communities the opportunity to see the exciting buildup to each day’s stage race, where racers sign in for the day’s stage, give interviews, and sign autographs for the public. St. Joseph, previous host of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials for weightlifting, is a new start city.

“This event proved, in only its first year, to be hugely successful for all involved, most importantly the great host communities of the Tour,” Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, chair of the Tourism Commission of Missouri. “It was very successful for the state, as tourism vehicle, people from 73 countries caught part of the event via live webcasts and more than 350,000 showed up on roads of the event.”

The 2008 Tour of Missouri will take place as follows:

STAGE 1 / Monday, Sept. 8
St. Joseph to Kansas City , road race with circuits (90 mi / 144.81 km)

STAGE 2 / Tuesday, September 9
Clinton to Springfield , road race with circuits (125 mi / 201.13 km)

STAGE 3 / Wednesday, September 10
Branson , individual time trial (18 mi / 28.6 km)

STAGE 4 / Thursday, September 11
Lebanon to Rolla , road race with circuits (105 mi / 168.95 km)

STAGE 5 / Friday, September 12
St. James to Jefferson City , road race with circuits (100 mi / 160.9 km)

STAGE 6 / Saturday, September 13
Hermann to St. Charles , road race (110 mi / 177 km)

STAGE 7 / Sunday, September 14
St. Louis , circuit race (75 mi / 120.68 km)

“The Tour of Missouri is perfectly positioned between the Olympic Games in Bejing and the World Championships in late September,” said Chris Aronhalt, Managing Partner, of the event organizers Medalist Sports. “We can expect the field to include some of the top cyclists who have either competed in the Games or are preparing for the Worlds. This will be a good course for them.”

The Tour of Missouri will field 120 of the world’s top cyclists, many of whom raced in last year’s inaugural race and were very happy with the terrain.

“Winning the Tour of Missouri was one of the highlights of my season. I received tremendous support from everyone and the fans along the route were awesome. The Tour of Missouri goes through some beautiful countryside, and I hope to return in September.” George Hincapie, 2007 Tour of Missouri Overall Winner.

About the Tour of Missouri
After an exceptionally successful inaugural Tour of Missouri in 2007, the Show Me State will again welcome 120 of the world’s elite cyclists on a 600-mile point-to-point race, to be held September 8-14, 2008. The second edition of the Tour will include seven days of racing, from Kansas City to the Ozarks, over the Katy Trail, along Route 66 and the historic Missouri River, with a fantastic finish under the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The race is sanctioned by the UCI and USA Cycling, the international and national governing bodies for cycling, respectively. It is ranked as a 2.1, second in ranking to only the Tour de Georgia and Amgen Tour of California in North American cycling. The event’s management group is Medalist Sports of Tyrone, Ga., the organizers of both the California and Georgia races. KOM Sports Marketing of Colorado Springs, Colo., is the event’s marketing agency.

HIncapie Interview Video

“With my new team High Road, I will attend the Tour of Missouri this September to defend my championship,” said Hincapie, who has already won a stage of the Amgen Tour of California in February, while most recently helping his team win the yellow jersey at the Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T last week. “Being an Olympic year, I plan on doing the Tour de France, Olympics in Beijing, U.S. National Championships and completing my season at the Tour of Missouri. For me, the race last year was special. The spectators and state were unbelievable. It was special as the last year with Discovery Channel team. I look forward to the race this year with my new team.”

Team High Road, currently ranked No. 1 in the world in many rankings, and Hincapie are the first team to be formally announced by tour organizers. A total of 15 teams with eight cyclists each will be participating, the same event as last year. The September event finishes the first stage in Kansas City and ends seven days later in downtown St. Louis.

Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, chairman of the Tour of Missouri, Inc., added: “George Hincapie is a top world-class athlete and winner of last year’s race. He embellishes everything great about this statewide event. People will come in from around the country to see him and his team perform.”

“George’s commitment to the race is indicative of the popularity this race has attracted after only one year,” said Race Director Jim Birrell. “We expect to build on last year’s tremendous success by fielding a stronger roster of teams and individuals. The word is out this is a great race and now one of the U.S.’s three grand tours along with California and Georgia.”

More teams will be announced in June.

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (May 7, 2008)—USA Cycling announced today that the national headquarters for competitive cycling in the United States will remain in Colorado Springs.

Thanks to the generous support of Nor’wood Development group and the El Pomar Foundation combined with the collective efforts of the City of Colorado Springs and several local organizations including the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation and the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, USA Cycling has secured new office space on the city’s north side. The decision to remain in Colorado Springs comes despite considerable interest from several communities throughout the United States to attract USA Cycling’s headquarters.

The new headquarters for USA Cycling will occupy a 26,000-square-foot building on nearly two acres of land near I-25 on the northwest side of Colorado Springs. Plans include a conference center, education and training facilities, and office facilities for more than 60 employees. The building and the land on which it sits were donated to USA Cycling by Nor’wood, while additional support from the El Pomar Foundation and the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation played a major role in keeping USA Cycling’s headquarters in Colorado Springs.

“Without the contributions of so many generous individuals and organizations from within the local community, it’s likely that USA Cycling would not have remained in Colorado,” commented Steve Johnson, CEO of USA Cycling. “The support of the Colorado Springs community has been incredible throughout the process, and Nor’wood’s donation, which served as the foundation for this project, is a remarkable gesture for which we are extremely grateful. The interest in USA Cycling shown by communities throughout the United States has been overwhelming, but in the end we are very pleased that we will continue to call Colorado Springs home for many years to come. I would like to acknowledge and thank everyone involved for their tireless efforts that have made this decision possible.”

“We’re delighted that USA Cycling will continue to call Colorado Springs home,” commented Chris Jenkins, Vice President of Nor’wood. “Our culture, climate and natural environment provide an ideal venue for them to fulfill their mission, and they are a tremendous asset to have right here in our community.”

Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera was a major proponent for keeping USA Cycling in a city known around the country as a hotbed for amateur athletics.

“What a wonderful outcome, said Mayor Rivera. “We consider Colorado Springs the amateur sports capitol of our nation and USA Cycling plays a key role in bringing us that designation. USA Cycling had other choices and in the end Colorado Springs succeeded to win on this strategic decision. We are extremely proud to be the hometown of USA Cycling and all our National Governing Bodies. I encourage everyone to remember to watch for cyclists around the city and county. You may be sharing the road with our next Olympic contenders.”

The building that currently houses USA Cycling’s administrative headquarters on the U.S. Olympic Training Center complex in central Colorado Springs is tentatively scheduled to be razed within the next 12-18 months. Because of the impending demolition of its office space and the significant growth competitive cycling has experienced throughout the last several years, the need for a new headquarters became imperative for the national governing body. USA Cycling currently occupies a total of 13,000 square feet in two separate buildings on the Olympic Training Center campus.

“We are very pleased that USA Cycling will continue to call Colorado Springs home,” said Mike Kazmierski, President and CEO of the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation. “USA Cycling is a tremendous asset in the community’s sports portfolio and we are proud to have been involved in the partnership of the organizations responsible to secure this positive outcome. We look forward to many great years with USA Cycling in Colorado Springs.”

“Amateur sports organizations contribute greatly to the identity and economic well-being of Colorado Springs,” explained William Hybl, Chairman and CEO of El Pomar Foundation. “El Pomar Foundation has a long history of supporting these organizations and we are pleased to assist USA Cycling in its decision to continue to call Colorado Springs home for many years to come. The recent agreement to keep the United States Olympic Committee was an important step for our city and we believe the continued presence of USA Cycling will bring yet another benefit to the entire community.”

USA Cycling is tentatively expected to move into its new building in late 2008.

Minneapolis, Min., May 7, 2008 — Alex Candelario of Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast pro cycling team climbed his third podium of the week last Sunday at the Crystal City Classic in Arlington, Virginia. His third place finish follows a win at the USA Speed Week Crits in Greenwood and a third place at the Downtown Waterboro Criterium. Along with Keven Lacombe’s third place finish in the Beaufort Stage that puts the KBS/M team on the podium four times in a week and mark! s the co ntinued return to form of Jonas Carney’s second year squad.

“Crystal City was an interesting race,” says Jonas Carney. “We made some last minute strategy shifts from Martin to Alex for the sprint. It almost gave us the win, but we’re happy to be on the podium four times in the last week. Plus our guys are riding aggressively and we’re only going to get stronger as the season continues.”

Key in the final result were Keven Lacombe and Jonny Sundt, who was well placed just ahead of the final lap to take a shot himself, but rode with the rest of the squad to set up first Martin Gilbert and then Candelario as the shift was made.

“It is important that our team can react quickly and change up the plan at such critical points of the race,” adds Carney. “In competitive racing the field can change in a second so it’s crucial to be able to respond rapidly. It’s also a real mark of our team that our guys can start with a game plan, switch strategies and still end up on the podium.”

Next up for the Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast team is the Bank of America Wilmington, Delaware and the Mt. Hood Stage Race in Oregon the same week, followed by Bike Jam/Kelly Cup in Baltimore, Maryland ahead of Philly Week and a packed second half of the season.