For Immediate Release -- May 9, 2008

Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team Makes Donation to Fallen Competitor Who Was Paralyzed at Tour of Gila
Team Will Auction off Signed Team Jersey on eBay to Raise Additional Funds

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 the Sunday, May 4, final stage of the Tour of Gila in Silver City, New Mexico. The cash consists of the riders' prize money they earned over last week's 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, May 12 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

Like he did for Dominique Rolling after his stage win at the Amgen Tour of California, Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team owner Sean Tucker put Ivan Dominguez on a Times Square big screen after his Tour of Georgia Stage 1 win.



The victory ensured that Toyota-United remains the only team in the world to have won at least one stage in every major American tour over the past three seasons.

You can listen to Sean Tucker talk about the team, why Rollin is know as "The Horse" and the future of American cycling at Bicycling.net.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOW THIS IS POSITIVE SPIN
FRAN DRESCHER AND THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS PLEDGE TO JOIN
'SPINNING® NATION', A NATIONWIDE DAY OF SPINNING® TO CHANGE
THE WORLD.

(March 12, 2008 Los Angeles) This spring, fundraising for charities will take on a whole
new spin. On June 28, thousands of Spinning® enthusiasts across the country will join
actress Fran Drescher and other actors, athletes and enthusiasts to make the U.S. a
"Spinning® Nation". The largest fundraising event of its kind, registered fundraisers will
participate in four consecutive one-hour classes conducted in licensed Spinning®
facilities throughout the 50 states. Each rider will have raised at least $250 in pledges,
and collected funds will be donated to Athletes for a Cure, The AIDS Research Alliance
and The Cancer Schmancer Movement.

Response to "Spinning® Nation" has already been overwhelming. According to Scott
Zagarino, Executive Director of event-developer Sportsgrants, Inc., over 150 clubs
signed up to participate during the first 10 days of registration. "We designed the event
to accommodate up to 500 clubs which we thought was a very ambitious goal," said
Zagarino. "However, we have experienced such enthusiastic support for 'Spinning®
Nation' we may have to expand the parameters to include more clubs who want to take
part."

"Spinning® Nation" will be a day that marks several firsts in event fundraising. Mad
Dogg Athletics Inc., owners of the Spinning® trademark, has for the first time endorsed a
single nationwide charitable event, and health clubs from coast to coast have never before
joined together to simultaneously conduct the same charitable program. In addition, this
will be the first time three charitable organizations with diverse constituencies have ever
partnered for a single event, one of the goals of the Sportsgrants, Inc. organization. "In
2007, various charity events held in the US raised 43 billion dollars, but at a cost of 57
billion dollars," commented Zagarino. "We hope to change that fundraising paradigm
through Sportsgrants, Inc. by fostering innovative ideas and cooperation among
foundations, businesses and private citizens that result in effective fundraising with
minimum overhead and maximum benefit to the people and organizations who need our
help the most."

According to John Baudhuin, CEO of Mad Dogg Athletics, there are currently 165,000
licensed Spinning® instructors and over 1 million people attending a Spinning® class
every week. "We are proud to choose 'Spinning® Nation' as our first nationwide
fundraising effort, " Badhuin said. "It is fantastic to be able to channel the enthusiasm
people have for Spinning® towards fighting some of the world's most devastating
diseases."

Fran Drescher, who is president of Cancer Schmancer, is delighted to be part of this
groundbreaking event as well. "I'm absolutely thrilled that Cancer Schmancer has been
included as part of the Spinning® Nation fundraising event. I will do everything in my
power to make the day a success and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping
us realize our goal to ensure that all women's cancers get diagnosed in Stage One when
they're most curable."

Athletes for a Cure is a sports fundraising initiative of the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Prostate Cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America, effecting 1 in 6 men.
The AIDS Research Alliance is a national leader in fast-track independent AIDS
research, seeking to develop a cure for AIDS and develop strategies to prevent new HIV
infections. Thirty-three million people are currently diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

~~~
Media Contact:
Kathy Jones
Halo Group
310-994-0066

For more information:
Spinning Nation www.spinningnation.org
Athletes for a Cure www.athletesforacure.org
The Aids Research Alliance www.aidsresearch.org
The Cancer Schmancer Movement www.cancerschmancer.org

Visit the Spinning® Nation Online Community

With the political season heating up, I thought I'd turn my attention to some politicians who have made news in the cycling world.

First up is Mary Peters, Bicycling magazine's recent Wheel Sucker of the Month. Ms. Peters claimed, in an August interview with PBS that bike paths are unnecessary wastes of the government's transportation budget. Unfortunately for cyclists (and the environment and people who would prefer less cars on the road), Peters is the current secretary of transportation.

Then there's Paul Soglin, former mayor of Madison, Wisconsin. On a snowy day in December, he railed against cyclists who braved the roads, writing on his blog that they "should be taken out and shot." Let's hope he stays a "former" mayor.

At least there are politicians like Earl Blumenauer. This Wall Street Journal article details how the Oregon congressman chooses bike over car for his Capitol Hill commute and is a strong voice for cyclist advocacy.

For those looking to relieve the burden high gas prices are putting on their wallet, check out the *Gear Junkie*'s tips on winter commuting.

Ride safe, and remember that exercising your right to vote can sometimes impact your right to exercise.

Starting Thursday, December 13, and running through Sunday the 16th, the USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships will feature the best American racers fighting for the stars and stripes jersey.

Of the record total 2,045 competitors registered for the weekend, Ryan Trebon of Corvallis, Oregon, and Katie Compton of Colorado Springs, Colorado, will be back to defend their elite division titles. There are also 13 age-group champions returning to defend titles in nearly 40 races that will take place over the four-day event.

Athletes from 45 states plus the District of Columbia will compete on the almost two-mile course, which features two back-to-back stair sections, each 40 feet long. Placed a quarter-mile from the finish line, the stairs will make for some tight finishes.

Cyclocross is usually very spectator friendly, and the Kansas City course is no different. Several spots points allow viewers to take in the entire race, and heated spectator tents will also be provided (forecasts are for low to mid-30s for the event).

A wide start area, several segments of doubling-back and some tough hills round out what's in store for the riders. The course will be muddy due to winter storms that went through the area at the beginning of the week.



Jesse Anthony, reigning U23 champion, pushes his bike up a hill. Photo: ©2007 Action Images/Kurt Jambretz

Race Director Bill Marshall said in a press release, "The course is in great shape right now. We had about an inch of snow on the course before this ice storm, but the warmer rain melted it, so now it's a layer of ice. But it's been raining more than anything lately, so it's going to make for pretty muddy conditions for the entire week."

"I think weather always makes racing more interesting," said Georgia Gould, recent winner of the overall Gran Prix of Cyclocross Series and the current U.S. mountain bike national champion. "Mud adds an element of finesse and technical skill over and above simple brute strength. In the end, the winner is the one who makes the fewest mistakes on the slippery course."

Check out www.kccrossnationals.com for race schedules, spectator information, photos, results and more.

Tuesday, September 11, is the beginning of the inaugural Tour of Missouri. It's also the final chance for American cycling fans to see the Discovery Channel team compete. The team, which announced earlier this year that they will be disbanding following the 2007 season, will include Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, U.S.A. Cycling National Championship winner Levi Leipheimer and runner-up George Hincapie, and Yaroslav Papovych, who finished eighth at this year's Tour de France.

The Tour of Missouri begins in Kansas City and will cover 600 miles before finishing in St. Louis on Sunday, September 16th. More info at www.tourofmissouri.com. Versus looks to be airing taped coverage on Saturday, September 22 and Wednesday, the 26th.

Despite cycling's recent struggles and scandals, it's still sad that a great team like Discovery can buckle under the pressure of securing sponsorship. While they are one of the more expensive teams competing, they're also one of the more visible. From Lance Armstrong to Contador, Discovery has claimed several Tour de France podium spots since taking over sponsorship of the team from the U.S. Postal Service. Currently, they're the only American team competing on the international tour.

It'll be a tough void to fill. The team earned its following through victories--largely due to Armstrong. Team Slipstream, which prides itself on a rigorous drug-testing policy, has since signed several top tier riders but may not compete in the Tour de France until 2009. The Toyota-United Cycling Team has a very visible presence in American cycling, but doesn't compete internationally.

I'm jealous of the lucky fans who will line the roads of Missouri in the next several days. This is, however, an inaugural race. Along with the young Tour of California, perhaps we're seeing a resurgence of stage racing in America. Maybe without the cycling landscape here dominated by how well Discovery will do, new faces and teams will emerge, bringing with them younger, more eager fans.

Today, August 8th, begins the one-year countdown to the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing, China. Spending more money than any other host city ever, Beijing's venues are nearly ready for competition, with several staging test events in the next six months. To say that China is excited to show itself off to the world would be an understatement.

Fans of the Olympics should also be excited to learn that NBC will broadcast over 3,600 hours of coverage. The majority of it will be available via live streaming video online, a first for American viewers. This amount of coverage is more than the total of all previous Summer Games combined. Prime-time coverage will feature live swimming, gymnastics and beach volleyball.

Check out www.amazingawaits.org for a pretty inspirational video of Olympic highlights.

For anybody looking for something a little more uplifting in the cycling world than the news coming out of France, tune in to "Larry King Live" on CNN Friday, July 27 (9pm ET, 6pm PT).

A segment called "Against All Odds" will feature Daniel Sheret, an endurance cyclist and below-the knee amputee attempting an around-the-world trip to raise money and awareness for Clear Path International and their work with landmine and bomb survivors. Sheret, who is sponsored by the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team, left Washington, D.C. on June 1. He is currently finishing up his trip across America in California.

More info on the journey can be found at www.abilitytrek.org.