Fuji Bicycles to Sponsor Geox-TMC in 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE L-R: Mauro Gianetti, General Manager Team Geox-TMC; Pat Cunnane, President Advanced Sports International, Diana Zilute, Manager Team Diadora-Pasta Zara, Karen Bliss, Vice President Marketing Advanced Sports International, Giuseppe Palumbo, President Team Geox-TMC, Maurizio Fabretto, President Team Diadora-Pasta Zara FUJI BICYCLES TO SPONSOR GEOX-TMC IN 2011 PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 25, 2010) Fuji Bicycles officially announces today that it will sponsor the new professional cycling team Geox-TMC in 2011 as part of a multi-year agreement between the team, supported by Italian shoe manufacturer Geox and TMC Transformers - a leading brand in electric cast resin transformers - and the U.S.-based bicycle manufacturer. In an agreement signed in August between Geox president Mario Moretti Polegato and Footon-Servetto general manager Mauro Gianetti, the Italian shoe company will take over as primary sponsor of Gianetti's current squad. TMC transformer company soon stepped up as the second-name sponsor and Fuji Bicycles will continue as bike supplier. Geox will also have a women's team in 2011 with Fuji Bicycles as bike supplier. Additionally, Geox will support a Belgian-American amateur squad (in 2010 Fuji Test Team) that will serve as the professional team's satellite program. Pat Cunnane, President of Advanced Sports International, parent company of Fuji Bicycles, said the new sponsorship agreement is a positive step forward for the Fuji Bicycle brand. "We have worked with Mauro Gianetti for several years now as sponsors of the Fuji-Servetto and Footon-Servetto teams and we are very pleased to partner with him again for 2011 and beyond," said Cunnane. "The power of racing in the Pro Tour has clearly been a major benefit to our brands (Fuji and Oval Concepts), as well as to our suppliers' brands," Cunnane continued. "We've shown our products can survive the rigors and daily punishment of the Tour de France, the cobbles of the Tour of Flanders and other major races under some of the best riders in the world. It is because of this that our brands have gained immense credibility." The Geox-TMC pro squad as well as the amateur team will be riding Fuji's new ultralight road bike, the innovative Altamira. The elite women's team, formerly the Safi-Pasta Zara team based in Italy, will be racing on Fuji's new women's-specific carbon road model, the Supreme. All three teams will race on Fuji's D-6 time trial bike. Mauro Gianetti, general manager of Team Geox-TMC explained "The debut of the Geox brand in cycling is a project that wants to create more than just a cycling team. The objectives are not just to achieve important sporting results, the promotion of the Geox brand at an international level, the discovery and development of young talent but also the application of the patented technology of Geox for breathability. And we are confident that this continuing partnership with the Fuji Bicycle brand, already our great sponsor for two years, will enable us to reach our goals for the team." Gianetti has signed some top talent for the Geox-TMC squad for the 2011 season including 2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre and 2005 & 2007 Vuelta a España and 2009 Giro d'Italia winner Denis Menchov. Other riders signed to Team Geox-TMC in 2011 include Giampaolo Cheula, Rafael Valls, Arkaitz Duran, Noe Gianetti, Fabio Felline, Matthias Brandle and Marco Corti from Footon-Servetto, plus Spanish climber David De la Fuente from Astana, Fabio Duarte, Marko Kump, Matteo Pelucchi and Marcel Wyss. The women's team, called Diadora-Pasta Zara, is lead by team president Maurizio Fabretti and managed by former world champion Diana Ziliute. Diadora-Pasta Zara will feature Americans Mara Abbot, winner of the 2010 Giro d'Italia Femminile and Shelley Evans, U.S. National Criterium Champion. Russian Olga Zabelinskaya and Italian Eleonora Patuzzo, two former junior world champions will also be key players for the team. The international amateur squad, directed by Bernard Moerman, includes top-ranked amateurs former USA-military Champion Ian Holt, Peter Horn (USA), Aaron Pool (USA), Finland's U23 champion Paavo Paajanen, Anthony Louis (Fr), Arne Casier (Bel) and Thomas VanHaecke (Bel). About ASI: Advanced Sports International (ASI) is a privately held corporation located in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania USA with more than 80 distributors in 50 countries. Operating in the U.S. through the specialty bicycle retailer network (SBR), ASI markets a full line of premium bicycles and high-end parts and accessories under the Fuji , Kestrel, SE, Breezer, Terry and Oval Concepts brands. For more information, visit www.advancedsports.com. ### Contact Information: Kaitlyn Phillips, Communications Manager Advanced Sports International +1-267-350-6153 kphillips@advancedsports.com