February 16, 2007

Garmin Sponsors Tour of California

Garmin has teamed up with Amgen to sponsor the Tour of California, a 650 mile stage style bike race that will draw some of the best teams from all over the world. Each participant will get a Garmin Edge 305 to race with this coming week, Feb 18 - 25. This marks the second marketing move for Garmin with their Edge line in recent weeks, the other being the sponsorship of a major Euro racing team, Team Milram, with team member Erik Zabel.

Press Release Follows:

Garmin International announced it will become a sponsor of the 2007 Amgen Tour of California, an internationally sanctioned professional cycling road race. This Tour de France style stage race hosts 18 of the world's top professional teams and 144 riders racing throughout California February 18-25, 2007.

As a sponsor, Garmin has supplied all race participants with an Edge 305 GPS-enabled cycle computer that will help them monitor their performance throughout every phase of the Amgen Tour of California, as well as future rides. Garmin will also have a booth in the daily Lifestyle Festival presented by Health Net, a free race-day festival in finish cities where the public can experience the excitement of the race and learn more about sponsors.

"The Amgen Tour of California has quickly become one of the top cycling races in the U.S. and attracts a worldwide audience," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "It is a great fit for Garmin because it allows us to showcase the Edge® to everyone involved with the 650-mile course -- from the participating athletes, to the countless spectators that will line the course, to the millions who will watch on TV."

The Garmin Edge is the first GPS-based cycling computer and personal trainer. It has revolutionized the cycling industry by providing athletes accurate and instant feedback such as time, speed, distance, heart rate, cadence, altitude, grade, and much more. In addition, the Edge's Virtual Partner(TM) feature allows the cyclist to keep pace with a digital person that performs at a programmed pace, duration or distance. The Edge is light-weight, waterproof and cyclist-friendly. Users may customize the display to show up to eight different data fields, as well as altitude and a map view. It attaches to either the stem or handlebars of the bicycle, and is designed for easy removal at the end of a ride.

"We strive to create a best-in-breed race experience for the world-class cyclists that participate in the Amgen Tour of California, and we are thankful for sponsors like Garmin who help make their California experience special," said Shawn Hunter, president of AEG Sports, presenters of the race.

Now in its second year, the Amgen Tour of California features the top cycling talent in the world, including The Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, The Health Net Pro Cycling Team presented by Maxxis, T-Mobile, Predictor-Lotto and Team CSC. Riders from 28 countries will compete in the 650-mile course that covers terrain from San Francisco to Long Beach, California.