Sports - Cycling - The Pro Crit Series Presents the Atlanta Invitational (PCS) 2005

As the 3rd annual Tour de Georgia cycling race approaches the finish line this weekend, Georgia welcomes another cycling competition to its roster of world-class sporting events ...

ATLANTA, GA (PRWEB) April 23, 2005 -- As the 3rd annual Tour de Georgia cycling race approaches the finish line this weekend, Georgia welcomes another cycling competition to its roster of world-class sporting events, the 2005 first-annual Pro Crit Series Presents the Atlanta Invitational (PCS).

The Pro Crit Series Presents the Atlanta Invitational (PCS) is scheduled for July 2, 2005 at Turner Field and on the streets of downtown Atlanta. This is expected to be a big sports weekend for Atlanta, with the Atlanta Invitational and other scheduled sporting events attracting large crowds to downtown Atlanta.

The Atlanta Invitational is an exciting form of cycling, the Criterium, a timed road race that runs on a closed, 1.1 mile course. Criterium races attract the most talented cyclists in the world. The teams will race against one another and the clock as they circle Turner Field. The team that makes the most laps in sixty minutes wins the race. Winners will receive a total of $15,000 in prizes. The Atlanta Invitational will donate a portion of the proceeds from this event to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.

The top three professional cycling teams of 2004 will be compete at the Atlanta Invitational: #1 Team Health Net, #2 Team Jelly Belly and #3 Team Webcor Builders.

The Atlanta Invitational is a cycling road race sanctioned by the US Cycling Federation (USCF). USA Cycling is the official cycling organization recognized by the USOC and is responsible for identifying, training and selecting cyclists to represent the United States in international competitions.

The Atlanta Invitational begins Saturday, July 2nd at 1:00 p.m. The event will host more than 350 riders from around the world. 25,000-plus spectators are expected to line the streets along the course. The race will be televised on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), the official broadcast partner of the 2005 Atlanta Invitational. OLN is also broadcasting Tour de Georgia coverage. Frankie Andreu, captain of the 1999 and 2000 Tour de France winning team, will anchor the TV coverage with his own unique wit and cycling expertise, along with commentator Dave Towle.

Frankie Andreu is one of the most popular and well-respected names in American professional cycling. He retired from racing at the end of 2000 after a stunning 12-year career. During his tenure, Andreu competed in the Tour de France nine times, a current American record. That surpasses five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrongs statistics. Frankie captained the United States Postal Service cycling team that powered Lance Armstrong to victory in the 1999 and 2000 Tour de France races. He was one of the team's most selfless performers. His teammates always knew that they could depend upon him. Andreu has also competed in three Tours of Spain and one Giro d' Italia. His racing experience includes Grand Tours, high placed finishes in World Cup events, World Championships, Spring Classics, and two Olympic Games, placing 8th in 1988 and fourth at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

The Atlanta Invitational is a place where a new generation of cycling stars can showcase their talents. Raw talent, wide-open racing, team camaraderie, adoration by the spectators and the quest for victory all combine to create a highly charged spirit of competition that riders crave. When spectators experience the speed and energy of bikes flying past them at more than 40 miles per hour, powered by world-class athletes in peak physical and mental condition, the way they view cycling will never be the same.

It is rare that such exhilarating racing makes its way to the southern United States. Its even more infrequent that an event of this magnitude takes place in a major metropolitan area such as Atlanta.

Since the creation of the modern bicycle, the United States has been a dominant force in cycling competition. Before World War II, cycling was second only to baseball as a national sporting pastime. Following a period of decline in the 1950s and '60s, cycling regained its popularity and today is the fastest-growing amateur participation and spectator sport, not just in the U.S. but also around the world. Studies show that more than 99 million Americans are active in cycling. Research shows that these people spend more than $4 billion annually to participate in the sport of cycling, and that these expenditures are expected to double over the next several years. *1

Local Atlanta sponsors of The Pro Crit Series Presents the Atlanta Invitational include UPN Atlanta 69, Turner Field -- home of the Atlanta Brave - and others which will be announced soon. National and international sponsors of the race include Michelob Ultra, Tifosci sunglasses and Velonews, among others.

A kick-off press conference for the The Pro Crit Series Presents the Atlanta Invitational, held concurrently with the Tour de Georgia cycling race, is scheduled for Thursday, April 21, 2005 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Frankie Andreu, US Cycling officials and top cycling athletes will be there to talk with reporters.

When: Thursday, April 21, 2005
Start Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Where: The Forum Civic Center Complex (downtown Rome, Georgia), Berry / Shorter Room
                
Reach the Berry / Shorter room by going in the main entrance to the Forum, take the stairs to the left or the elevator to the right to the
second floor. (See directions below.)

Note:
If you are attending the Tour de Georgia press conference on Thursday 21 April - 2:45PM at the Presbyterian Life Center in Rome -- you are just a few blocks away from the 5 p.m. Atlanta Invitational press conference.

Who:
-Frankie Andreu, captain of the 1999 and 2000 Tour de France winning team
-Derick Halliman, Executive Director -- Atlanta Invitational / Pro Crit Series
-John Johnson, US Cycling
-Jeff Corbet, Team Director, Team Health Net
-Danny van Haute, Team Director, Team Jelly Belly

Broadcast News Media:
If you cannot attend ... video and audio copies of this press conference will be available to the news media. Contact us to arrange delivery via tape or e-mail. The press conference will be pre-lit.

Non-Broadcast News Media:
If you cannot attend ... audio copies of this press conference can be e-mailed to you. Contact us to arrange delivery.

About Outdoor Life Network
Outdoor Life Network has become known as the premier TV destination for cycling enthusiasts. OLNs 2005 schedule includes same-day coverage of the some of the worlds top cycling competitions, including the Tour de Georgia, Tour de France and the Paris-Nice race, among many other event on Cyclysm Sundays" starting at 5:30 p.m. every Sunday. Launched in July 1995, OLN is the leader in Outdoor Adventure TV featuring exciting programming, exclusive coverage of outdoor sporting events, and expert how-to advice. Outdoor Life Network is a 24-hour advertiser-supported television network delivered via satellite to 58 million subscribers on a wide variety of cable systems, as well as nationally on DIRECTV and The Dish Network. www.olntv.com *2

About USA Cycling
USA Cycling, doing business as the USCF, NORBA and USPRO, controls nearly two- dozen major events each year and issues permits for up to 3,000 more. The major activities of USA Cycling ensure the ongoing development and safe participation in the sport of cycling. The company was organized in 1920 as the Amateur Bicycle League of America and was incorporated in New York in 1921. In 1975, the name was changed to the United States Cycling Federation. In 1995, a new organization, USA Cycling, was incorporated in Colorado, and on July 1, 1995, the two corporations merged, with USA Cycling being the umbrella corporation. www.usacycling.org *1

For more information:
Demarco Williams -- Public Relations (Atlanta, Georgia - USA)
Office: (678) 528-2954
Cell: (404) 273-1011
Fax: (404) 286-4144
E-mail: dwilliams@procritseries.com

Porter Versfelt III -- Public and Media Relations (Atlanta, Georgia - USA)
Versfelt Communications Group, Inc.
Office: 678-469-6224
E-mail: vcgtv@aol.com
Web: www.vcgtv.com

Derick Halliman, Executive Director (Atlanta, Georgia - USA)
The Atlanta Invitational / Pro Crit Series
5870 Trent Walk Drive
Lithonia, GA 30038
USA

Office: (678) 528-2954
FAX: (404) 286-4144
E-mail: dhalliman@juno.com
Web: www.procritseries.com

Directions:
The Forum Civic Center Complex (next to the Floyd County Courthouse in downtown Rome)
2 Government Plaza
Rome, Georgia 30162 USA
(800) 858-7601 / (706) 291-5281
E-Mail: theforum@floydcountyga.org
Web: www.forum.floydcountyga.info/index.html

Parking: Parking spaces have been reserved for the news media in the surface parking lot on the west side of the Forum building (on the north side of Tribune Street) and its main entrance. Alternative parking is available in the Floyd County Courthouse surface parking lot just east of the Forum, on the NW corner of Tribune Street and Fifth Avenue. It is a short walk along the Riverwalk to the Forum.

From The North -- Calhoun /Dalton / Chattanooga
Take I-75 South to the Exit 312 (Rome/Fairmont). At the end of the exit turn right. You will be on Highway 53. Highway 53 becomes North Broad Street then becomes Broad Street in Downtown Rome. You will cross Highway 27/Turner McCall Blvd. At this intersection, you will see a Checkers on your left and a Chevron Station on your right. Then you will go to the fifth traffic light and turn right onto Third Avenue and turn right. Third runs directly into The Forum parking lot.

From The South -- Atlanta / Cartersville
Take I-75 North to Exit 290 (Canton/Rome). At the end of the Exit, take a left. (You will see a Cracker Barrel on your right). You will travel 2 to 3 miles (past Wal-Mart on your left) and come to a red light. You will be facing Waffle House. Take a left and then immediately take a right onto old Highway 411 South/20 West. Go approximately 3 miles to the Rome Exit. Travel 25 miles and follow the signs into downtown Rome. 411 South/20 West becomes Turner McCall Blvd. (You will pass K-Mart-Home Depot-CVS Pharmacy on your right) At the fifth traffic light, Checkers on your right and Georgia Power Building (brown tile building on your left), turn left onto Broad Street. Then you will go to the fifth traffic light and turn right onto Third Avenue and turn right. Third runs directly into The Forum parking lot.

*1 Source: USA Cycling web site
*2 Source: OLN web site

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