PRESS RELEASE – CSC extends with Cervélo

Cervélo and Team CSC extend partnership
Cervélo Cycles and Riis Cycling, the management company of Team CSC, are pleased to announce that they have extended their collaboration through to 2009.

The day Cervelo and Team CSC signed their first contract in August 2002, the Team was 14th in the UCI team rankings and Cervélo was just another small bike manufacturer. Today, Team CSC is the #1 team in the UCI ProTour rankings and Cervélo is generally acknowledged as one of the most innovative bike companies in the world.

“Essentially that’s because of our design and engineering philosophy,” said Gerard Vroomen, Cervelo’s co-founder. “We have always felt very strongly that development should be performance-driven rather than marketing-driven as we want to add actual value for the end-user. For a customer like Team CSC this is obviously even more important because marketing hype doesn’t win races. Phil [White] and I are of the opinion that we should earn our sponsorship rather than simply buy it, and the results for both parties show that it is working. Team CSC rides superior products, and we can offer that same product to our other discerning customers.”

“We remain committed to Cervélo,” said Bjarne Riis, “not because Team CSC wins every race or because Cervélo is the biggest, but because being the best is about dedication and a commitment to excellence, and those are principles we both share.”

“An example of the teamwork that Team CSC and Cervélo have created is evident in the new Soloist Carbon,” said Phil White, Cervélo co-founder, “the first bike that could truly be called a complete collaboration between us. I’ve said it before and it bears repeating, they have made us better bike designers. Based on the results the riders have already achieved on this new model in two short months, we know this is a winning relationship. Also, with Ivan Basso touted as the top contender for the 2006 Tour de France, it is good for him to know that we’ll continue to push the envelope and provide him with a great ride for years to come.”

“I am very happy that we are continuing our brilliant collaboration with Cervélo. It has been a pleasure being part of the developent of their bikes. I’ve been constantly impressed with their technology and it means a lot to me that we have best material available. Cervélo’s bikes give us a competitive edge and I know that I can win the biggest races on these bikes,” says Team CSC star rider Ivan Basso.

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