April 20, 2006 (Whistler, BC) – The Kona Bicycle Company is pleased to announce they have signed on as the official bike of the 2006 International Mountain Bike Association Summit/World Mountain Bike Conference to be held in Whistler, BC on June 20 through 23.

The conference will be a gathering of mountain bike advocates, trailbuilders, land managers, tourism professionals, ski resort managers and members of the bike industry from around the world, with the goal of arming attendees with the knowledge, skills and shared vision needed to advance the rapidly evolving sport of mountain biking.

Kona’s Advocacy Director, Mark Peterson, will be the keynote speaker at the conference’s June 21 seminar, “How to get More Industry Involvement in Cycling Advocacy,” and Kelly Steelman, Kona’s North American Bike Park Guy, will be on hand to educate operators of bike parks about the benefits of the Kona Bike Park program.

“As we are the official bike of the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, the conference here will be a perfect showcase for Kona’s ability to add value and assist bike parks in operating a quality, profitable operation,” said Steelman.

More information on the IMBA Summit/World Mountain Bike Conference can be found at the Summit’s website, www.worldmountainbikeconference.com

About the Kona Bicycle Company:
The Kona Bicycle Company designs, manufacturers and distributes more than 60 models of purpose-built, high-performance mountain, road and urban bicycles. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Ferndale, Washington, USA, Kona bicycles are distributed worldwide in more than 60 countries through independent specialty bicycle dealers. Kona funds several professional road, mountain and cyclo-cross racing teams that include World Cup Champions, World Champions and National Champions. www.konaworld.com