June 22, 2005 (Minneapolis, MN) – Organizers of the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series have released the current standings following the Series’ stop at Minnesota’s Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders) continued her winning ways, successfully defending the Series lead that she had established at the Redlands Bicycle Classic by claiming the overall win at the Nature Valley GP. She established her position early by winning the first two stages in Saint Paul and Mankato and then she and her team successfully defended the jersey in the three that remained. The win, her second in the two Women’s Prestige Cycling Series events held thus far, gives her a commanding lead in the Series.

Tina Pic and teammate Annette Buetler (Quark Cycling) are tied for second, with Pic taking the tie breaker (best result in the most recent Series event). Kim Baldwin (T-Mobile) slipped from third to fourth while youngster Erinne Willock (Webcor Builders) rounds out the top five.

1. Christine Thorburn Webcor Builders 440
2. Tina Pic Quark Cycling 264
3. Annette Beutler Quark Cycling 264
4. Kimberly Baldwin T-Mobile 253
5. Erinne Willock Webcor Builders 187

Willock continues to dominate the Best Young Rider category in the Series, taking an impressive fifth overall at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Her performance was capped by a very close second in Nature Valley’s very tough Stillwater Criterium. Aubrey Lemieux (Quark Cycling) and Stefanie Graeter (Webcor Builders) have equal points, with Lemieux taking the tie breaker. They’re followed by Alisha Lion (Ford-Basis) and Kathleen Billington (Diet Cheerwine).

1. Erinne Willock Webcor Builders 440
2. Audrey Lemieux Quark 231
3. Stefanie Graeter Webcor Builders 231
4. Alisha Lion Ford-Basis 209
5. Kathleen Billington Diet Cheerwine 132
6. Zoe Owers Team Lipton 132
7. Rebecca Larson Colavita / Cooking Light 132

Ina Teutenberg (T-Mobile) is clinging to a diminishing lead over Laura Van Gilder and Tina Pic (Quark Cycling) in the Series sprint competition. Teutenberg finished third in the Nature Valley Grand Prix’s Freewheel Sprint Competition, possibly because of a crash in the Mankato Road Race. Thorburn leads a three-way tie for fourth.

1. Ina Teutenberg T-Mobile 341
2. Laura Gilder Quark 330
3. Tina Pic Quark 257
4. Christine Thorburn Webcor Builders 165
5. Lara Kroepsch T-Mobile 165
6. Annette Beutler Quark 165

Webcor Builders continues to lead the Series team competition. However, their second-place team finish at the Nature Valley Grand Prix has begun to erode that lead, with their margin dropping from 270 points after Redlands to 220. Quark and T-Mobile remain within striking distance, with Ford-Basis and Colavita / Cooking Light rounding out the top five.

1. Webcor Builders 942
2. Quark. 722
3. T-Mobile 574
4. Ford-Basis 218
5. Colvita / Cooking Light 148

The Series began at the Redlands Bicycle Classic (March 31 — April 3) and continues at the Tour de Toona / International (July 25 — 31) before finishing at the Bermuda Grand Prix (September 22 — 25).

About the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series

The goal of the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series is to highlight women’s racing by giving them a spotlight that they don’t have to share with the men. The Series grew out of meetings that began in Minnesota in 2003 at the first Yoplait Women’s Cycling Summit Conference hosted at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. The Summits, now sponsored by Yoplait Nouriche, take place twice a year: at the Nature Valley Grand Prix in June and at the Interbike trade show in October.

Visit www. WomenCyclists. com for more information.

April 15, 2005 “” The Webcor Builders Women’s Professional Cycling Team set the pace at the first round of the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series: the PoolGel Redlands Bicycle Classic. The Webcor Builders women took the lead in the individual, best young rider and team competitions. The only competition to elude their grasp was the chase for the sprinter’s jersey, which was claimed by Ina Teutenberg of T-Mobile.

Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders) emerged as the Series leader after a hard-fought battle with Annette Beutler (Quark). Thorburn held a tenuous lead over Kimberly Baldwin (T-Mobile, six seconds) and Beutler (seven seconds) going into the final stage, the Shaver Auto Center Sunset Road Race. Beutler attacked at the finish, claiming a four-second bonus for finishing in second place on the stage. However, she fell just short of claiming the series lead when a huge effort by Thorburn closed a gap with Buetler’s group, giving Thorburn the same time as Beutler and a razor-thin two-second margin of victory. Baldwin fell to third, 13 seconds behind Thorburn.

Individual Series standings after the PoolGel Redlands Classic:
1. Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders) 220 pts
2. Annette Beutler (Quark Cycling) 165 pts
3. Kimberly Baldwin (T-Mobile) 132 pts
4. Erinne Willock* (Webcor Builders) 121 pts
5. Kristin Armstrong (T-Mobile) 110 pts

Erinne Willock (Webcor Builders) claimed the lead in the Best Young Rider (BYR) competition, with an impressive fourth overall when she finished with Thorburn and Beutler on the tough Sunset Road Race. Teammate Stefanie Graeter took the second Best Young Rider spot for the Series by finishing 29th overall. Willock had been a favorite for the Series’ BYR competition, following her third place finish in this competition last year, but her performance in Redlands tips her as a rider to watch for the overall as well.

Best Young Rider standings following the PoolGel Redland Classic:
1. Erinne Willock (Webcor Builders) 220 pts
2. Stefanie Graeter (Webcor Builders) 165 pts
3. Rebecca Larson (Colavita / Cooking Light) 132 pts
4. Laura Yoisten (Diet Cheerwine) 121 pts
5. Darcie Murphy (Velo Girls) 110 pts

Ina Teutenberg (T-Mobile) answered any lingering doubts about her comeback from her 2004 surgery when she claimed the PoolGel Redlands Classic’s 1st Centennial Bank sprinters’ jersey and took the lead in the Series sprinter’s competition. Teutenberg came from five points back after the Sun Oak Glen Road Race to eek out a narrow win over the Quark duo of Laura Van Gilder and Helen Kelly (21 vs. 20 and 18 points) in the Beaver Medical Group Downtown Criterium. Although no sprinter points were on offer in the final stage, Teutenberg added an exclamation point to her performance by winning the Sunset Road Race with an impressive solo breakaway that left her almost a minute up on her pursuers.

The series sprinter competition standings are:
1. Ina Teutenberg (T-Mobile) 220 pts
2. Laura Gilder (Quark Cycling) 165 pts
3. Helen Kelly (Quark Cycling) 132 pts
4. Annette Beutler (Quark Cycling) 110 pts
5. Lara Kroepsch (T-Mobile) 99 pts

Webcor Builders took a commanding lead in the Series team competition, with Quark and T-Mobile in a virtual dead heat for second. Webcor placed three riders in the top ten and earned 121 bonus points thanks to an outstanding performance by Young Rider Erinne Willock. Their team performance was reminiscent of Equipe Rona, which dominated last year’s team competition in similar fashion.

The current series team standings are:
1. Webcor Builders, 566 pts
2. Quark Cycling, 296 pts
3. T-Mobile, 295 pts
4. Colvita / Cooking Light, 101 pts
5. Ford-Basis, 87 pts

The series continues at the Nature Valley Grand Prix (June 8-12), followed by the Tour de Toona / International (July 25-31) and the Bermuda Grand Prix (September 22-25).

About the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series
The goal of the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series is to highlight women’s racing by giving them a spotlight that they don’t have to share with the men. The Series grew out of meetings that began in Minnesota in 2003 at the first Yoplait Women’s Cycling Summit Conference hosted at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. The Summits, now sponsored by Yoplait Nouriche, take place twice a year: at the Nature Valley Grand Prix in June and at the Interbike trade show in October.

Visit www.WomenCyclists.com for more information.

July 26, 2004 (New York, NY) – Beginning on Monday, July 26, over 100 of the top women’s riders from over 20 teams will be competing in the 451-mile the International-Tour de Toona race. The International, long known for its dedication to offering women excellent racing, is the third race of the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series (WPCS). After this race, the teams participating in the WPCS will know whether or not they are Bermuda-bound”¦for free.

“We’re excited to be part of the women’s prestige cycling series,” said race promoter Rick Geist. “Our race has always gone the extra mile to award large cash prizes to women and we are the only race that has kept the mileage the same for the men’s and women’s pro fields.” It’s part of what makes our race so attractive to the best teams, he added.

The International is expecting the top teams and riders who have competed in the past WPCS events, which included Redlands in March and Nature Valley Grand Prix in June. The leader of the WPCS, Team Quark’s Lyne Bessette, will attend and use the race as a preparation for the Olympic Games. To support Bessette, Quark has added fellow Canadian Manon Jutros, who has spent the better part of this season racing in Europe on the Denmark-based Team SATS. Rona and Genesis-Scuba, the other top placed teams, will also be competing in the International. Fellow Canadian Olympian, Sue Palmer-Komar, will be competing with a strong Genesis-Scuba squad which includes ace sprinters Laura VanGilder and Tina Pic. Team Rona will be in Pennsylvania with a full squad of six riders, but it is not known if Genevieve Jeanson will be part of the PA team.

The WPCS is a new cycling series that was developed by race directors and women’s team managers. The series is designed to include those races that make outstanding efforts to support women’s racing. Factors that influence inclusion of individual races in the series include prize lists, travel support, podium policies, efforts to market the women’s races and the difficulty of the stages. The top-10 teams after the International””Tour de Toona will receive an all-expense paid trip to the Bermuda Grand Prix.

Races that met the inclusion criteria for the 2004 calendar include:
– Redlands Bicycle Classic – March 24th-28th
– Nature Valley Grand Prix – June 9th-13th
– The International–Tour de Toona – July 26th – August 1
– Bermuda Grand Prix* – September 23th-26th

“The women’s prestige cycling series has made significant impact in the women’s pro peloton this year,” said David LaPorte, the Nature Valley Grand Prix race director and coordinator of the Yoplait Women’s Cycling Summits. “We expect that the series will only grow and that next year, and we can add more races.” But the series will always be committed to including the smaller teams on limited budgets a chance to shine, he added.

Following are the results for the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series Following the Nature Valley Grand Prix (June 13, 2004).

Overall Individual Standings:
Rank Name Team Red NVGP Total

1 Lyne Bessette Quark Cycling Team 220 220 440
2 Katrina Grove Team Rona 32 165 197
3 Genevieve Jeanson Team Rona 165 165
4 Christine Thorburn Webcor Cycling Team 132 132
5 Susan Palmer-Komar Genesis Scuba / FFCC 121 121
6 Erinne Willock Team Rona 121 121
7 Katheryn Curi Team Rona 41 66 107
8 Sandy Espeseth Victory Brewing 13 88 101
9 Magali LeFloch Quark Cycling Team 99 99
10 Rhonda Quick Red 5 Racing 88 88
11 Tina Pic Genesis Scuba / FFCC 77 77
12 Amy Moore Quark Cycling Team 66 66
13 Leah Goldstein Verizon Wireless 55 55
14 Jennifer Eyerman Red 5 Racing 10 41 51
15 Johanna Buick Victory Brewing 28 19 47
16 Karen Bockel TDS-Schwalbe 37 37
17 Candice Blickem Quark Cycling Team 37 37
18 Felicia Greer Webcor Cycling Team 32 32
19 Katherine Sherwin Team Kenda Tire 14 16 30
20 Sarah Uhl Quark Cycling Team 28 28
21 Lauren Franges Victory Brewing 25 25
22 Chrissy Ruiter Team Basis 22 22
23 Brooke Ourada Victory Brewing 22 22
24 Jennifer Stevens Red 5 Racing 10 10 20
25 Kori Kelly Genesis Scuba / FFCC 15 15
26 Iona Wynter Quark Cycling Team 15 15
27 Nicole Demars Victory Brewing 13 13
28 Megan Esmonde Lake Mary Cycles / ORC 12 12
29 Kristin Johnson Team Basis 12 12
30 Audrey Lemieux Quark Cycling Team 11 11
31 Stefanie Graeter Webcor Cycling Team 10 10
32 Sarah Faulkner Sportsbook.com 10 10
33 Rook Campbell Genesis Scuba / FFCC 10 10
34 Magen Long Sportsbook.com 10 10
35 Lisa Norris Webcor Cycling Team 10 10
36 Katherine Lambden CRCA/Aquafina 10 10
37 Kate Maher Team Basis 10 10
38 Joan E. Wilson TDS-Schwalbe 10 10
39 Jessica Hulser Team Basis 10 10
40 Helen Kelly Team Rona 10 10
41 Grace Fleury Genesis Scuba / FFCC 10 10
42 Gina Grain Victory Brewing 10 10
43 Emma Rickards Victory Brewing 10 10
44 Cat Malone Webcor Cycling Team 10 10
45 Carla Hukee Team Kenda Tire 10 10
46 Bridget Evans Lake Mary Cycles / ORC 10 10
47 Anne Samplonius TDS-Schwalbe 10 10
48 Andrea Hannos Team Rona 10 10

Overall Sprinter Standings:
Rank Name Team Red NVGP Total

1 Gina Grain Victory 165 220 385
2 Laura Van Gilder Genesis 220 220
3 Andrea Hannos Rona 165 165
4 Lyne Bessette Quark 32 110 142
5 Amy Moore Quark 132 132
6 Jennifer Eyerman Red 5 Racing 121 121
7 Grace Fleury Genesis 121 121
8 Andrea Ratkovic TDS 110 110
9 Anne Samplonius TDS 99 99
10 Bridget Evans Lake Mary 88 88
11 Erinne Willock Rona 77 77
12 Erin Carter TDS 77 77
13 Sandy Espeseth Victory 47 22 69
14 Kate Maher Basis 66 66
15 Emma Richards Victory 66 66
16 Magen Long Sportsbook.com 55 55
17 Katheryn Curi Rona 55 55
18 Iona Wynter Genesis 47 47
19 Megan Monroe TDS 41 41
20 Helen Kelly Rona 37 37
21 Cat Malone Webcor 37 37
22 Nicole Freedman Basis 32 32
23 Susan Palmer-Komar Genesis 28 28
24 Audrey Lemieux Quark 28 28
25 Katrina Grove Rona 25 25
26 Anna Milkowski Rona 25 25
27 Nicole Demars Victory 22 22
28 Emily Gloeckner TDS 19 19
29 Sarah Ulmer TDS 16 16

Overall Young (Under 26) Rider Standings:
Rank Name Team Red NVGP Total

1 Katherine Sherwin Kenda 165 77 242
2 Genevieve Jeanson Rona 220 220
3 Erinne Willock Rona 220 220
4 Lauren Franges Victory 110 99 209
5 Stefanie Graeter Webcor 132 22 154
6 Megan Esmonde Lake Mary 77 66 143
7 Magen Long Sportsbook.com 99 41 140
8 Alisha Little ABD 121 121
9 Candice Blickem Genesis Scuba/FFCC 121 121
10 Sarah Uhl Quark 110 110
11 Erin Carter TDS 88 88
12 Chrisy Ruiter Basis 88 88
13 Sarah Faulkner Sportsbook.com 55 32 87
14 Andrea Hannos Rona 77 77
15 Megan Elliott Quark 66 66
16 Audrey Lemieux Quark 55 55
17 Katherine Lambden CRCA/Aquafina 47 47
18 Megan Monroe TDS 25 25
19 Andrea Dvorak Sportsbook.com 19 19
20 Alison McNulty ABD 16 16
21 Maggie Shirley Genesis Scuba/FFCC 15 15

Overall Team Standings:
Rank Team Red NVGP Toona Bermuda Total

1 Equipe Rona 403 483 886
2 Quark Cycling Team 385 298 683
3 Genesis Scuba 223 89 312
4 Victory Brewing 63 170 233
5 Webcor Builders 152 52 204
6 Red 5 Racing 108 51 159
7 Kenda Tire 38 32 70
8 TDS-Schwalbe 47 10 57
9 Verizon Wireless-Wheelworks 55 55
10 Basis 54 54
11 Lake Mary Cycles/ORC 10 24 34
12 Sportsbooks.com 30 30
13 CRCA/Aquafina 20 20
14 Wells Fargo/Ragatz 14 14
15 Athletes By Design 0