August 28, 2003 – Cycling is a growing sport. According to France Television, only in France, 3.5 million viewers per day follow the Tour de France and 500,000 people watch the stage l'Alpe-d'Huez live. Sport interest people and to get more out of the interest people join Fantasy games on the Internet.

Fantasy sports on the Internet have changed the way people watch sport, games and events. Fans become “owners,” and start rooting for individuals on different teams in their pursuit of a “championship.” Regardless of their preferences, fans can find a fantasy game year-round for a variety of sports including baseball, football, hockey, basketball or soccer. Also companies and organisations are interested in sponsoring and presenting fantasy games, as they increase the interest for the sport, and also the value and image for the company.

Slash x introduce Fantasy Cycling, for the three larges tours, Tour de France, Giro D'Italia and Vuelta a España. And the cycle profile Roberto Vacchi, commentator at Eurosport, is now a part of the Fantasy Crew.

“Roberto will write articles and summarize all stages, have expert advice and also coach his own team. We are very happy to start this cooperation and I am sure that Roberto's participation will be appreciated by our visitors”, say Robert Enestedt, MD at Slash x.

To participate in Fantasy Vuelta a España 2003 is simple. Pick 10 cyclists from the peloton to your Fantasy Team. For each stage you then select 8 of these to accumulate points to the team based on their performances in the real tour. You can win prizes for the General Classification, Points and the Mountain Prize.

“Fantasy La Vuelta is a fun way to increase the interest for cycling sports and it makes the excitement for the Eurosport viewer even bigger”, Roberto Vacchi, commentator at Eurosport. Fantasy Vuelta a España starts on September 6th. www.fantasylavuelta.com