April 7, 2005 (Monterey, Calif.) – The Sea Otter Classic, the largest, most celebrated cycling festival and exposition in North America, is delighted to announce SRAM, Specialized, Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (VCNA) and Yakima as sponsors. The 15th annual Sea Otter Classic, known throughout the cycling world as the racing season’s kick-off event, will be held next week, April 14-17, 2005, at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area in Monterey, California.

SRAM Corporation, an 11-year, cornerstone Sea Otter Classic Sponsor, is the Presenting Sponsor of all Sea Otter Mountain Bike Events. 2005 is the ninth consecutive year for Yakima and the 6th year for Specialized Bicycles. This year is Volvo’s first as the Official Vehicle of the Sea Otter Classic. “It’s companies like these, offering tremendous support to our athletes and fans, that help make the Sea Otter Classic the best cycling festival in the world,” says Rick Sutton, COO of Sea Otter Classic.

One of the major growth areas of the Sea Otter Classic, reflecting a movement in mountain biking in general, is in the freeriding SRAM Ride Zone, which for 2005 will accommodate the Sea Otter’s perennial thriller: the SRAM Pro Dirt Jump Competition. Jumping is the fastest growing part of mountain bike competition, and under a deluge of entries, the event has been extended in length from one to two days with a whole new format ˆ including a 6-pack multiple jump. Pioneering Å’street and Å’dirt rider, Jeff Lenosky, came on board as the SRAM Ride Zone architect, and, this corner of Sea Otter promises to rock like never before. Spectators should plan to get there early for prime, rock star seating to watch calculated ˆ as opposed to hopeful ˆ hucks off the jumps.

The ramped-up SRAM Ride Zone came about when SRAM asked what they could do to make the Sea Otter even better and more relevant to the emerging generation of mountain bikers. The result creates the perfect launch pad for SRAM’s new XO shifters. “The SRAM Ride Zone is our investment back to riders of all age levels,” say David Zimberoff, SRAM’s Global Marketing and Communications Manager. “We want to help these young cyclists train and hone their riding skills. SRAM sponsored pro athletes will be on hand to teach and supervise riders all four days of the festival.”

“Consumer and media exposure at Sea Otter is biggest in America as far as sponsorship events go,” says Zimberoff, “there’s no other event like this where you can reach the depth of international and national media, and over 50,000 spectators.” SRAM will also be hosting a media expo with new product introductions all weekend long. Be sure to stop by the SRAM truck to see what’s new this year.

Over at the Specialized truck, they will be unleashing a brand new Mountain Bike Team with new riders, new bikes and equipment, new management, and new goals. “This year, in particular, there are some significant motives behind sponsoring one of the greatest cycling-related gatherings in the world,” says Kevin Franks, Director of Sports Marketing & Media Relations for Specialized. “Having the event in our back yard provides a great gateway for us to begin the cycling season.”

Franks continues, “With its history and heritage Sea Otter provides us with a rare opportunity to showcase our brand to a wide audience. It’s not often we have such a large cross-section of our target audience represented at one event – Road, Mountain Bike and Freeride enthusiasts.” Specialized will have two booths at Sea Otter: one to introduce their new Mountain Bike Race Team, featuring the talk of the mountain bike circuit, Great Britain’s rising star Liam Killeen ˆ who showed his class a few days ago on the road by finishing third at the Redlands Classic. The other Specialized booth offers festival-goers demo rides on the Epic, Stumpjumper, Demo 8, and the Enduro. In addition, a circus-like, star-shaped tent displaying Specialized product offerings – bikes, equipment and accessories – will house consumers who wish to speak with tech reps and learn more about Specialized innovative technologies and current product offerings. Meanwhile, out on the race track, the powerful Webcor Builders cycling team will benefit from the mechanical advantages offered the by the hi-tech Tarmac. Named after John Macadam, the inventor of the sealed road surface, this is the latest bicycle from Specialized for serious road racers.

Volvo XC90s will be leading the way as the Official Vehicle of the 2005 Sea Otter Classic. All Sierra Nevada/Kodak Gallery Road events will be supported by the Volvo XC90s. Yakima Destination Hardware will carry Mavic Neutral Support wheels and bicycles during the professional stage race. “Sponsoring the Sea Otter Classic is a natural for Volvo,” said Dan Louie, Drive Programs Coordinator. “It’s a great opportunity for the participants to see what a wonderful SUV Volvo offers. The XC90, with room for up to seven people, and now available with a 311 horsepower V8 engine, is the perfect vehicle for bicycle enthusiasts, especially when it’s equipped with the Yakima roof-mounted bike rack.”

Yakima’s presence is not only on the rooftops of the Volvo XC90s, but also as bringing the Kids Carnival to the Sea Otter Classic. Located in Sea Otter Village, the Kids Carnival ˆ as many parents will attest ˆ is one of the features of the event that makes it possible to spend not only a day onsite, but multiple days. The small city of inflatable playground games provides endless hours of amusement for youngsters who have a parent out racing, or who still have energy to burn after their own bike ride.

Who: Cyclists in all age groups; wide range of professional and amateur categories
What: Sea Otter Classic
Where: Laguna Seca Recreation Area, Monterey, California, USA
When: April 14-17, 2005
Event Entry Fees: Range from $25 – $85
Spectator Fees: $10 per day or $30 for a four-day pass; free admission for children ages 12 and under
Information: www.seaotterclassic.com or (650) 364-7612

About SRAM:
SRAM Corporation is the leading provider of shifters, derailleurs, chains and cassettes, RockShox suspension, Avid brakes, Truvativ cranks, bottom brackets, stems, handlebars, and seatposts.

About Specialized Bicycles:
Specialized Bicycles, founded in Morgan Hill, CA in 1974, designed and manufactured the first production mountain bike, which now resides in the Smithsonian Institute. Specialized is a company of devout cyclists obsessed with creating cutting edge, functional and technically advanced products that provide a performance benefit for the cycling enthusiast. Specialized products are available exclusively through Specialized dealers, or on the Web at www.specialized.com.

About Volvo:
VCNA, part of the Volvo Car Corporation of Gothenburg, Sweden, provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States, and oversees Volvo operations in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Volvo has been building cars with Safety in mind for over 75 years. The 2005 Volvo Cars model line-up includes: the award-winning new S40 and its wagon counterpart the all-new V50; the award-winning XC90; the sporty S60 sedan ˆ including the award-winning performance sedan ˆ S60 R and the performance wagon version ˆ V70 R; the flagship S80 luxury sedan; versatile V70 wagon and rugged XC70 (Cross Country); and, the C70 convertible.

About Yakima:
Yakima designs durable, functional destination hardware for vehicles that safely carries gear, including boats, skis, bikes and luggage. Visit www.yakima.com <http://www.yakima.com>. Yakima’s parent company WaterMark is a leader in technical products for outdoor recreation and manufactures and distributes the industry’s most complete line of whitewater, touring and recreation kayaks. It includes the kayak brand names Dagger, Perception, and Mainstream, the Harmony line of paddlesports accessories, AT Paddles, and the Rhode Gear line of vehicle racks. It is headquartered in Portland, Oregon and has offices in Easley, South Carolina.

About Sea Otter Classic LLC
Sea Otter Classic LLC specializes in promoting outdoor sports festivals. The company’s premier property is the Sea Otter Classic Cycling Festival, now in its 15th year. The festival will be held April 14-17, 2005 at Laguna Seca Recreation Area, Monterey, California. The company’s newest sports festival is the 2nd annual Infineon Cougar Mountain Classic. This event, co-produced with Infineon Raceway, will be held September 9-11, 2005 at Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, California. The Cypress Youth Fund, Sea Otter Classic’s philanthropic arm, provides funding to organizations that benefit their communities in the areas of Youth, Sport, Education, or Environment. More information can be found at www.seaotterclassic.com, or by calling (650) 364-7612.

Sea Otter is sponsored by SRAM, Sierra Nevada, Kodak EasyShare Gallery, Clif, SIDI, Easton