November 3, 2004 – Shimano will continue to be a main sponsor of the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale – the World Cycling Federation) until at least 2008. Hein Verbruggen (Chairman of the UCI) and Yoshizo Shimano (Chairman of Shimano) signed a new sponsorship contract last Friday, October 29th in Beijing, China.

China as location of the signing ceremony was chosen for two reasons. First of all because Beijing will host the Olympic Games in 2008 and Shimano will be there to provide technical support during the cycling events. Furthermore, both the UCI and Shimano consider China as one of the main targets for promotion of the cycling sport.

Shimano has been promoting the development of cycling sport and cycling in general as a major sponsor of the UCI for 6 years now, from 1999 to 2004. In this period, Shimano has also been the official supplier of technical and mechanical services at UCI authorized world championships and cycling competitions such as Road Racing, Mountain Biking, Track and Cyclo Cross races and the cycling events at the Atlanta, Sydney and Athens Olympic Games.

Shimano truly feels that the opportunity to extend this agreement in Beijing is a special one. We are looking forward to the continued co-operation with the UCI in the coming years.