May 15, 2006 (Los Gatos, CA) – The 33rd Cat’s Hill Classic in Los Gatos, CA, was won in commanding fashion by Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada’s Ben Jacques-Maynes. Jacques-Maynes lapped the field with Canada’s Eric Wohlberg (Symmetrics) and handily took the final sprint over his former Sierra Nevada teammate.

The significance of Jacques-Maynes’ accomplishment goes well beyond the fact of a popular return victory (2004 Winner). Special significance also does not lie in the fact that past champions names, including those of Ron Kiefel and the legendary Greg LeMond, are etched in the winner’s trophy. What Jacques-Maynes accomplished was that he attacked the field and Cat’s Hill’s 23% “˜Wall’ lap after lap and emerged as the first professional winner aboard SRAM’s new Road Race technology.

The KGSN team leader utilized the unique SRAM-Sprint position throughout the race and in the closing moments, where the shifts are possible even while a firm grip is maintained in the drops. “I used the “˜Trigger-Shift’ only available with the SRAM Double-Tap Shifter to pour it on through the last corner to win by a healthy margin,” added Jacques-Maynes.

Launched this spring just prior to the Sea Otter Classic (April 6-9) the two new groups, featuring SRAM’s new DoubleTap shifting technology, will be available this fall in both the professional level FORCE and competitive level RIVAL gruppos. SRAM’s entry marks the first complete road group that will give riders a true third option in the high performance road category.

“After decades of only two choices, it’s Ben’s victory that announces the arrival of a new player on the road, an intelligent choice, and a more intuitive way to change gears. Today is especially significant because it shows the potential of our technology and that it can handle the pressure of racing and winning,” stated Alex Wassmann, SRAM’s On the Road Manager.

With sights set on high achievements in the upper atmosphere of the sport in 2007 and beyond, May 13, 2006, will be marked as a special day in the developments that began in 2003 when SRAM’s President, Stan Day, quietly announced in Taipei that “SRAM would love to be in the road market.”