May 9, 2006 (Vancouver, B.C.) — Gina Grain has set her sights on a back-to-back win at this year’s 26th running of the Tour de Gastown road race. The Victoria resident will be back in Vancouver on July 19 to defend her title against an impressive roster of female athletes from around the world.

“I’m really looking forward to racing in Vancouver at the Tour de Gastown. It’s always an exciting and action-packed event and one of the highlights for me at BC Superweek”, said Gina Grain. The Simon Fraser University Kinesiology graduate is slated to race at this year’s Tour de Gastown as part of the Colavita/Cooking Light Women’s Cycling Team that features some of the most distinguished female riders in North America.

The 32-year-old native of the Okanagan Valley capped a successful season by winning a silver medal this month in the Women’s Scratch Race at the 2006 Track World Championships in France, and was the top Canadian finisher (4th place) in both the Women’s 100-kilometre Road Race and the Women’s Points Race on the track at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia. The former US Pro Cycling Tour Champion and a bronze medalist in the 2005 Pan Am Games is widely regarded as one of the top road sprinters in women’s cycling.

“Gina’s speed and energy level is simply awe-inspiring, and she’s one of the hardest working female riders on the race circuit today. Spectators and fans will certainly be in for a treat as they watch her defend her title at the Tour de Gastown this summer,” said Tour de Gastown’s event director Jonathan Wornell.

Gina started her sports career as a soccer player but after two knee operations made the switch to road racing and has never looked back. Competitors fear her, and teammates love her, but both say her success is largely due to her dedication to hard training and passion for cycling.

The Tour de Gastown is part of BC Superweek, widely regarded as the richest week of racing in Canada. The event attracts a strong international field that features many of the top pro teams in North America, racing in front of the largest crowds of any race in Canada.

Past winners of the Tour de Gastown include seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, Gord Fraser and North Vancouver’s Allison Sydor. Over 30,000 spectators are expected to line the streets of Vancouver for the Tour de Gastown on July 19th.

More information on The Tour de Gastown is available online at www.tourdegastown.com>www.tourdegastown.com.