March 23, 2004 – During what is being hailed as the most important event in cycling this year, WaveCrest’s high-performance electric bicycle will be the official pace bike for the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, held March 24-26, at the ADT Event Center in the Home Depot Center, located in Carson, Calif.

This is WaveCrest’s second appearance at the ADT Center. In August 2004, the WaveCrest high-performance electric mountain bike, the M-750, made its debut as the first electric bicycle used as a pace bike for the Junior National and World Championships. It replaced gasoline-powered pace bikes that were used in the past and posed potential harm to riders and spectators with their fume emissions and noise.

“I’ve been using this electric bike for training my teams and it has been invaluable in preparing cyclists for these races,” said Roger Young, velodrome director for the ADT Event Center and an Olympic coach, former Olympic cyclist, and six-time national cycling champion. “WaveCrest’s electric bike is clean-running, efficient, and also gives riders an accurate feel for real competition needs.”

“WaveCrest’s electric bicycles have been used by a variety of institutions including urban police departments, universities, and now the only in-door velodrome in the U.S. The bikes are so powerful and so versatile, they are an invaluable resource,” said Ed Benjamin, WaveCrest’s vice president for light electric vehicles.

The WaveCrest electric pace bike has been specially configured to meet the speed and range requirements for the velodrome. Powered by the patented WaveCrest Adaptive Motor® system in the rear wheel hub, a NiMH battery pack in the front wheel hub, and a variable-speed throttle on the handlebar, they can reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, with pedaling. The motor has only one moving part and therefore runs silent with no emissions or heat.

WaveCrest’s consumer line of high-performance electric bicycles are powered by the same motor and battery system, but due to U.S. transportation regulations, these bikes reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour and can travel up to 20 miles without pedaling on a single battery charge.

In addition to its role as the official pace bike, the WaveCrest electric bike also plays a larger role in the races during the Keirin, a race in which riders draft behind the WaveCrest pace bike for the first 5.5 laps of the eight-lap event. During the early laps, the riders jockey for position but may not pass the electric pace bike. With 2.5 laps remaining the pace bike pulls off the track allowing the riders to fight for the finish line.