Breakaway Rides Offers Amateur Cyclists Opportunity To Ride Tour Of California Routes

Two Spring 2010 cycling events will also raise funds and awareness for Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer initiative.

Cycling enthusiasts and fans are invited to participate in “Breakaway Ride presented by Specialized”, two riding events held in conjunction with the upcoming 2010 Amgen Tour of California professional cycling race set for May 16-23, 2010. Both rides will be held in April 2010 (one month prior to the 2010 Amgen Tour of California) and will serve to raise funds for Breakaway from Cancer^®, the signature initiative of Amgen and the Amgen Tour of California, which aims to raise awareness of the array of resources available to cancer patients from prevention to education and patient care to advocacy and financial support survivorship.

Each ‘Breakaway Ride’ will give cycling enthusiasts a chance to ride on the actual route of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California with three distances for each event to accommodate various skill and fitness levels. The longest distance covers an entire stage of the Amgen Tour of California, the same as will be ridden by the pros.  Participants will be chip timed and  supported, with a maximum of 3,500 riders per event.

The dates of the two Breakaway Rides are:

• Sunday, April 11: Stage 8 route – Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Agoura Hills
• Sunday, April 25: Stage 2 route – Davis to Santa Rosa

A portion of each rider’s entry fee will be donated to Breakaway from Cancer’s charitable partners – Prevent Cancer Foundation, Cancer Support Community, Patient Advocate Foundation and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.  Additionally, riders and their supporters will have the opportunity to earn gifts and prizes by raising additional funds for Breakaway from Cancer partners via Active.com’s ActiveGiving program. Some of the prize packages include VIP experiences at the 2010 Amgen Tour of California along with a top-of-line Specialized S-Works Tarmac or Roubaix bike presented as a grand prize to each Breakaway Ride’s top fundraiser

“We are happy to provide amateur cyclists with an opportunity to ride the same route as the pros and to be able to compare their times to the greatest cyclists in the world,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports. “We are expecting that these rides will expose cyclists to the beauty and challenges that our professional athletes will face.”

As the title sponsor of the Amgen Tour of California for the fifth consecutive year, Amgen will continue to leverage the race to raise awareness and support for people affected by cancer through the Breakaway from Cancer initiative.

“The Breakaway Ride events will give cycling enthusiasts and community members an opportunity to experience the 2010 Amgen Tour route first hand and at the same time support the Breakaway from Cancer initiative, which raises awareness of a range of free services available to people affected by cancer,” said Stuart Arbuckle, vice president and general manager, Amgen Oncology. “Amgen and its non-profit Breakaway from Cancer partners applaud AEG and Specialized for their outstanding support of these events.”

“As the ‘Breakaway Ride’s’ presenting sponsor, Specialized is excited to participate in these events,” according to Ben Capron, Specialized Chief Brand Officer. “We feel lucky because we’re riders first, and participation in these two epic routes is actually part of our ‘work’. From a business perspective, we’re all about enabling riders to have better cycling experiences through the bikes, equipment, and services we create and, these rides extend the way we help people enjoy riding. Finally, being a part of increasing awareness and funding for the fight against cancer aligns with our ambitious philanthropic goals,” added Capron.

AEG, owners of the Amgen Tour of California, is partnering with Pacific Sports, a leading sports and event management company who will produce the rides. Pacific Sports has produced running and triathlon events throughout the world for over 30 years and is excited to be a part of the inaugural “Breakaway Ride presented by Specialized”. Jack Caress, President and CEO of Pacific Sports, said, “We are thrilled to partner with Amgen and AEG on this new event. To see over 7,000 dedicated cyclists take on two great stages of the Amgen Tour of California will be a truly memorable day for cycling, not to mention for the cyclists themselves.”

Registration opens December 16 to Specialized customers, athletes, and friends around the world, with public registration began December 21 at Active.com. Details for each ride route will be announced on February 1, 2010, at the official 2010 Amgen Tour of California route announcement.

For more information, please visit Breakawayride.com, Amgentourofcalifornia.com, or visit your Specialized dealer