LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Feb. 28, 2017) – AEG, producer and presenter of the 2017 Amgen Tour of California (May 14-20) and the Amgen Breakaway from Heart DiseaseTMWomen’s Race empowered with SRAM (May 11-14), announced a multi-year agreement with the technically-innovative cycling apparel brand, ASSOS of Switzerland, to provide official race jerseys and staff uniforms for the annual professional cycling events. The partnership includes creation of race-week executive and broadcast team apparel and staff uniforms as well as exclusivity in the tech apparel category.
“ASSOS will help us refine our race’s hi-tech and modern image while upgrading the rider kits and staff uniforms from both a fashionable and practical perspective,” said Kristin Klein, race president and executive vice president of AEG Sports. “We are pleased to partner with ASSOS, a company known for their long legacy of research and expertise, and look forward to an exciting debut of new premium race uniforms and apparel in California this spring.”
A time-honored tradition in cycling, classification leaders are awarded at the California races to signify the best performers in five categories each day.
“As a heritage cycling brand that has dedicated over 40 years to helping riders in their quest to ride faster, and as we direct more focus on the U.S. market, it makes sense to align with one of the top race events in the country,” said Chris MacKay, North American marketing manager for ASSOS. “We are proud to partner at a premier level and have ASSOS be the name behind the daily leader jerseys and staff uniforms, as well as participate and engage participants and spectators on the ground.”
The Amgen Tour of California leader jerseys each represent a specific skill or achievement and are presented to leading riders on-stage at the conclusion of each day’s race for both the women’s and men’s events during a special awards ceremony near the stage finish line:
- Amgen Race Leader Jersey: The prized “yellow jersey” will go to the rider with the lowest cumulative time over the entire race (each day) at the end of each stage. Traditionally yellow, this jersey often changes hands from stage to stage as each day's results are added into the equation. It is possible for a rider to wear this highly contested jersey without winning a stage since it recognizes overall race times, not stage finish results.
- Breakaway from Cancer® / Breakaway from Heart DiseaseTMMost Courageous Rider Jersey: This meaningful jersey will be awarded daily to the man / woman respectively who best exemplifies the character of those engaged in the fight against cancer / heart disease – courage, sacrifice, inspiration, determination and perseverance.
- Lexus King of the Mountain (KOM)/Queen of the Mountain (QOM) Jersey: This jersey recognizes the peloton's strongest climber each day – the rider who collects the most points at KOM/QOM locations on designated mountains and hills. Only the first three cyclists to reach the top on rated climbs receive points.
- Visit California Sprint Jersey: Cyclists who specialize in bursts of power and speed, or consistently finish near the top of each stage, have the best chance to wear the respected ”green jersey.” Riders can accumulate points at designated Sprint Lines throughout the course, as well as for finishing the stage in the top ten. Visit California has been a jersey partner since the race's inception in 2006.
- TAG Heuer Best Young Rider Jersey: New race partner TAG Heuer has commissioned world-renowned street artist Alec Monopoly to design this special jersey, which will be awarded daily to the rider under age 23 with the least amount of elapsed time over the entire race to that point. Recipients of this jersey are best bets to become future cycling stars.
In addition to providing race apparel, ASSOS has become a partner of the upcoming Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup, as well as a multi-year partner of the VELO Sports Center, located with StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., home of USA Cycling's national track cycling program.
Amgen Tour of California leader jerseys just like the pros will wear are available now at amgentourofcaliforniastore.com, and will be at the Amgen Tour of California Lifestyle Festival near the finish line each day of the race.
Interested in exhibitor opportunities for your brand within the daily finish line Lifestyle Festival? Visit amgentourofcalifornia.com/festival for additional information.
About the Amgen Tour of California
The Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race created and presented by AEG that challenges the world's top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course that traverses hundreds of miles of California's iconic highways, byways and coastlines each spring. The teams chosen to participate have included Olympic medalists, Tour de France contenders and World Champions. Amgen Tour of California is listed on the international professional cycling calendar (2 HC, meaning "beyond category"), awarding important, world-ranking points to the top finishers. More information is available at amgentourofcalifornia.com.
The first-ever U.S. UCI WorldTour course will cover more than 575 miles through 12 Host Cities May 14-20, including Sacramento, Modesto, San Jose, Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita, Ontario, Mt. Baldy, Big Bear Lake, Mountain High and Pasadena. The Amgen Breakaway from Heart DiseaseTM Women's Race empowered with SRAM May 11-14 will visit South Lake Tahoe and Elk Grove before concluding in Sacramento as the men’s race gets underway.
About Assos
Based in Switzerland’s Ticino, the “Terra di Ciclismo”, the land of cycling, ASSOS SA was founded in 1976, coinciding with their creation of the first ever Lycra® cycling shorts. Thanks to its continual investment in R&D, the pioneering company is behind a number of key innovations that have shaped the evolution of the cycling industry. Many of their developments have now become industry standards: the first Lycra® shorts, 1976; the first carbon bicycle frame, 1976; the first sublimation of a cycling jersey, 1980; the first Elastic Interface cycling short insert, 2001; Choose your Comfort concept, 2003; Project Starbust, the fastest cycling bodysuit on earth, 2004; S5 the next cycling shorts generation, 2008; and the most recent S7 generation, another ASSOS game changer.
Building on their pursuit of perfection, ASSOS has a long history supplying innovative products to the world’s top riders, and proudly played a role in more than 350 gold medals at world championships and Olympic games.
To maintain their stringent levels of quality, ASSOS relies on a small number of handpicked European production facilities to manufacture their Swiss-engineered products. These factories, some of which exclusively manufacture for ASSOS, maintain impeccably high standards, not only for their employees, but also for the products they fabricate.
Today, ASSOS prides itself on supplying Total Cycling Comfort to the top level within competitive cycling: Swiss Cycling, USA Cycling, the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team, BMC Racing Team and many UCI WorldTour riders. But away from the medal haul, passionate and ambitious cyclists in more than 30 countries across the globe glean the same benefits from the ASSOS innovation, thanks to the brand’s worldwide distribution via 1,000 independent top bike stores as well as their own boutiques and corporate online store.
About Amgen
Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.
Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.
For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen.
About AEG
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world's leading sports venue and live entertainment company. With offices on five continents, AEG operates in the following business segments: AEG Facilities, which is affiliated with or owns, manages or consults with more than 120 preeminent arenas, stadiums, theaters, clubs and convention centers around the world including The O2 Arena, the Sprint Center and the Mercedes-Benz Arenas; AEG Live, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including producing and promoting global and regional concert tours, music and special events and world-renowned festivals; AEG Real Estate, which develops world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE; AEG Sports, which is the world's largest operator of sports franchises and high-profile sporting events; and AEG Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating and other strategic partnerships. Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 100 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.
# # #