(1888PressRelease)
October 12, 2008 - SAN CARLOS, Calif. – Ritchey Design components shined during the World Road Championships held in Varese, Italy (September 22-28, 2008) when Ritchey-sponsored riders Alessandro Ballan and Damiano Cunego, both of Italy, took first and second place in the elite men’s category.
Nicole Cooke of Great Britain, also a Ritchey-sponsored rider, took first place in the women’s elite category.
Under nearly ideal racing weather conditions, each of the professional riders rode using the company’s World Championship Series (WCS) 4Axis O/S stems. Ballan and Cunego were separated by three seconds (6:37:30 and 6:37:33), using Ritchey’s alloy WCS Logic and WCS Classic road handlebars, respectively, while Cooke raced for a 3:42:11 finish using the Ritchey Carbon Superlogic Evolution handlebar.
“The World Road Championship course is challenging, with climbs as steep as 11 percent in some places. You can bet the majority of the forces on those bikes were centralized in the cockpit – testing the strength and durability of our products,” said Steve Parke, general manager and vice president of marketing for Ritchey. “We couldn’t be more proud of our riders and the trust they put in Ritchey products. When it counts the most, the quality of our product speaks for itself.”
In addition to last week’s wins at the World Championships, Ritchey components were also a part of 25-year old Cooke’s Olympic gold medal finish, won just six weeks ago in Beijing.
Ritchey-sponsored athletes benefit from the Ritchey Fit Logic philosophy and its wide range of “cockpit” components (handlebars, stems and seatposts) that help riders custom fit their bikes for a more efficient and comfortable ride.
The official Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) press release about the men’s World Championship including details about the race and the riders is available here, while the official UCI release about the women’s World Championships can be read here.
For more information about the products mentioned above, please visit www.ritcheylogic.com.
About Ritchey Sponsorships
Founded on Tom Ritchey’s own passion for riding and racing, for over 20 years Ritchey Design has been passionately dedicated to supporting professional and grassroots cycling teams across the globe. On the International level, Ritchey partners with Lampre and (new for 2009) the Davitamon-Lotto team. In the US Professional circuit, Ritchey partners with HealthNet Powered by Maxxis and Jelly Belly. In the women’s professional field, Ritchey partners with TIBCO, ValueAct Capital, PROMAN Paradigm, Cheerwine and Advil-ChapStick. On the Grassroots level, Ritchey supports over 150 teams across the United States and Canada. For inquiries regarding Ritchey sponsorship please visit www.ritcheylogic.com.
Ritchey Media Contacts:
Chip Smith, SOAR Communications for Ritchey Design, 801.523.3730(wk)/801.597.7515(cell), csmith ( @ ) soarcomm dot com, or
Maura Lansford, SOAR Communications, 801.523.3730(wk)/817.929.8123(cell), mlansford ( @ ) soarcomm dot com
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