Press Releases Galore, and some editorial: Macca to SRAM, TBB to Avia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


AVIA SELECTED AS OFFICIAL FOOTWEAR PARTNER OF TEAMTBB

Aliso Viejo, Calif. (December 18, 2008) – AVIA, the leader in endurance sports racing footwear, is proud to announce its partnership with teamTBB. As of January ’09, all teamTBB athletes will train and race in AVIA footwear. TeamTBB’s coaching staff and athletes will also work directly with AVIA’s footwear engineering team on innovative new product designs.

“We are thrilled to be joining forces with the best multi-sport teams in the world,” said Ed Goldman, Vice President of Marketing for AVIA. “Our decision to partner with teamTBB is not simply a one dimensional sponsorship; their athlete assets are unmatched and their commitment to improving the lives of young people through sports is honorable. We are looking forward to a record breaking season in 2009.”

Teamtbb is a development squad that provides hope and opportunity to many young athletes and struggling pro’s that would have had no opportunity or pathway to being able to become an earning professional athlete. Teamtbb provides physical, psychological and mechanical information to all of its athletes and more important its current leading athletes are the role models to the rookie and development athletes.

In addition to its professional and amateur athlete programs, teamTBB also works to ensure that youth around the globe can participate in multi-sport events through its social development projects and its franchise, The Bike Boutique. The Bike Boutique provides unique lifestyle services through its bike lifestyle stores and encourages cycling as a means of transportation supported by its bikeLodging™ services.

Alex Bok, Managing Director of The Bike Boutique Holding and teamTBB says about this new partnership “We have completed a long selection process to finally team up with one of leading endurance footwear companies. Avia became our absolute preferred choice as a result of their shoe technology. Avia’s shoe technology is totally aligned with our coaching staff’s vision of what requirement the ultimate endurance shoe should meet. Secondly, Avia is a company with a unique brand image that is not afraid of taking a fresh and innovative approach to the footwear market.”

Starting in January, AVIA running shoes will be sold in all Bike Boutique locations world-wide. For more information on The Bike Boutique and teamTBB please visit www.teamtbb.com.

About American Sporting Goods
American Sporting Goods is a manufacturer of performance athletic footwear and apparel based in Aliso Viejo, Calif. Brands under the ASG umbrella include AVIA, And 1, rykä, Nevados, Yukon, NSS, APEX, Turntec and Triple Five Soul.

About teamTBB
teamTBB is a professional organisation for triathlon and bike related sports and nurtures a unique culture by providing hope and opportunity for young athletes. teamTBB is committed to building a better world for youth and has started various social projects around the world.

TEAMTBB CONTACT:
Alex Bok
+65-9752-8080
alexbok@thebikeboutique.com

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We thought Macca to SRAM was inevitable, considering his switch to Zipp a few months ago. And TeamTBB's move with Avia is a smart move; Brett Sutton doesn't pick up a brand without a hands-on look at the product. And after I saw the new AviBolt 2 and the new AviStoltz trail shoe for '09, I thought those two shoes were a massive surge for the brand; the trail shoe (which has no bearing on the tri team, save for co-designer Conrad Stoltz and new Avia signee Melanie McQuaid) is kick ass, with a low heel to prevent ankle rolls and an aggressive, grabby tread) is one I look forward to trying on the trails.

But the AviBolt 2 is gonna shake things up, as it's the shoe that, like the Pearl Izumi Peak, is an underground star. Superlight, low heel, ultra flexible for unimpeded gait, and with a touch of stability, to keep your form together late in the marathon. All these Nike, Asics and with big, cushy heels (especially when worn by middle-aged trophy wives at the gym) are a joke; you shorten the achilles tendon and are effectively running in stilletos, heel striking by default. A shoe with a low heel promotes a midfoot strike and better run form. It ain't for everyone, but for fast runners—or a fast pro tri team—a low, light, racer with a touch of posting is the ticket. Newton has that in the extreme, Pearl Izumi has it in the Peak, Nike has it in the Luna Racer, and now Avia has it in their new '09 shoes. It seems some brands are learning that "gee, big cloud-like heels are the opposite of what real runners need, and that we can run fast like Abebe Bikila did back in the 1960 Rome Olympic Games."

Well, maybe not that fast, or that cool... I'm keeping my Pearls on my feet for now. Anyway, interesting pickups for both SRAM and Avia.