All-Women Motorcyclists Ride Suzuki Cruisers across Country
SAN FRANCISCO--May 4, 2006--| The Purpose of the Ride from San Francisco to Athens, Ga. is to Attend the 2006 AMA/FIM International "Women & Motorcycling" Conference June 30-July 3, 2006 |
MAD (Motor Adventure Destinations) Maps, Inc., producers of uniquely informative regional and national scenic back road maps, announces its "all-women" team of motorcyclists will be riding Suzuki Motorcycles from San Francisco, California to Athens, Georgia to participate in the 2006 AMA/FIM "International Women & Motorcycling Conference" being held in Athens from June 30-July 3. Assisting the all-women team on their nine-day ride will be a MAD Maps scenic navigational route that will be electronically uploaded onto TomTom RIDER's portable GPS navigation system and then physically mounted onto each Suzuki motorcycle.
Jenny Lefferts, CEO and founder of MAD Maps, Inc. and Master of Ceremonies for the Conference, will chart the five-day motorcycle ride and take the team into "No Man's Land" and over the 'Loneliest Road" through Nevada. She'll then work their way to Grand Junction, Colorado; onward through Dodge City, Kansas, Paducah, Kentucky, Knoxville, Tennessee; where she'll pick up the CEO of the AMA, Patti DiPietro and Rob Rasor, President of the AMA, along with several of their scouts to wrap-up the ride in Athens, Georgia on June 29 - just in time for the June 30 kick-off of this truly exciting "Women & Motorcycling" Conference where 1,000 female motorcycle enthusiasts are expected to attend.
Riding along with Jenny Lefferts are her business associates Maggie Beaumier, Vice President of MAD Maps, Inc.; Essa Cooper, IT & R&D Developer; Aeleah McDonald, National Sales Manager and Diana Nankin, Lead Cartographer. Riding sag wagon is Dave Cooper, Director of Business Development and husband to Essa Cooper.
According to Glenn Hansen, Communications Manager for American Suzuki Motor Corporation, "About 15 years ago, women represented about six percent of all motorcycle owners. Today, that number is well over 10 percent in motorcycles and nearly 15 percent in ATV's." Hansen reports that Suzuki and its dealers know this market segment cannot be ignored. "The Suzuki Boulevard C50, for example," says Hansen, "is a great motorcycle for women and men with its low seat height. Suzuki has also caught the female eye by designing sleek scooters that appeal to women and men, yet these 'scooters' are still powerful enough motorcycles to keep up with Interstate traffic." Hansen added, "At Suzuki dealerships, there is no talking down to women. In fact, some of our best salespeople are women."
For 20 years, Suzuki has supported America's top road racing privateers, motocrossers and off-road racers with payouts and technical support. This year, Suzuki is supporting Mad Maps' Jenny Lefferts, to ride its all-new Boulevard M109R, across country to attend the "Women & Motorcycling" Conference. Designed for those riders who love to cruise and travel long distances in comfort and style, the Boulevard M109R is a radical new machine that combines cruiser styling with the heart-pounding performance and rock-solid reliability of Suzuki's hottest sport bikes.
"The specialized route information provided by MAD Maps, Inc. brings an added benefit to our customers," says TomTom's U.S. President, Jocelyn Vigreux. "At TomTom, easy and innovative navigation has always been our number one priority," he continues, "and we also strive to provide our clients with a variety of additional options to enhance their lifestyles and personal preferences. With digital MAD Maps now loaded on our device, riders can simply click on the screen and find an entire scenic route planned for them, complete with motorcycle friendly services."
TomTom RIDER is the first-ever portable GPS device designed specifically for motorcycles. It is rugged and weather resistant, and its anti-glare technology and integrated sun visor make the screen easy to see while driving. The easy-to-use drive mode is designed for simple touch-screen operation -- even while wearing gloves. The crystal-clear 3-D view and a Bluetooth wireless headset let you hear turn-by-turn instructions in your helmet. The Bluetooth(TM) connection also allows for hands-free calling with a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone.
"MAD Maps partnership with Suzuki and TomTom is an obvious link for us," says Jenny Lefferts. "We create and document scenic driving routes that are not often found on conventional maps. We can now make these itineraries even more accessible in a digital format, allowing off road travelers to easily and conveniently reach their destinations. It's amazing to discover," says Lefferts, "just how many domestic road trips are logged in the United States and how much more efficient it will be to travel with the TomTom GPS devices." Lefferts also notes that, "Although it's long been said that women are not good at following directions, its been great fun for me to prove "them" wrong by creating maps made by women that are respectfully utilized by males and females alike. Riding across country on a Suzuki Boulevard with a TomTom RIDER portable GPS navigation system is certain be one of the most thrilling experiences I've ever had."
All MAD Maps' routes have been tracked and collected by its team of regional and national scouts and cartographers. MAD Maps, Inc., in partnership with TomTom and Tele Atlas, a leading provider of digital maps and dynamic location content, have developed the digital routes for MAD Maps. Tele Atlas is the base cartographer for MAD Maps and also provides the source map data for the TomTom products. Navteq provides the source map data for the TomTom RIDER.
The 2006 RIDER MAD Map itinerary can be downloaded at: http://www.clubtomtom.com/products/mad-maps-daytona-rider-itineraries- now-available/#more-46 (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)
The MSRP on the TomTom RIDER is $899.95. The TomTom RIDER can be purchased at www.tomtom.com as well as at select retailers.
The Loneliest Ride Map itinerary (see below) can also be downloaded at higher resolutions by the press at the MAD Maps, Inc website at http://www.madmaps.com
San Francisco, CA to Athens, GA Trip Schedule:
Day 1: June 21 San Francisco to Carson City, NV (PM Media Availability in Carson City w/Lefferts Family) 216 miles
Day 2: June 22 Day of The Loneliest Road (NV) (Carson City, NV to Garrison, Utah) 385 miles
Day 3: June 23 Garrison, UT to Grand Junction, CO 372 miles (PM Media Availability in Grand Junction)
Day 4: June 24 Grand Junction, CO to Pueblo, CO 285 miles
Day 5: June 25 Pueblo, CO to Dodge City, KS 274 miles
Day 6: June 26 Dodge City, KS to Joplin, MO 335 miles
Day 7: June 27 Joplin, MO to Paducah, KY 366 miles
Day 8: June 28 Paducah, KY to Knoxville, TN 312 miles (PM Media Availability in Knoxville, TN)
Day 9: June 29 Knoxville, TN to Athens, GA 197 miles (PM Media Availability in Athens, GA)
Ride Complete June 29, 2006: Total miles 2,742
June 30: AMA Women's Conference Master of Ceremony's
July 1: AMA Women's Conference Master of Ceremony's
July 2: AMA Women's Conference Master of Ceremony's
July 3: AMA Women's Conference Master of Ceremony's
About MADMaps, Inc.
Mad (Motor Adventure Destinations) Maps, Inc., is the leading publisher of maps that combine travel guide information with such useful features as landscape imaging, highlighted and color-coded scenic loops for day and overnight excursions, as well as lodging and other local attractions for road-loving travelers to choose from. Every scenic loop comes with detailed textual directions, road descriptions, mileage markers, gas stations, bridge heights and safety tips. Spotlighted are the best roadhouses, restaurants, wineries and farm stands along the way, as well as other points of interest like great campgrounds and scenic recreational areas - all tested an recommended by MAD Map's team of local and regional scouts.
The MAD Maps team of cartographers is dedicated to charting the best scenic back road trips across the United States. Easy-to-use and water-and tear-resistant, MAD Maps, Inc. is now delivering its routes and points of interest to consumers through the most innovative, user-friendly, and state-of-the-art portable GPS navigational system in the marketplace.
About TomTom
TomTom is a leading provider of personal navigation products and services to the consumer market. TomTom's products are developed with an emphasis on innovation, quality, ease of use and value. TomTom's products include all-in-one navigation devices that enable individuals to navigate right out-of-the-box, as well as navigation software that integrate with third party devices such as PDAs and smartphones. TomTom's portfolio includes the award-winning TomTom GO family of integrated navigation devices, the TomTom ONE, the TomTom Navigator software for PDAs, TomTom MOBILE navigation software for smart phones and TomTom Plus, a location-based content and services offering for TomTom's navigation products and Datafactory's Webfleet platform for tracking and tracing services. TomTom was founded in 1991 in Amsterdam and has offices in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States and Taiwan. TomTom's products are sold through a network of leading retailers in 20 countries and online. For more information go to: www.tomtom.com.
About American Suzuki
The Motorcycle/ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) of Brea, Calif., was founded in 1963 by Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC). ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC's parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 120 distributors in 191 countries.
