Santa Rosa's Mitchell, Moniger Ready for Road Cycling in Sonoma
Contact: John Cardinale Infineon Raceway 707-933-3907 Contact: Pamela Heisey Cougar Mountain Classic 415-359-0730 pheisey@o2sm.com Road Cycling Pro's Glen Mitchell and Scott Moniger Go Head-to-Head This Weekend at Infineon Raceway SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) - Levi Leipheimer, one of America's Tour de France heroes, and a resident of Santa Rosa, will play an unusual role commentating at the 2005 Infineon Technologies Cougar Mountain Classic Supercuts Road Circuit Race that takes place on Saturday, September 10, in Sonoma, CA. Leipheimer will be calling the action in the predicted struggle between defending champ, Glen Mitchell, Kodak EasyShare Gallery/Sierra Nevada, and the on-form HealthNet-Maxxis star, Scott Moninger, winner of six stage races this year alone, including the Cascade Classic and Tour de 'Toona, and currently #1 in the National Racing Calendar standings. Mitchell, from Santa Rosa, who finished 5th in last weekend's San Francisco Grand Prix, had this to say about Cougar Mountain's Road course, "Racing on Infineon Raceway was one of the toughest days of last season, so whoever wins on Saturday is going to have to earn it. I know I'm on form after taking fifth last weekend in San Francisco, and my Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada teammates are all riding well also." Scott Moninger, with 240 career victories, the most by any active American rider, will be racing alongside HealthNet-Maxxis teammate Mike Sayers, US World Championship Team Member 2002, 2003. In the 2005 season, HealthNet-Maxxis has proven the team to beat on the US domestic scene, winning most of the important races. "What makes the Cougar Mountain Classic such a unique event is that it's one of only two road race events on the National Racing Calendar (NRC) hosted at a motor speedway venue," said Kendra Wenzel, Road Race Director for Infineon Technologies Cougar Mountain Classic. "This makes for safe and fast racing and gives spectators the opportunity to watch riders multiple times, which is a great opportunity to see in close detail how the tactical battle is played out." Road cyclists will have an opportunity to test their legs against top rivals on Infineon Raceway's 2.52-mile, 12-turn, smoothly paved racecourse. The raceway, used by top motor sports series such as NASCAR and the IRL, has a steep climb with a gradient between Turn 1 and Turn 2 varying from 9-percent at the exit of Turn 1 to 15-percent up the hill to 7-percent at Turn 2, and plenty of twisting and turning conducive for attacks and breakaways. The race will host riders from at least seven pro road men's teams, including Kodak/Sierra Nevada, Webcor Builders, McGuire-Langdale, Subway, Monex, Healthnet and Symmetrics. Several riders have opted to stay in town, after competing in the San Francisco Grand Prix this past weekend, to participate in the Cougar Mountain Classic and pick up some additional NRC points for the year. The women's race should also be competitive with the Webcor team-Time Trial World Champion Karen Brems, former Collegiate Road Race Champ, Stefanie Graeter, and 2004 Cal Cup Champion and NorCal District Road Champion, Felicia Greer-as well as many strong regional teams. Start guns fire for the pro women and men at 1:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. respectively. The Infineon Technologies Cougar Mountain Classic is the end-of-summer festival of road cycling, mountain biking, gravity racing, running, and expo and bookends its sister event, Monterey's world-renowned Sea Otter Classic, April's unofficial cycling season opener. Event-goers can participate in everything from competitive and non-competitive cycling and running events to a Swap Meet, a vintage cycling concourse and many other events for the whole family. Infineon Technologies Cougar Mountain Classic: WHEN: Sept. 9-11, 2005 WHERE: Infineon Raceway ROAD CYCLING: Road circuit race, (NRC, NCNCA) MOUNTAIN BIKE: Cross country, short track, downhill and mountain-cross (NORBA, AMBC affiliated) RUNNING: Road and trail running race (AATRA) EXPO: Trade team trailers, cycling and running vendors, family activities, wine tasting and vintage bicycles SWAP MEET: Buy, sell, trade. Pro teams and sales rep.'s sell off used gear and excess stock PARTICIPANTS: On-site registration is available for a full slate of amateur racing classes, with entry fees ranging from $30 to $45. Non-competitive events for mountain bikers and road cyclists are $10 each SPECTATORS: $10 per car per day or a three-day pass for $20 CONTACT: For more information call 650.364.7612, email info@cmclassic.com <http://us.f541.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=info@cmclassic.com&YY=94442 &order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b> , or visit http://www.cmclassic.com/ ### --------------------------- John Cardinale VP of Media/Community Relations Infineon Raceway Highways 37 &121, Sonoma, CA 95476 wk: 707-933-3907 cell: 707-334-9805