PHILADELPHIA – May 27, 2008 - Cycling’s future stars will get a chance to shine in front of the bike-racing world a month from now when competition kicks off at the inaugural American Eagle Outfitters® Tour of Pennsylvania, presented by Highmark Healthy High 5®. Starting June 24, no less than nine countries and five continents – North and South America, Australia, Africa and Europe -- will be represented in this first-of-its kind, under-25 stage race. During six days of action, 120 riders will make a daunting, 420-mile journey from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.

With $150,000 in prize money on offer, the Tour of Pennsylvania is the richest under-25 race in the world. It’s also the only UCI-sanctioned event in the U.S. geared specifically to under-25 riders. That combination stimulated worldwide interest and applications from several dozen teams flowed in. But only a select 20 made the final roster of what will be a historic week of racing, one of three signature events of Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Making the start-list cut for this elite race are some of the world’s best development squads, including the Belgian-based Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy team, South Africa’s Konica Minolta Continental Cycling Team, and Colorado-based VMG-Felt, the development arm of Slipstream-Chipotle, one of two professional teams that will represent America at this year’s Tour de France.

Leading the VMG-Felt brigade will be Peter Stetina, a superb all around rider from Boulder, Colorado, who was a member of America’s 2007 under-23 world championship team, and took best young rider honors at last year’s Tour de Toona,  a professional-level stage race also held in Pennsylvania.

Stetina comes from sturdy cycling stock. His father, Dale, won more than 200 domestic and international races during the 1970s and ’80s, and was a member of the 1976 and 1980 U.S. Olympic teams. Uncle Wayne Stetina was a 10-time national champion and member of the 1972, ’76 and ’80 Olympic squads. Both men are inductees of the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame.

VMG-Felt will be directed by former U.S. Postal Service pro Chann McRae, once a teammate of Lance Armstrong.

Another of Armstrong’s former teammates – and cycling TV personality – Frankie Andreu will be marshaling Tour of Pennsylvania troops for the ZteaM, a national cycling club that supports masters, elite, developmental and recreational cycling through club riding. ZteaM chapters operate independently throughout the U.S., but their combined buying power allows them to pass on significant discounts to their members. The club’s long-term goal is to launch a pro continental team, cycling’s equivalent of a triple A baseball squad. The development team is part of that plan, allowing the club to mold young riders for potential future careers in the pro ranks.

“ZteaM is all about building the cycling community through its support for youth and developmental cycling,” said Andreu, who rode the Tour de France nine times and today is a member of the Versus TV Tour de France commentary team. “They have the right vision and model to build a successful program where young riders can benefit greatly.”

Yet another connection to Armstrong and his famed U.S. Postal Service squad is the Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy team. Bruyneel, of course, was team director for all of Armstrong’s seven Tour de France titles, and today has lent his name and expertise to this Belgian-based team.

The program’s day-to-day operations are run by Bernard Moerman, who previously operated the academy under the banner of the Cycling Center with headquarters at his Oostkamp, Belgium, home. Then and now, the academy’s mission is to give young, mostly American, riders a bike-racing education in hopes of eventually landing them a spot in the professional ranks.

This year, Moerman also brought his development team to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a training camp that was held in conjunction with Team Astana’s early season training camp. Bruyneel is now team director for Astana, one of the world’s top professional teams, which includes 2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador.

Back on this side of the Atlantic is the Pennsylvania Lightning team, an under-25 formation that will have a distinct home-course advantage come race day. The Lightning debuted in 2007 with just four cyclists, but competed in over 40 track and road events, racking up a dozen top three finishes in the elite and professional ranks. Two of the team’s top riders are Pennsylvania natives Taylor Brown of Fleetwood and Michael Chauner of West Chester. Both are former junior national champions with international experience in road and track racing.

The field also includes Argentina’s Esco-Telefonicos, the Australian Praties Cycling Team , Canada-based Team RACE Pro, Ireland’s Pezula Racing, the Dutch Global Cycling squad, Germany’s Team Stadler, Arizona-based Team Waste Management/Racelab U23, California Giant Strawberry Farms, Minnesota’s Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast Pro Cycling, New England-based Fiordifrutta Cycling Team, New York’s Sakonnet Technology U25 Team, two North Carolina squads, DLP Racing/Texas Instruments and Time Pro Cycling, Penn St Cancer Institute-GPOA-Cannondale and Team VRC Racing/NOW-MS Society, a Los Angeles-based squad that’s dedicated to helping develop tomorrow’s top pros and raising awareness about multiple sclerosis.

Beginning on hallowed cycling ground in Philadelphia, the American Eagle Outfitters ® Tour of Pennsylvania, presented by Highmark Healthy High 5® follows a historically rich route that passes through towns and countryside that roughly follow the Forbes Trial (U.S. 30), which was forged in 1758 by British General John Forbes and Colonel George Washington as the first road across the Allegheny Mountains. 

Eight Pennsylvania towns and cities will host official race starts and finishes, with communities along the way gaining a first-hand look at the world’s best young talent in the kind of competition that is normally found only in Europe. In addition to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the host cities include Downingtown, Carlisle, Camp Hill, Bedford, Latrobe and Ligonier. The race finish will be part of Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary celebration.