vitaminwater-Trek Cycling Team Set to Redefine
Chicagoland's Bike Racing Landscape

New Cycling Franchise Debuts in 2008 with High-Profile Sponsor Slate and Explosive Lineup

Chicago, IL – Burnham Racing, a new not-for-profit developmental cycling program based out of Chicago, proudly introduced today the vitaminwater-Trek Cycling Team, a collection of elite-level amateur athletes that counts two reigning Illinois State Champions among its 16-man roster.  The team's formidable lineup of corporate supporters will be headlined by title sponsors vitaminwater, Trek Bicycles of Michigan Avenue and Trek Bicycles, Inc. of Waterloo, Wis.  

The vitaminwater-Trek Cycling Team will focus primarily on road competition, guiding its athletes through the ranks of the United States Cycling Federation (USCF).  In tandem with its athletic aspirations, the vitaminwater-Trek program will also create a foundation of community involvement, both locally and beyond our borders. The team has already established partnerships with World Bicycle Relief, an organization that uses bicycles to foster recovery and growth in poverty-stricken countries, and Chicago's Friends of the Parks, an advocacy group that helps protect the city's parks and preserves. 

In 2006 and 2007, the former Team Clif Bar Midwest recorded 37 podium finishes and 113 top-ten results.  Nine athletes from that program will continue their cycling careers under the vitaminwater-Trek flag, including USCF Category 2 competitors Brian Boyle, Matthew Welch and Andrew Daley. Welch will also serve as vitaminwater-Trek's Director of Sport, coordinating day to day operations during the season. Category 3 carry-overs from the Clif Bar program are Julian Baumgartner, Eric Davis, Joel Feinberg, Eric Goodwin, Jason Knauff and Jason Mindeman. Goodwin will serve as the program's Managing Director, handling sponsor relationships and external affairs.  

For its inaugural campaign, the vitaminwater-Trek Cycling Team culled seven additional athletes from throughout the region, boosting its ranks to a formidable competitive plateau. Corey Hickman of Romeoville, Ill. and Jeffrey Wat of Chicago each join the roster after taking home 2007 USCF State Road and Criterium Championship titles, respectively. Blue Island native Nicholas Gierman (Category 4) and Chicagoans Andreas Fischer (Category 3), Timothy Hermanas (Category 3), Matthew Smith (Category 3) and Patrick Loney (Category 2) round out the team's 2008 roster. Smith won three races in August to close out his 2007 campaign, while Loney rode away with masters-category victories at the Bensenville Criterium and the Wisconsin State Criterium Championships.

"I look at our roster and the potential is extraordinary," said Goodwin. "Despite this being an inaugural season, we certainly can't be considered new kids on the block. With Hickman, Loney, Smith and Fischer, we're adding over 60 years of combined racing experience. That type of veteran presence will be such a bonus as we strive to achieve great things."

Trek Bicycles on Michigan Avenue, the nation's first completely 'green' bike shop, will serve as the team's home base, outfitting the vitaminwater-Trek squad with cutting-edge machines from the nation's most-heralded bike manufacturer. Opened in 2007, Trek Bicycles on Michigan Avenue was constructed using environmentally-friendly materials and continues to operate with energy-efficient installations that produce minimal waste.  In 2008, team members will stay race-ready by hydrating with vitaminwater, the glacéau product whose 15 varieties have taken the beverage market by storm.  vitaminwater began to make inroads on the local cycling circuit in 2007, sponsoring the Superweek race series in Illinois and Wisconsin. On the bike, the team's athletes will be fueled by POWERade, taking advantage of its unique combination of electrolytes and vitamins to stay ahead of the field. The squad will also benefit from glacéau's full product line, which includes smartwater and vitaminenergy.  Whole Foods Market will also stand in the vitaminwater-Trek corner this season, providing an example of corporate environmental and community responsibility on a grand scale.  When the squad rolls to the line to do battle, it will be armed with the latest technology from an imposing collection of team sponsors that includes Craft technical apparel, Saris/CycleOps, SRAM performance bicycle components and Gin Optics.  

Burnham Racing, a 501(c)(3) organization, will manage the vitaminwater-Trek Cycling Team while also introducing further cycling-related endeavors over the course of the year.  Named after Daniel Burnham – the architect famous for his forward-thinking urban planning that gave Chicago its lakefront, parks, historic boulevards, forest preserves and open green space – Burnham Racing's programs will strive to live up to the legacy of environmental and social responsibility set forth by one of Chicago's greatest visionaries.

For more information, visit www.burnhamracing.org