Pearl Izumi Helps Garmin-Slipstream Pro Cycling Team Claim Aerodynamic Edge At Tour...

Pearl Izumi Helps Garmin-Slipstream Pro Cycling Team Claim Aerodynamic Edge At
Tour De France
Pearl Izumi Speed Shop Unveils New Speed Jersey at Tour

BOULDER, Colo., July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to the world famous Tour
de France, every second counts. That's why road cycling teams such as the
Garmin-Slipstream Professional Cycling Team (www.slipstreamsports.com), a
professional American cycling team dedicated to promoting ethical sporting and
developing the next generation of cycling champions, go to great lengths to
find every advantage within the rules to enhance their racing performance.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090714/CG46194)

For their race wear, a critical tool in enhancing a team's aerodynamic
performance, Garmin-Slipstream turns to Pearl Izumi (www.pearlizumi.com),
headquartered in Louisville, Colo., a suburb of Boulder, to supply the team
with racing jerseys, one-piece skin suits, shorts, in-competition base layers
and socks as well as running shoes, which the team wears throughout the
grueling 3,500 kilometer race that criss-crosses France.

For Pearl Izumi (www.pearlizumi.com), the opportunity to supply one of the top
professional cycling teams in the world with the racing apparel that it will
wear during the 96th edition of the Tour de France represents the ultimate
test for the Pearl Izumi Speed Shop, the "skunkworks" of Pearl Izumi's
advanced product innovation program.

"Our relationship with the Garmin-Slipstream Team has been an incredible
catalyst for product innovation," said Cache Mundy, Pearl Izumi's vice
president of marketing. "The Garmin-Slipstream Team provides us with
phenomenal testing and feedback in the harshest of conditions. We use their
input to further refine our products before they go to market for avid cycling
enthusiasts worldwide."

"From day one, we have committed to giving our riders the best technology
available to help them perform at the top of the field," added Jonathan
Vaughters, Garmin-Slipstream CEO and Director Sportif. "Partners such as
Pearl Izumi, who innovate with us, are a critical part of our success."

While many apparel companies support multiple teams with identical product
during the Tour de France, the Pearl Izumi Speed Shop works exclusively with
Garmin-Slipstream to supply the team's 28 members with the highest performing
apparel regardless of race or weather conditions.

"Our focus is 100 percent on product innovation," said Bob Africa, Pearl
Izumi's Director of Product Management. "We're out to create game-changing
apparel and footwear for today's professional riders."

During this year's Tour de France, the Pearl Izumi Speed Shop will debut a new
jersey called the P.R.O. (Performance and Race Optimized) Speed Jersey, which
offers an unparalleled on-the-bike anatomic fit to generate maximum
aerodynamic performance. In development since last year's Tour de France, the
new patent-pending Speed Jersey is designed with drag cheating P.R.O. Transfer
Aero fabric - the fastest fabric ever developed for cycling. Going through
dozens upon dozens of prototypes, the Pearl Izumi Speed Shop conducted
numerous tests to gain a record-breaking aerodynamic edge for the
Garmin-Slipstream Team.

The P.R.O. Speed Jersey was inspired by the custom speed suit that the Pearl
Izumi Speed Shop developed for Garmin-Slipstream team members such as Dave
Zabriskie, the U.S. National Time Trial champion, and Bradley Wiggins, the UK
World Pursuit Champion, who are continuously looking for that extra
performance edge provided by Pearl Izumi, noted Lia Bybee, the Speed Shop's
head of Advanced Development.

"It's the hardest pattern we have every produced because it conforms precisely
to the body of the rider when they are on the bike," said Jennie Yu, Pearl
Izumi Speed Shop pattern specialist. "There were a few times we just wanted
to give up but the final result is worth it. Bike jerseys have been around
for more than 100 years so it feels incredibly rewarding to end up with
something that is going to change the way the industry looks at the
on-the-bike fit and performance of cycling apparel."

When the Pearl Izumi Speed Shop arrived at the final design and pattern, it
produced each Speed Jersey to the exact specifications of each member of the
Garmin-Slipstream Team, and then hand couriered the jerseys to Monaco just one
day before the start of the Tour de France.

New Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Speed Jersey

In addition to the P.R.O. Speed Jersey, the Garmin-Slipstream team members may
select from three other Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Model jerseys -- the standard
P.R.O. Jersey, the workhorse of the line; the P.R.O. Climbers Jersey featuring
Direct-Vent Fabric for optimal ventilation and minimum weight; the P.R.O. Aero
Jersey, which features a second skin fit and anatomic construction.

This July, Pearl Izumi will pre-launch the 2010 Limited Edition Black Star
Design Aero Jersey and Short, which will allow consumers to ride in the exact
same Aero Jersey and Bib Short available to Garmin-Slipstream. The Black Star
Kits feature the identical materials, construction, fit and aero fabrics used
by the team with the addition of Pearl Izumi's all new P.R.O. Seamless 4D
Chamois, the most advanced, anatomic chamois ever produced (available through
authorized Pearl Izumi apparel retailers). Look for other Pearl Izumi Speed
Shop items such as the P.R.O. Speed Jersey to come to market soon.

About Pearl Izumi

Pearl Izumi (www.pearlizumi.com) is a world leader in the manufacture of
performance sports apparel and footwear for avid cycling and running
enthusiasts. Based in Louisville, Colo., a suburb of Boulder, Pearl Izumi is
a wholly owned subsidiary of Shimano American Corporation, located in Irvine,
Calif.

SOURCE Pearl Izumi

Stephen Dupont of Pocket Hercules, +1-612-435-8315,
stephen@pockethercules.com, for Pearl Izumi