Cannondale and GT Named Official Bike Sponsors for Highland Mountain Bike Park
Visitors to Enjoy More Benefits from the Brands and the Park in 2011 and 2012
Bethel, CT, December 16, 2010 —Snow may be falling in parts of the US, but mountain bike enthusiasts will be hoping for an early thaw as Cannondale and GT have joined forces with the Highland Mountain Bike Park in Northfield, NH, becoming the official bike sponsors for 2011 and 2012. As part of this new relationship, consumers will be able to rent, test and experience innovative products from Cannondale and GT, meet pro riders, and even receive free lift tickets at the Park with select bike purchases. Cannondale and GT are part of the Cycling Sports Group, a division of Dorel Industries (TSX: DII.B, DII.A).
Visitors to Highland will enjoy many new enhancements and benefits with the new official partnership, including:
• “Find Your Ride” first-time lessons will be available for riders looking to test out Cannondale and GT models before they purchase them;
• The resort’s Ayr Academy classes with Cannondale athletes Aaron Chase and Chris Van Dine and GT rider Tyler McCaul will be available to those looking to take their abilities to the next level; and,
• Marquee products from Cannondale and GT, such as the Claymore, Jekyll, Fury, Ruckus, and Ruckus DJ, will be available to rent, further helping visitors experience the trails.
“For Cannondale, mountain biking is all about the perfect ride, from developing products for the world’s best athletes to racing on the World Cup Circuit to riding with your boys on the local trails,” said Frank Hwang, Cannondale Global Director of Marketing. “It’s nice to be back at Highland with the next evolution of our mountain bikes. As an authentic trendsetter within the mountain biking community, Highland Mountain is a perfect match for the passion and innovation that is Cannondale.”
“From the Zaskar, the only bike to win both an X/C and DH World Championship title, to the Fury, the first full-carbon DH bike, GT has a storied legacy of making bikes that help push the progression of the sport. With Highland, we can carry our legacy of and passion for the sport’s progression beyond the bike, and on to the type of terrain we ride,” said Tyler Barnes, GT Director of Marketing. “We are excited to partner with Highland Mountain and their stellar park crew.”
Highland Mountain Bike Park represents the best in Mountain Bike Park innovation and programming, and is an ideal match for the performance-driven products of Cannondale and GT. It is the only mountain bike exclusive lift-access bike park in the world and is home to the popular GT and Cannondale sponsored Claymore Challenge. The premier event further solidifies the partnership’s commitment to the sport of mountain biking. The 2011 Claymore Challenge will be bigger and better than ever with a larger prize purse and new features.
“As the Park owner, I want more people to get hooked on riding not just for the sake of the Park, but for the overall growth of the sport,” said Mark Hayes, Owner of Highland Mountain Bike Park. “The teams at Cannondale and GT continue to impress me with their passion and vision, and that was before I had even ridden any of their new bikes. After test riding the new 2011 line, there was no turning back. The sport is about to see another year of growth and I’m excited to have Cannondale and GT as our resort partner.”
For more information on Cannondale, visit www.cannondale.com, and GT visit www.gtbicycles.com. To check out Highland Mountain Bike Park, visit highlandmountain.com.
ABOUT CYCLING SPORTS GROUP
Impassioned by the goal of delivering high-performance products to both the professional athlete and the recreational cyclist, Cycling Sports Group (CSG), a division of Dorel Industries’ Recreational/Leisure (R/L) segment encompasses several powerhouse Cycling brands, including Cannondale, Schwinn, GT and Mongoose. Dorel R/L joins the Juvenile and Home Furnishings segments within Dorel Industries Inc, (TSX: DII.B, DII.A) a U.S. $2 billion company with 4,500 passionate employees in 19 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.cyclingsportsgroup.com.
ABOUT HIGHLAND MOUNTAIN
Highland Mountain Bike Park is located just an hour and a half north of Boston in Northfield, NH. As the world’s only 100% dedicated mountain bike park Highland boasts miles of lift accessible terrain, camp and lesson programs, dirt jump parks, a full service Café and Bar, bike/repair/rental shop, and state of the art indoor training facility, allowing riders of any age or ability to tackle the sport of mountain biking in a safe, controlled and inviting environment.
