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LOPINTO BREAKS THROUGH AT SUPERWEEK

Pete Lopinto at last month's Rochester Twilight

Bensenville, Illinos (July 16, 2006) - After a string of near misses at the "Superweek" race series in Wisconsin and Illinois, the Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling Team broke through as Pete Lopinto earned his first career National Racing Calendar win in this evening's 100km criterium in Bensenville, Illinois.

Lopinto and five others - Adam Hodges Myerson (Nerac/Outdoorlights.com), Josh Thornton (Toyota-United), Keith Norris (AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork), Jacob Nielsen (Glud & Marstrand Horsens) and Mike Friedman (TIAA-CREF) - got away in an early breakaway and lapped the field with roughly 25 laps remaining.

Confident in their rider's chances to outsprint the other five, Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada used Jason Allen, Jesse Anthony, Skyler Bishop and Dan Schmatz to set up Lopinto for the finish, with Schmatz delivering his teammate perfectly into the last corner.

"This is my first NRC win, and it's been a long time coming!" said Lopinto, who turned pro in 2002.

"I was starting to feel good at Fitchburg and Rochester, and doing hard racing here at Superweek has paid off. Everyone has stepped up this week and today was my turn, but I couldnt' have done it without my teammates, especially Dan. I'll repay the favor for the rest of the week."

Prior to today's win, Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada had been consistently placing riders in the winning breakaways, as in yesterday's Carl Zach Cycling Classic, where Scott Zwizanski and Schmatz placed second and third.

The previous day, Jacques-Maynes was part of the winning break, lapping the field in the Schlitz Park Endeavour Cycling Challenge and placing second behind Brad Huff (TIAA-CREF).

Coming back from a knee strain that sidelined him during June, Jacques-Maynes said, "I've had some great care and treatments, and my knee feels 100% better. I'm able to go full gas and it feels good to be back in the game."

On July 10, he also placed fourth in the Point Beer Tour of Alpine Valley Road Race, followed by Scott Zwizanski and Martin Gilbert repeating that result in the Hammer Gel MGA Proving Grounds Road Race on July 11 and the Tim Hart DDS/Rainbow Jersey Shorewood Criterium on July 13.