For Immediate Release	Media Contact
January 4, 2008	Susan Gilbert Cohen
	Kendal Valley Associates LLC
	Susan@KendalValley.com; 973.763.9197

 

Sebastian Alexandre Returns to Colavita/Sutter Home Men’s Cycling Team as Director Sportif
Alejandro Borrajo to Lead Squad in Season-Opening UCI Race in Argentina

Linden, NJ – The Colavita/Sutter Home Men’s Cycling Team presented by Cooking Light is heading for Argentina for a week of training to prepare for the Tour de San Luis, the squad’s first race of the 2008 season.  Leading the team will be Director Sportif Sebastian “Seba” Alexandre, a native of Argentina and third-generation pro cyclist who raced with the Colavita teams from their inception in 2002 through 2006.  John A. Profaci, Vice President of co-title sponsor Colavita USA, made the announcement.

“I’m honored to transition from sprinter to the role of Director Sportif for Colavita/Sutter Home” said Alexandre.  “Working with John Profaci is the very same as working with family.”

“Colavita/Sutter Home’s success,” Alexandre explains, “has always depended on athletes who treated each other with respect and understood the importance of teamwork.” He continues, “This year is likely to be our best season ever.  Several of us have been friends since we were kids in Argentina and our teammates effectively ‘grew up together’ as cyclists having raced with Colavita/Sutter Home for many years.”

Indeed, Argentinean powerhouse Alejandro Borrajo, who signed with Colavita/Sutter Home for the current season, is a childhood friend of both Alexandre’s and veteran Colavita/Sutter Home cyclist Gustavo Artacho.  Borrajo, in turn, recruited his younger brother Anibal to join him in the U.S. after racing successfully in Spain.  Riding with the Borrajos will be yet another childhood friend Sebastian Haedo, brother of Juan Jose Haedo of CSC, who also made his North American debut in Colavita colors back in 2002.  Alexandre expects the childhood bonds and shared motivation to continue the cycling legacies of their families will prove powerful sources of inspiration for these athletes throughout the season.

Alexandre is also excited about GC prospects for new recruit, Luis Amaran, a former member of the Cuban National Road Team, who joins the Colavita/Sutter Home Cycling Team after racing in Spain for two years.  Returning in Colavita/Sutter Home colors for the Tour de San Luis will be sprinter Kyle Wamsley, winner of the Chris Thater Memorial Criterium, who rejoins the squad after a year with Navigator’s.  He will join climbing sensation Anthony Colby at the starting line, along with Davide Frattini of Italy, now in his third season with Colavita/Sutter Home. 

As Alexandre explains, the five-stage Tour de San Luis, which begins with a prologue on Sunday, January 20 and runs through January 27, is an ideal warm-up for the major stage races Colavita/Sutter Home will contest in North America. Now in its second year, the UCI 2.2 race is set in San Luis province, 500 miles west of the Argentinean capital of Buenos Aires.

The complete Colavita/Sutter Home Men’s Cycling Team presented by Cooking Light roster for 2008 includes:

• Luis Amaran (CUB)
• Gustavo Artacho (ARG)
• Alejandro Borrajo (ARG)
• Anibal Borrajo  (ARG)
• Tucker Brown (USA)
• Anthony Colby (USA)
• Luca Damiani  (ITA)
• Davide Frattini (ITA)
• Andrew Guptill (USA)
• Sebastian Haedo (ARG)
• Rodney Santiago (USA)
• Kyle Wamsley (USA)
• Tyler Wren  (USA)

 
About the sponsors of the Colavita/Sutter Home Cycling Teams presented by Cooking Light

Colavita USA imports and distributes the #1 brand of Italian extra-virgin olive oil in the U.S. as well as durum wheat semolina pasta, a full selection of balsamic and wine vinegars, and many other fine Italian products.  A family-owned business headquartered in Linden, NJ, Colavita has championed the sport of cycling throughout its 25+-year history.   The company supports the Colavita New Jersey U19 Racing Team, the largest junior cycling team on the East Coast, as well as recreational cycling clubs in 9 states, including California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Texas.  Through its charitable arm, the Colavita Foundation for Children, the company provides bicycles and helmets to children in need.  To learn more about Colavita USA, please visit www.Colavita.com.

Sutter Home Winery is wholly owned and operated by the Trinchero family, Napa Valley vintners since 1948.  The company produces the wines of Sutter Home, Trinchero, Montevina, Wild Bunch, Trinity Oaks, Folie à Deux, Ménage à Trois, Napa Cellars, the number one alcohol-removed wine, Fre, and imports Angove’s, Reynolds Vineyards and Little Boomey wines of Australia.  For more information, visit www.tfewines.com.

Founded in 1987, Cooking Light (www.cookinglight.com) is the world’s largest food magazine. Each month, more than 11 million consumers turn to Cooking Light to “eat smart, be fit and live well.” CookingLight.com provides daily food and fitness updates, healthy recipes and nutrition advice to millions of unique visitors every year.

For the 2008 season, the Colavita/Sutter Home Cycling Teams presented by Cooking Light will be riding Jamis super-light Xenith SL road frames and the revolutionary Xenith T2 time trial bikes supplied by Jamis Bicycles, designed and marketed by the G. Joannou Cycle Company (GJC) of Northvale, NJ. Established in 1937 by the father of CEO and President Carine Joannou, GJC ranks among the largest bicycle companies under private ownership in the US.  For more information about Jamis and to view the complete line of bicycles, please visit www.JamisBikes.com.

The bikes are fully equipped with Shimano components, wheels, shoes, and pedals, Easton handlebars, stems, and seat posts, Fizik saddles, Vittoria tires, and TRP Brake levers for time trial bikes.  Team jerseys are provided by Giordana.

Additional sponsors of the Colavita/Sutter Home Cycling Teams presented by Cooking Light include American Suzuki Motor Corporation, Rudy Project helmets, glasses, and bags, and Thule Racks.

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