Contact: Michael Roth (213) 742-7155
No. 07-211
December 18, 2007

Give an Official Amgen Tour of California Holiday Gift

to the Cycling Fan in Your Life

Give your favorite cycling fan the holiday gift of his or her dreams with just-released 2008 Amgen Tour of California official Modesto Stage 3 start merchandise. Orders submitted by Thursday will arrive in time to place under the tree.

The largest cycling event in America, the Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race that will challenge the world's top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding 650-mile course from Palo Alto-Stanford University to Pasadena from February 17-24, 2008. Modesto is honored to be the Stage 3 start city. Stage 3 will begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, February 20, with a neutral start of parade laps through Modesto's revitalized downtown area before heading south through California's scenic farmlands. Over 1.6 million fans attended last years event.

Log on to www.amgentourofcaliforniastore.com to purchase an official 2008 Amgen Tour of California yellow leaders jersey ($90), or choose from a selection of newly designed, customized race gear representing the 12 participating host cities for 2008, including Modesto, such as hats ($20), t-shirts ($20) and pins ($5), by clicking on Local Merchandise, then Modesto. Additional jerseys and merchandise will be added to the online store early next year.

"This is a great opportunity to give a one-of-a-kind gift," said Jennifer Mullen, Local Organizing Committee Co-Chair and Executive Director of the Modesto Convention and Visitors Bureau. "The customized Modesto merchandise is a great opportunity to show your city pride. It would be amazing to see hordes of cheering spectators line the streets of downtown Modesto wearing their Modesto shirts, hats and pins."

For the most fervent cycling fan, give the gift of access to the inner world of world-class racing with the following VIP experiences:

Team Dinner - Not only meet, but EAT with the top cyclists in the world. After each stage of the race, your gift recipient and a guest will attend a dinner for all the world-class athletes competing in the race and their support staffs. A limited time Holiday Pack is available through December 31 ($500), which includes:
o Team Dinner VIP experience
o Two yellow leaders jerseys
o Two commemorative inaugural year posters
o 15 percent off any additional experience, hospitality or merchandise purchase for 2008

Cyclist Meet & Greet - Introduce your cycling fan to his or her racing hero with access to a VIP area before the race start where riders will greet guests, sign autographs, etc. The package includes one yellow leaders jersey ($500).

Ride Along - This is as close to the action as your cycling fan can get without actually riding for one of the teams. Sit back and enjoy the ride in an Amgen Tour of California official car, and join the riders at their nightly team dinner after the days race ($2,000).

VIP Hospitality - The best way to see the most incredible racing action on the continent is in one of the VIP Hospitality tents. Located at the finish line of each stage, this includes unlimited food and beverage, live race feeds and exclusive road-side viewing as the best cyclists in the world battle for a stage win. Individual passes are available on a per-city basis for just $200 each. Limited availability exists in each finishing city of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California.

Dates and locations include:
February 17: Palo Alto Stanford University
February 18: Santa Rosa
February 19: Sacramento
February 20: San Jose
February 21: San Luis Obispo
February 22: Solvang
February 23: Santa Clarita
February 24: Pasadena

Please visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com for more information about 2008 Amgen Tour of California VIP experiences. Or contact Teresa Torres at (213) 742-7145 or ttorres@aegworldwide.com, or Brian Watson at (213) 742-7388 or bwatson@aegworldwide.com.
 

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ABOUT THE AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA
The largest cycling event in America, the 2008 Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style road race presented by AEG that will challenge the worlds top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding 650-mile course from Palo Alto-Stanford University to Pasadena from February 17-24, 2008.

ABOUT AMGEN
Amgen discovers, develops and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe and effective medicines from lab, to manufacturing plant, to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other serious illnesses. With a broad and deep pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives. To learn more about Amgen's pioneering science and vital medicines, visit www.amgen.com.

ABOUT AEG
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Company, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, Sprint Center, The O2, NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE and NOKIA Theatre Times Square; sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), two Major League Soccer franchises, a Major League Lacrosse team, two hockey franchises operated in Europe, management of privately held shares of the Los Angeles Lakers, the ING Bay to Breakers foot race and the Amgen Tour of California cycling road race; AEG LIVE, the organizations live-entertainment division, is a collection of companies dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance, touring and a variety of programming and multi-media production. For more information, visit AEG today at www.aegworldwide.com.
 

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To contact the City of Modesto Public Information Office, 
call Jessica Smart at (209) 342-4707. Email: jsmart@modestogov.com