SKINS AND USA Cycling announce competitive apparel partnership: new agreement outfits USA athletes through 2012

Carlsbad, CA / Colorado Springs, CO – September 23, 2009 – SKINS and USA Cycling jointly announced today the upgrade of their partnership agreement in order to equip the athletes of USA Cycling. Beginning in February 2010, SKINS will provide its full range of competitive cycling apparel to USA Cycling athletes across the disciplines of road, track, mountain and cyclo-cross.  The three-year agreement will remain in place through the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

“We are excited to team up with a quality partner like SKINS in what is such a crucial part of our athletes’ training and competition,” stated USA Cycling CEO Steve Johnson. “We are confident that the use of SKINS’ new product developments will help enhance our athlete’s performance as we move toward 2012. “

“We strive to provide our athletes every opportunity for success and we look for partners that are equally driven,” stated USA Cycling Director of Athletics, Jim Miller. “We believe the cutting edge products that Skins will provide gives them just that.”

This partnership underlines SKINS’ ongoing commitment to the cycling category worldwide.  In addition to USA Cycling, SKINS maintains strategic partnership agreements with Cycling Australia, Team Columbia-HTC, Rabobank and Milram.   The product research and development team at SKINS has worked aggressively to bring innovative new technology to the sport of cycling through the implementation of new fabrics and more aerodynamic designs.

“What is unique about the relationship we’ve established with USA Cycling is that we have the ability to develop and fine tune their competitive product assortment based on the actual specifications of the organization and its athletes,” says Gregg Hemphill, VP Marketing for SKINS America.  “We’re incredibly proud of that fact!”

Cycling enthusiasts as well will be able to benefit from this research and development as the full range of SKINS/USAC replica apparel will be available at retail in Spring 2010.

In addition to providing the competitive apparel range, SKINS will continue to provide its recovery compression garments to improve the training, performance and recovery of USA Cycling athletes.

Proven performance and therapeutic gains are realized in SKINS, all of which are supported by independent scientific testing and laboratory results. Published papers and reports prove these merits of wearing SKINS:

• Increased circulation/venous return
• Increased time length to exhaustion
• Increased muscle strength and power
• Improved muscular endurance
• Reduced post-exercise muscle soreness
• Significantly reduced post-exercise recovery time
• Optimized body temperature control
• Decreased swelling during travel

SKINS CEO, Jaimie Fuller is proud of the partnership between SKINS and USA Cycling, stating:

“SKINS is a sports performance clothing company where the benefits of the products are backed by scientific research.  Elite athletes want to wear SKINS because they work.  The partnership between SKINS and USA Cycling is exciting because we will see what athletes with the best performance clothing can do.  USA Cycling is also a great partner strongly supporting the SKINS manifesto of celebrating and encouraging the ‘true spirit of competition’.  SKINS looks forward to developing advances in technology with USA Cycling as we head into the Olympic Games in London.”

 

Contact:                  Gregg Hemphill, VP Marketing – SKINS America

                                (702) 602-6360 

                                gregg.hemphill@skins.net 

                                Andrea Smith, Communications Director, USA Cycling      

                                (719) 434-4274 

                                asmith@usacycling.org

About SKINS

Black, tight gear with yellow stitching is now part of the American sports landscape, whether sporting bodies like it or not. Voting with their purchasing power, professional and amateurs athletes alike are choosing SKINS compression garments over any of the copycats on the market. 

Developed in Australia in 1996, SKINS embarked on a massive challenge to create a sports garment that aids recovery and improves performance.  SKINS invested heavily in research to make it happen, ensuring all claims can be specifically proven beyond question. 

Many of the big, international sporting apparel companies have tried to copy SKINS, but their approach has differed.  These global apparel companies have simply used the value of their logo to introduce look-a-like product.  The fact remains that SKINS’ engineered gradient compression is unique.  In order to improve, rigorously test and expand the range of products, SKINS continues to make research and development their number one focus.  This is why SKINS is the compression garment favoured by so many top athletes and sporting teams around the globe.  To find a local retailer, or learn more about SKINS, visit www.skins.net.

About USA Cycling   

Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ licensees including 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 1,800 clubs and teams, 350 professional cyclists, 200 certified mechanics and 34 local associations. The national governing body sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive events throughout the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development, and support of American cyclists through various initiatives and programs. Additionally, USA Cycling conducts national championship events for all categories of amateur and professional cycling. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org.

Tags: SKINS, USA Cycling