GE Energy is sponsoring one of 15 international teams—the GE Marco Polo Cycling Team presented by Trek—scheduled to compete in the sixth annual Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T, a 600-mile, seven-day cycling race across the state April 21-27.

This is the sixth year that Atlanta-based GE Energy is supporting the Tour de Georgia, one of North America’s premier professional bicycle races. GE Energy is a founding sponsor of the event, which will showcase some of the cycling world’s elite competitors.

Founded in 2005, Marco Polo Cycling is China’s first professional cycling team. Its participation in the Tour de Georgia marks the first time a China-based cycling team has ever raced on American soil, further enhancing the event’s international profile. Wisconsin-based Trek Bicycle Corporation, one of the world’s leaders in bicycle design and manufacturing, is also a team sponsor.

“We are very proud that world-class athletes from five countries will represent the GE Marco Polo Cycling Team presented by Trek in this prestigious event,” said John Krenicki, president and CEO of GE Energy. “As a global business, GE recognizes the importance of bringing people and nations together. Sports and other cultural events can play a major role in making this happen.”

Last year’s Tour de Georgia event generated a direct economic impact of $27 million,
underscoring the important role that corporations like GE, AT&T, Trek and others can have in supporting economic growth in their local communities, Krenicki noted.

The GE Marco Polo Cycling Team presented by Trek features Fuyu Li, who previously rode for the Discovery Channel team in 2007 and is now on the short list of cyclists hoping to be selected as China's sole competitor in road cycling at the 2008 Beijing Olympics this August.

In addition, the China-based GE Marco Polo squad has an impressive international roster that features world-class Dutch cyclist Leon van Bon, a former Olympic, World and road racing medalist.

“Our goal is to help Chinese cycling gain additional professional experience and exposure at the international level, develop new cycling heroes like Fuyu Li, and cultivate closer ties with other countries, a mission that can begin this spring in Georgia,” said Gudo Kramer, Director of the GE Marco Polo Professional Cycling Team presented by Trek.

Also competing for the GE Marco Polo team presented by Trek are Russian sprinter Sergey Kudentsov, currently ranked fifth on the UCI Asia Tour; Jai Crawford of Australia, winner of the Tour of Siam in Thailand; and Australian Rhys Pollock, who raced for the DFL-Cycling News squad last year, participating in many of Europe’s top races.

Xing Yan Dong and Liu Yilin round out the list of Chinese riders who will race in Georgia.

“Xing YanDong and Liu Yilin are two of China’s most promising young riders. Although new to the international professional racing scene, we can expect to see great things from them in the future,” Kramer said.

Completing the roster for the GE Marco Polo Cycling Team presented by Trek is Loh Keong, another young hopeful from Malaysia.

The seven-stage Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T will begin April 21 on Tybee Island along the coast and will end with a new circuit course in downtown Atlanta on April 27. Record crowds are expected to attend the event, which has established itself on the international racing calendar as one of the premier tune-up stage races for the Grand Tours of Europe, including the Tour de France.

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong won the 2004 Tour de Georgia for the U.S. Postal squad, reflecting the international prominence of the event.

“Since the inception of the Tour de Georgia, we have been grateful for GE’s steadfast support, helping the event become not only a world-class cycling race but also a tourism-related, local economic development engine throughout the state of Georgia,” said Chris Aronhalt, managing partner for Medalist Sports, which manages the race on behalf of the Tour de Georgia Foundation. “We look forward to working with GE to help make the 2008 Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T our most successful international contest ever.”