Herbalife has signed on as a founding partner and official nutrition company of the inaugural Amgen Tour of California, according to race organizer AEG.

The race from San Francisco to Redondo Beach is scheduled February 19-26.

Herbalife also will serve as the exclusive presenting sponsor of the race’s final stage in Redondo Beach and of Autograph Alley, where the riders will sign in at the start of each stage.

The company also supports cycling events held at the ADT Event Center, an indoor velodrome located at The Home Depot Center.

"The Tour of California is another of our initiatives to associate the Herbalife brand with health, fitness and community service," said Greg Probert, Herbalife president and chief operating officer.

Herbalife brands include the Shapeworks weight-management program; Liftoff effervescent energy drink; NouriFusion multivitamin skin care; and the company’s new heart health line. Samples and other information about Herbalife brands can be found at the Herbalife expo booth during each stage of the race.

Women’s Prestige Series announced for ‘06
Three North American stage races constitute the 2006 Women’s Prestige Cycling Series for 2006, says series coordinator David LaPorte.

This year’s edition will include the Nature Valley Grand Prix, June 14-18; the International Tour de Toona, July 24-30, and the CD&P Bermuda Grand Prix, September 7-10.

The series has been reduced from the four-race format of previous years to make it more accessible to teams with limited travel budgets, LaPorte said.

"We’ve heard from a number of excellent events that wanted to be part of this year’s series," he said. They were very deserving and would have been great additions to the schedule. However, one of our most important goals is to make it possible for all of the teams to complete the full schedule, so we’re keeping the series compact."

Among the teams committing to the series are Aaron Cycling Team, Colavita-Cooking Light, CPT-Colnago Cycling Team, Palo Alto Bicycles, Team America's Dairyland, Team Biovail, Team Cheerwine, Team Kenda Tire, Team Lipton, Valkyrie Sports, Velo Bella, Victory Brewing Cycling Team and Webcor Builders Cycling Team.

"We’ve always wanted to participate in the series, but four races was just more than our travel budget could bear," said America’s Dairyland director Rebecca Anderson. "The series is the best thing that’s happened to women’s racing in years and we’re super excited that we can participate in it this year."

For more information about participating in the series, contact the organizers at wpcs@womencyclists.com or see www.womencyclists.com.