LEVI GOLDEN IN 2007
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After eight days leading the peloton of 144 elite, international cyclists that included Olympic medalists and world champions, Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team's Levi Leipheimer (USA) was crowned as champion of the 2007 Amgen Tour of California today with a total time of 24 hours, 57 minutes and 24 seconds. A resident of Santa Rosa, Calif., Leipheimer is the second consecutive Californian to win the title.

"It's one of my most satisfying victories because our team really had to fight hard. I don't know if any other team could have done it besides the Discovery Channel team," said Leipheimer.

The race continued to attract record crowds, besting its own record of 1.3 million fans last year, and shoring its place as the most attended cycling race in the U.S.

"In only its second year, the Amgen Tour of California continues to grow as the largest cycling event in America, and we've been proud to host the best field of cyclists ever to race on U.S. soil," said Shawn Hunter, president of AEG Sports, presenters of the race. "We love this sport, and we are committed to making it bigger and better every year to come. We want this race to be as important on U.S. soil as the Tour de France is in that country one day."

Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy) was one of the cycling fans on hand today, in support of Amgen's Breakaway from Cancer™ complementary initiative.

"The 2007 Amgen Tour of California has been a thrilling race that saw the world's best cyclists battle it out on some of the most punishing and spectacular terrain that California has to offer," said George Morrow, Amgen executive vice president, global commercial operations.

The seventh and final stage of the Amgen Tour of California was held in Long Beach, Calif., with enthusiastic crowds lining the ten laps of a 7.75-mile (12.5 km) circuit.

Leipheimer maintained a 21-second lead over Team CSC's Jens Voigt (GER) in the general classification to put Voigt second overall, with Discovery Channel Pro's Jason McCartney (USA) placing third overall. Team CSC riders took the next three spots, securing a win for Team CSC in the team classification.

"It's been an interesting race, and first of all I want to say the courses are very good. There is great potential in this race. I think it has a big future," said Bjarne Riis, Team CSC's Directeur Sportif.

Agoura Hills, Calif.-based Ivan Dominguez (CUB) of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team won the stage in an electrically charged sprint to the finish. He outpaced Rabobank's Graeme Brown (AUS) and T-Mobile's Gerald Ciolek (GER), who took second and third in the stage.

The attacks in today's stage began within the first minute of racing, and before halfway through the first lap, a breakaway group of seven riders had formed, including Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle's Danny Pate (USA), who was voted by journalists as the Adobe Most Aggressive Rider.

For the first four laps, the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team chased alone, but were eventually joined by Team BMC, then Rabobank and Team CSC. The gap slowly closed, absorbing the breakaway riders by the final lap, when sprinters were moved up to the front of the peloton by their teams for the final sprint to the line.

Team CSC's Juan Jose "J.J." Haedo (ARG) appeared to be boxed in approaching the line and finished tenth in the stage, but claimed the Herbalife Sprints classification jersey. Other jerseys awarded today included the Union Bank Best Young Rider Jersey to Rabobank's Robert Gesink (NED) and the California Travel and Tourism King of the Mountains Jersey to Credit Agricole's Christophe Laurent (FRA).

For full results, archived footage, team information and more, please visit the official race Web site at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.

Race title sponsor Amgen created the Breakaway from CancerTM initiative in 2005 as a complementary component to its title sponsorship to the Amgen Tour of California. The initiative raises awareness and funds for vital non profit services and programs supporting people affected by cancer.

"Amgen is proud to sponsor this hugely successful race, which is helping advance the popularity of cycling in America," Morrow added. "As a company dedicated to tapping the power of pioneering science to fight serious illness, we are equally proud of our Breakaway from Cancer™ initiative."

At the conclusion of today's race, in celebration of the initiative, Breakaway from Cancer™ spokesperson and "Grey's Anatomy" television star Patrick Dempsey took the stage to recognize Amgen and the non profit organizations that are benefiting from the initiative this year: The National Coalition of Cancer Survivorship, the oldest survivor led advocacy organization in the nation, and The Wellness Community, an international organization dedicated to providing support, education and hope to people affected by cancer.

"I'm pleased and proud to be a part of the Breakaway from Cancer™ initiative as it raises awareness and funds for the extremely valuable resources and services offered by both The Wellness Community and The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship," said Dempsey.

"Through the Breakaway from Cancer™ initiative, Amgen, The Wellness Community and The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship have reached hundreds of thousands of people with hope and information about vital services for those affected by cancer," said Cynthia Schwalm, vice president and general manager, Amgen Oncology. "We plan to continue the Breakaway from CancerT initiatives throughout the year and will continue to raise awareness and support for organizations that provide support and resources for people affected by cancer."

For the latest information on the Breakaway from Cancer initiative and ways to support those living with the illness, visit www.breakawayfromcancer.com.

2007 Teams

Discovery Team Info Team Website	CSC Team Info Team Website	Credit Agricole Team Info Team Website
Team Predictor-Lotto Team Info Team Website	Quick Step-Innergetic Team Info Team Website	T-Mobile Team Info Team Website
Rabobank Cycling Team Info Team Website	Liquigas Team Info Team Website	Healthnet Team Info Team Website
Navigators Insurance Team Info Team Website	Team Slipstream/Chipotle     Team Info Team Website	Toyota-United Pro Team Info Team Website
Priority Health Cycling Team Info Team website	USA National Team Team Info Team website	Colavita/Sutter Home Team Info Team Website
BMC Racing Team Team Info Team Website	Jelly Belly Team Info Team Website	Gerolsteiner Team Info Team website

RABOBANK'S GRAEME BROWN WINS STAGE ONE
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Stage 1 of the Amgen Tour of California from Sausalito to Santa Rosa ended in a dramatic photo finish win of two centimeters by Rabobank's Graeme Brown (AUS) following a crash on the second circuit around downtown Santa Rosa.

An earlier crash about 70 miles into the race resulted in one of the race favorites, Team CSC's Dave Zabriskie, being forced to abandon the event. He was taken to a local hospital for tests and has been released in good condition with a mild concussion and no fractures or other injuries.

Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team) retained the Amgen Leader's Jersey after a determined dash over the final 30 miles, which was spearheaded by his teammate, Italy's Ivan Basso, to catch a breakaway group of four talented climbers.

"Ivan Basso was ripping it up. I am very proud, very honored to have him lead me into my home town. It feels great (to put on the leader's jersey) here in my home town. I did that last year, and I've been looking forward to repeating that," said Leipheimer.

Rabobank's Graeme Brown (AUS) won the bunch sprint to claim the stage win from T-Mobile Team's Greg Henderson (NZL), with Discovery Channel Pro's Allan Hansen (AUS) placing third.

An undulating 97.1-mile (156.3 km) course with several stiff climbs, including one category four and one category three climb, combined with unrelenting cross-headwinds of 10-15 mph to present a formidable challenge for the peloton.

King of the Mountain contenders Quick Step-Innergetic's Juergen Van de Walle (BEL) of Belgium, and Team Slipstream presented by Chipotle Tom Peterson (USA), of North Bend, Wash., initiated the key attack of the day at 64 miles (103km), taking a group of four away from the peloton on the second King of the Mountain competition climb - a steep Category 3 ascent that rose 827 feet (252m) in only 1.5 miles (2.4km).

Van de Walle went on to say, "If you look at the field in this race, it is the best field before the ProTour races start. I hope we can build on this."

The race came back together shortly before entering Santa Rosa for three laps of a 2.9-mile (4.9km) circuit. After one lap, a rider's hand slipped off the handlebars, which resulted in a large crash. No one was seriously injured, but the delay resulted in the panel of Commissaires determining that the finishing circuits would be neutralized.

Thomas Peterson (Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle) moved into the lead of the King of the Mountains classification. Allan Davis (Discovery Channel Pro) took the lead in the Sprint classification. The Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team leads the overall team classification. T-Mobile Team's Greg Henderson and Discovery Channel Pro's Allan Davis took second and third in the stage respectively.

"Today is what cycling is all about. It was war out there," said Levi Leipheimer. "The crowd that came out was amazing; it was top-notch. I knew when we came into Santa Rosa that there would be a lot of people, but I didn't know it would be that many. For the crowd to come out like that in the U.S. is special."

Top-three general classification leaders after today are Leipheimer, Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle's Jason Donald in second and Priority Health Cycling Team's Benjamin Jacques-Maynes in third.

In addition to the exciting race finish, today's event included a special ride by local cancer survivors who cycled the final mile before the peloton came into the final circuits.

Amgen created the Breakaway from Cancer™ initiative in 2005 as a complementary component to its title sponsorship of the inaugural Amgen Tour of California. Last year, through the Breakaway from Cancer effort, Amgen raised more than $1 million to support The Wellness Community (TWC), an international non-profit organization dedicated to providing free support, education and hope to people affected by cancer. This year, the initiative expanded and also benefits the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), the oldest survivor-led cancer advocacy organization in the country.

Today's 'Breakaway Mile' took place at the finish line of the Amgen Tour of California, prior to the exciting conclusion of the professional race. The one-mile ride was led by Santa Rosa-area cancer survivors Marilyn Butcher and Bob Hammer. Butcher rode on a tandem bike paired with Amgen scientist Dr. Astrid Ruefil-Brasse who plays a crucial role in developing innovative medicines. Following Butcher and Hammer were each survivor's peloton, comprised of caregivers, family members and health care professionals who supported their win against cancer.

"Breakaway from Cancer is an integral grassroots component of the Amgen Tour of California that benefits cancer patients across the country," said Cynthia Schwalm, vice president and general manager, Amgen Oncology. "We honor the courage of patients and their caregivers in their fight against cancer and are proud to sponsor our partners, The Wellness Community and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. The cancer survivors who were featured today during the 'Breakaway Mile,' along with their supporters and Amgen scientists, are an example of what we can do working together as a team to fight the war against cancer."

For the latest information on the Breakaway from Cancer campaign and ways to support those living with the illness, visit www.breakawayfromcancer.com.

STAGE 2 PRESENTED BY OLEVIA TOMORROW:
Tuesday, Feb. 20 - Santa Rosa to Sacramento
Estimated Start Time: 10 a.m.
Estimated Finish Time: 2-3 p.m.

Just 12 miles from the start, the peloton will face Trinity Road, one of the toughest climbs of the entire race. The peloton will pass through Sonoma and Napa wineries, Winters and Davis, which was recently crowned the best cycling town in the USA by Bicycle Magazine. The race will end with circuits at Capital Mall in Sacramento.

For full results, archived footage, GPS data, team and course information, race play-by-play and more, please visit the official race Web site at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.