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"We are delighted to help Life Time Fitness continue to grow the Leadville Trail 100. The Leadville Trail 100 is a legendary race and we are thrilled to be playing a role in its next phase of growth"
CHANHASSEN, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Life Time Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: LTM), The Healthy Way of Life Company, in partnership with AEG, owner and operator of the Amgen Tour of California professional cycling race, is pleased to announce a broad partnership to grow and develop the most important mountain bike race in North America, the Leadville Trail 100.
AEG will create a national series of qualifying races, each of which will provide qualifiers with guaranteed entry into the perennially sold-out Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race. The series of races provides avid cyclists with opportunities outside of the traditional Leadville Trail 100 MTB lottery system to gain entry into the legendary event. In 2011, the Leadville Qualifying Series will consist of three races and will expand to eight races by 2013.
The three 2011 qualifying events will be held in June and July in California, Colorado and the Northeast. In 2012 and 2013 additional races will be added in Texas, the Southwest, Midwest, Southeast, and one more in California.
Each qualifying event will provide 100 race entries into the Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race with half of the entries awarded to athletes based on age-group and elite-field performance and the other half selected from the pool of finishers who beat a qualifying time standard.
“We’re excited to add a qualifier system to the epic Leadville Trail 100 MTB event,” said Ken Cooper, vice president, Life Time Fitness Endurance. “Many mountain bikers dream of participating in the Leadville Trail 100 MTB. For some, that dream now can begin at a Leadville Qualifier.”
AEG and Life Time will partner on sponsorship sales and activation for the Leadville Trail 100. Life Time will also have a presence at the Amgen Tour of California as it produces a group ride for age-groupers in conjunction with the kickoff of the Tour in Lake Tahoe on May 14 and participates in the Amateur Time Trial on May 20.
”We are delighted to help Life Time Fitness continue to grow the Leadville Trail 100. The Leadville Trail 100 is a legendary race and we are thrilled to be playing a role in its next phase of growth,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports. “Getting a Leadville belt buckle is a life-list achievement for many riders and we look forward to helping serious cyclists achieve this goal.”
Lottery entry for the 2011 Leadville Trail 100 MTB event closes January 31, 2011. For more information visitwww.leadvilletrail100.com.
About the Leadville Trail 100 MTB
Since 1983, the Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race has been the pinnacle of the mountain biking world. Currently 103 miles in length and 11,500 feet of climbing, the ultra-distance event is a single- and double-track-style mountain bike race on one of the world’s most challenging courses. The weekend event is produced by Life Time Fitness and challenges both amateur and professional mountain bikers to steep climbs and descents, with elevation topping out at more than 12,500 feet. Additional information about the August 13, 2011 event and the Leadville Trail 100 MTB Qualifying Series can be found at leadvilletrail100.com.
About the Amgen Tour of California
The largest cycling event in America, the 2011 Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race presented by AEG that challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course from May 15-22, 2011.
About Life Time Fitness, Inc.
Life Time Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: LTM) is The Healthy Way of Life Company based in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The Company is dedicated to providing certified professionals along with comprehensive programs and services that help its members connect and engage with their areas of interest, and achieve success with their health and fitness goals. Life Time Fitness designs and operates distinctive, multi-use sports, professional fitness, family recreation and spa/resort centers that help members lead healthy and active lives. As of January 27, 2011, the Company operated 91 centers in 20 states and 25 markets. Additional information about Life Time Fitness centers, programs and services is available at lifetimefitness.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 Best Buy Theater Times Square; sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), two Major League Soccer franchises, 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 organization’s 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 atwww.aegworldwide.com.