U.S. POSTAL SERVICE DELIVERS, AS HINCAPIE WINS SAN FRANCISCO GRAND PRIX

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA (September 9th, 2001)- While it wasn’t the rider that most Americans are familiar with, the U.S. Postal Service Professional Cycling Team did indeed emerge victorious, as George Hincapie held off the Saturn duo of Michael Barry and Trent Klasna to win the inaugural San Francisco Grand Prix.

For complete race results, please visit http://www.sfgrandprix.com

For Hincapie, the formula for success was deceptively simple: “When everyone else started getting more and more tired going up the Fillmore hill (a half-mile climb with an average gradient of nearly 18%), I stayed the same. I didn’t feel super-great at the start, but I rode my way into the race, thanks to the efforts of my teammates. They deserve this win every bit as much as I do.”

Those teammates included three-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, whose well-documented battle with cancer and subsequent return to the top of the sporting world has earned him worldwide attention and adulation. While Armstrong wasn’t at his best today- “I’m still not 100% recovered from the stomach bug I had earlier this week”- his efforts, as well as those of U.S. Postal Services teammates like 2000 Olympic gold medalist Viatcheslav Ekimov, put Hincapie in the position to win.

Of course, in the early going, it looked like U.S. Postal had been left completely out in the cold, as a seven-man breakaway that contained three Saturn riders- but not a single ‘Postman’- escaped the strong international field just 13 miles into the 125-mile race. The group consistently gained time on the rest, due largely to the efforts of Saturn rider Eric Wohlberg (“He was driving at the front of the break like a freight train!” marveled U.S. Postal team director Frankie Andreu). By the 55-mile mark, Saturn’s efforts were shedding riders and amassing a lead of over two minutes. And that’s when the sleeping giant, U.S. Postal Service, came to life.

With Armstrong and Ekimov forcing the pace, the field shattered, and a chase group of 14 coalesced. After an eighteen-mile chase, the group had closed in on the remaining leaders, and that’s when the race really began. A new quartet formed, with holdover Klasna being joined by Barry, Hincapie, and, for a time, Mark Walters (Navigators) in what looked to be the decisive move. With the advantage of numbers, Saturn looked to be in the driver’s seat- though Barry and Klasna were quick to dispel that illusion. “Even though there were two of us in there, I was NEVER confident, “ said Barry afterwards. That opinion was echoed by Klasna, who added that “I wouldn’t have been confident unless we’d have dropped him on the last climb- and maybe not even then!”

As it turned out, the Saturn duo was correct to be concerned, as, with just two miles remaining, Hincapie decided to roll the dice and launched an attack on the final climb. Barry and Klasna hesitated, and that was the race. Though Barry managed to close to within a second at the finish line, their efforts weren’t quite enough, as Hincapie held on for the victory.

Afterwards, all three men waxed enthusiastic about their first racing experience in San Francisco, and about the crowds in particular. “It was incredible, better than the World Championships”, said Barry. “To race in front of a North American crowd this size, and for a North American team, it was just incredible.” Klasna agreed: “Going up the climb, I was smiling every time!” And so were the estimated 350,000 San Franciscans lining the race course. When asked by race announcers whether they wanted the San Francisco Grand Prix back in 2002, the answer was a resounding ‘YES!’

In the BMC Software Grand Prix standings, Vassili Davidenko moved into first place overall as a result of his seventh-place finish. The BMC Software Grand Prix series concludes on Sunday, September 16th, with the BMC Software Tour of Houston.

The San Francisco Grand Prix presented by BMC Software is the third stop of this year’s BMC Software Grand Prix series. The 3-year old BMC Software Grand Prix is the key series of races within the Pro Cycling Tour (PCT). The BMC Software Grand Prix brings many of the world’s top professional cyclists to U.S. soil to compete for prize purses and potential bonuses that exceed $200,000. For additional information on the BMC Software Grand Prix visit www.bmcgrandprix.com.

BMC Software, Inc. [NYSE: BMC], is the leading provider of enterprise management solutions that assure business availability - maintaining and optimizing business-critical systems with automated infrastructure management and unique service management capabilities. BMC Software is a member of the S&P 500, with fiscal year 2001 revenues exceeding $1.5 billion and offices worldwide. For more information, please visit BMC Software's Web site at www.bmc.com.

The PCT is the nation’s premier cycling series linking 15 of the top professional criteriums, road races and stage races from across the United States from March through October. PCT is managed by Threshold Sports and sanctioned by USA Cycling, the national governing body for the sport of cycling. For more information, log on to www.procyclingtour.com or www.usacycling.com.

The BMC Software Cycling Grand Prix, in its third year, is a key series of races within the Pro Cycling Tour (PCT). The BMC Software Grand Prix consists of races in the following areas:

- Austin, TX
- Houston, TX
- Arlington, MA
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA

The PCT is the nation's premier cycling series linking 15 of the top professional criteriums, road races and stage races from across the United States from March through October. The PCT is managed by Threshold Sports and sanctioned by USA Cycling.

BMC Software Grand Prix Standings