Jared Bunde (USA)

Simon Chau (Hong Kong)

Daniel Lee Chi Wo(Hong Kong)

Joseph Papp (USA)

David Sommerville (USA)

Derek Wong (Hong Kong)

New York-based rider, David Sommerville will captain an amazing selection of riders for the event. David is a veteran director and co-director of several multi-day UCI races this year including UCI 2.2 Vuelta El Salvador, Vuelta Nicaragua and recently the UCI 2.2 Tour De Taiwan where one of the Champion System composite riders, Tom Peterson, placed 3rd overall.

Some team member’s highlights:

Joe Papp is a regular diarist for cyclingnews.com and will bring an explosive sprint along with massive international race experience.

Hong Kong based rider Simon Chau recently broke Wong Kam Po's Tai Mo Shan uphill TT record, is probably the best climber in the Hong Kong local circuit and recently placed 5th at Tour of Macau.

Rounding out the contender spots is another Hong Kong based rider Derek Wong. Derek placed 2nd overall at the Tour of South China Seas in 2004 and was a 2 year member of the British Army National team and currently a member of the Hong Kong National Cycling team since 2001.

Daniel Lee Chi Wo. He is an International top ranking Tri Athlete, his ITU Triathlon ranking is 63rd in the World, and is very well known in the sports in Asia. His 2004 results include 16th Ishigaki World Cup in Japan, 65th Madeira World Championships in Portugal, 1st Hong Kong International, 6th Macau International, 1st Valsana International in ITA, and 43rd Athens Olympics. It's actually quite a honor to have him on our team.

“We’ve assembled a strong, capable team,” says Champions System’s owner Louis Shih, “and I expect to see some of our riders on the podium during the race, especially Derek Wong, who will be a front runner for the Best Asian rider and possible overall. Let’s not forget Joe Papp in the fast finishes.”

Riders can count on the guidance of David Sommerville, who spent much of the 2005 season organizing composite teams to participate in stage races across the globe. “The experience I gained this year while racing in events like the Tour De Taiwan and Vuelta El Salvador will be a benefit in the Tour of South China Seas, especially when it comes to getting a rider like Simon, Joe or Derek to the front at the crucial moments,” Sommerville explained.

For the flats stages, Champion System brings USA riders Jared Bunde and Joe Papp, with the former expected to lead out the latter as he competes for the points jersey and stage wins. “I’m excited to return to Asia to compete, and am honored to have been invited to join the Champion System for the Tour of South China Seas,” says an enthusiastic Papp. “With the team we’ve assembled, I’ll be free to concentrate on stage placing and won’t have to stress about GC.”

Champion System, a custom cycling clothing manufacturer whose factory is located in the city of Shenzhen which hosts the 2nd stage of the event, is a sponsor of the event and will supply leader’s jerseys and other support.

http://www.champ-sys.com

The team’s sponsors for the event include:

Accord Swiss Watch

Bici Racing

Cheung Kee Bicycle Company

Flying Ball Bicycle Company

Pocari Sweat

Power Bar

Flyte Bicycles

Dr. Freddie Fu

UPMC Performance Cycling

Kenda Tires

The 10th Tour of South China Sea is jointly presented by the Cycling Association of Hong Kong, China, Cycling Association of Macau, China Cycling Association and Chinese Cycling Association

The race starts in Hong Kong on December 26, 2005 and ends in Macau on January 2nd, 2006.

This is the Union Cyclist International sanctioned 2.2 class event in Asia.

Elite riders from different over 15 countries & 5 continents are to participate including representatives from:

Australia

China

Chinese Taipei

Germany

Guangdong

Hong Kong

Indonesia

Iran

Japan

Kazakhstan

Korea

Macau

Philippines

Russia

South Africa

Shanghai

Swiss

USA

Vietnam

Schedule

24th Dec 2005 Champion System Press Conference, Hong Kong

25th Dec 2005 Press Conference, Hong Kong SAR

26th Dec 2005 Stage 1, Avenue of Stars, Tsim Sha Tsui– Tsing Yi, Hong Kong SAR

27th Dec 2005 Stage 2, Longhua, Shenzhen, PR China

28th Dec 2005 Stage 3, Nanhai District, Foshan, PR China

29th Dec 2005 Stage 4, University City, Guangzhou, PR China

30th Dec 2005 Stage 5, Jiangmen City, PR China

31st Dec 2005 Stage 6, Nantou town, Zhongshan, PR China

1st Jan 2006 Stage 7, Zhuhai, PR China

2nd Jan 2006 Stage 8, Macau SAR

Victory Ceremony, Macau SAR

Media

TVB, ATV and Cable TV will be covering the event with features on the English and Chinese evening news on the days of each stage and TVB will also give coverage on its Sunday Sport World Program. Last year, CCTV and regional Chinese TV stations in Southern China recorded the whole tour and broadcast to all cities in Mainland China. Strong interest is expected from the other areas of the Media and also from the general public. With public holidays in Hong Kong and Macau on December 26, 2005 and 2 January, 2006 respectively, spectators are expected to reach many thousands at each of the event.

Race Contact Persons:

Walter Yue, Executive Director

Tel: 2504-8174

Alex Wong, Sports Executive

Tel: 2504-8175

Facsimile: 2834-3715

info@cycling.org.hk

Website:

www.cycling.org.hk

Champion System Contact Persons:

David Sommerville

Elite Team Captain and Organizer for Tour South China Seas

david@davidsommerville.com

champsysracing.com

davidsommerville.com

01-1-347-200-2372

Louis Shih

President Champion System

lshih@champ-sys.com

http://www.champ-sys.com

URL: