MORGAN HILL, California, July 27, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Every bike company dreams of winning the Tour de France: Specialized realized its dream and took it one step further, with Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck riding their Specialized bikes to a 1-2 finish Sunday in Paris. This was the first-ever Maillot Jaune for the California company.

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Of course there was also a wide array of Specialized equipment in the peleton, with riders on two teams sporting their brand new Prevail helmets, including Green Jersey winner Alessandro Petacchi, and many others using their shoes, saddles, and various other accessories.

After many years of sponsoring Pro Tour teams, founder and owner Mike Sinyard was exuberant about the success of the teams (Astana and Saxo Bank) and riders' with whom he's worked so closely for research and development on these bikes and equipment. He's also pretty psyched for the company!

Winning the Tour is a dream for us that has taken 36 years to come true, Sinyard said. It's a clear example of successfully following our founding principle to focus on the riders' need for technologically advanced products that provide true performance benefits.

With technology playing a bigger part in pro cycling every year, Specialized worked hand-in-hand with the pros to dial in the perfect combination of ride feel and efficiency, resulting in the fastest, best-performing, most comfortable bikes possible. And unlike most companies who provide road and TT bikes, Specialized developed three different race-ready bikes for the event, specific to the ride experience of the day: Tarmac SL3 for road stages, Shiv for time trials and Roubaix SL3 for cobblestone-heavy Stage 3.

The results speak for themselves: Along with the overall podiums, Specialized enjoyed 5 individual stage wins, including two on the Shiv and three on a Tarmac. The Shiv's unequalled combination of wind-slicing aerodynamics and road-bike handling allowed Fabian Cancellara to blow away the field in the race's two time trials.

The Tarmac, with its industry leading stiffness-to-weight ratio and race-proven geometry, helped propel Schleck and Alexandre Vinokourov to three dominant victories in the mountains.

Perhaps the biggest story, though, was the 2011 Roubaix SL3. After its early success this spring with the win at Paris-Roubaix, the riders appreciated its benefits over the cobblestones of Stage 3.

I'm not going to lose any sleep over Stage 3, Contador said before the race. The new bike (Roubaix SL3) Specialized has provided for me will be crucial.

Proving again that smoother is faster, the Roubaix helped Contador and Schleck float over the brutal roads, gaining valuable time over their main rivals and laying the groundwork for their eventual head-to-head battle for the overall title.

In the gritty, down-to-the-finish battle for the sprinter's Green Jersey, Petacchi put the Prevail helmet to the ultimate test ... it passed with flying (green) colors! The best complete performance helmet proved its excellence in aerodynamics, fit, cooling-and of course protection-over three weeks of torturous conditions, from wind to heat to brutal, high-speed crashes. And it always looked sleek and stylish-especially in full green on the Champs Elysees.

Equally as important, if perhaps a bit less noticeable, were the many Specialized Body Geometry shoes and saddles that could be found throughout the peleton. These ergonomically designed and scientifically tested products helped deliver improved power output, efficiency, and comfort with decreased chance of injury.

Top all that off with professional BG Fits, and our sponsored athletes were able to push themselves beyond their limits, only to come back even stronger the next stage.

About Specialized:

Specialized Bicycles was founded in 1974 by riders for riders. Headquartered in Morgan Hill, California, with global distribution, the company focuses on making everyone's time on a bike better by delivering functional and technically advanced equipment that provides a performance benefit.

SOURCE: Specialized Bicycles

CONTACT: Carmella Petitt of Specialized Bicycles, +1-415-931-6144,Carmella.Petitt@specialized.com