Diamondback Bicycles Continues Successful Partnership with Team Optum in 2015

After a fantastic inaugural season, Diamondback Bicycles will continue its relationship with Team Optum for the second year.

KENT, Wash. – Diamondback Bicycles is excited to announce a second year of partnership with Team Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies. This collaboration taps into the feedback of professional riders to develop faster and more competitive frame designs. The team has made a tremendous impact on Diamondback’s products since being integrated into the development process and the results of this partnership will be unveiled this spring in the form of a next generation frame, designed to carry the team to even more success in 2015.

 Diamondback Bicycles first entered the competitive road market back in 2013 with the introduction of its Podium line of race bikes. In 2014, Diamondback Bicycles began its partnership with Team Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies to fully commit to competitive road cycling and incorporated the team into its design process. In collaboration with Team Optum, Diamondback launched its first TT/Tri bike, the Serios, which rounded out Diamondback’s line of completive road bikes. The bike provided Team Optum with a competitive advantage during Time Trial events (for more on the Serios, click here). Upon Diamondback Bicycles, Team Optum racked up 75 wins, 164 podiums and 345 top ten finishes.

“Our partnership with Team Optum has been a successful way to jump into competitive road racing,” said Steve Westover, Marketing Director at Diamondback Bicycles. “And not only is the team comprised of phenomenal athletes and fantastic ambassadors, but the team itself shares our core value of supporting and promoting a healthy lifestyle. We could not be any happier to continue this great relationship and we look forward to seeing them compete on our bikes this season.“

Team Optum’s 12-day Men’s Training Camp began this past weekend, Saturday, Jan. 24th, in Oxnard CA., and the team will then head to Portugal for a six-week block of training and racing. The women’s team will head to the Middle East for the Ladies Tour of Qatar on February 3rd – 6th before returning to Borrego Springs CA. for two weeks of training.

Follow the team’s Human-Powered Health Instagram page during both camps for daily updates and an inside look at the team’s preparations for the 2015 season. – @humanpoweredhealth

For more information on Diamodback Bicycles – www.diamondback.com

For more information on Team Optum – optumprocycling.com

About Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies
Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies continues the rich cycling tradition established by Kelly Benefit Strategies in 2007. The team enters its third season under the helm of title sponsor Optum and continues to win at the highest levels of the sport while staying true to the values of its partners. Since becoming the first-ever freshman team to win the USPRO Criterium Championship seven years ago, the team has consistently improved on its performances from year to year. In 2013, the men’s and women’s programs boasted numerous high profile wins. Tom Zirbel and Eric Young became U.S. national champions in the time trial and criterium disciplines for the men, and theOrange and Black ladies claimed fivenational road titles, including Joelle Numainville and Leah Kirchmann’s sweep of the Canadian time trial, road race and criterium championships, Jade Wilcoxson’s claim of the first-ever USPRO Road Race title for women, and Courteney Lowe gathering her first-ever New Zealand road racing title. In 2013, Optum Pro Cycling’s men and women won 80 races and stood on 200 podiums. They competed at the World Championships for the second consecutive year and won UCI races on three continents. The men’s team won the National Racing Calendar team title and finished second overall on the UCI America Tour. Under Optum as title sponsor, the team has won 175 races and been on the podium 412 times. Optum, a health services company, helps make healthcare better for everyone—employers, government organizations and consumers who access the health care system. Each day the company helps improve how health care is managed, how information shapes and drives improvements in the system, and how technology enables better care. As title sponsor of the team in 2014, Optum carries on a unique tradition in the sport established by Kelly Benefit Strategies, placing a focus not only on winning bike races, but supporting and promoting healthy lifestyles, personal accountability and ethical sporting standards around the world. Visit www.optumprocycling.com for more information and to learn about #humanpoweredhealth.

About Diamondback
Born in Camarillo, Calif., in 1978 and today based in Kent, Wash., Diamondback designs and builds performance bicycles for every rider at every level. From its roots in the BMX world to new innovations in road, hybrid and full-suspension mountain technologies, Diamondback continues a legacy of building the finest bikes for today’s most aggressive riders. It takes generations to build a legacy of quality. We are performance driven, to perform at every level. Diamondback is for fun, for health—for life. For more about Diamondback Bicycles, visit www.diamondback.com