Solvang, Calif. (Feb. 22, 2008) - Rock Racing's Victor Hugo Peña battled the wind and an unsteady front wheel to finish 38th in today's Stage 5 individual time trial. Peña's finish, the highest for the team today, helps retain his overall standing among the Top 15, heading into the final two stages of the Tour of California.

"I was feeling okay today. I had a little problem with my back and it made me a bit uncomfortable so I made a few little mistakes and I couldn't pull out all my power. But, those things happen“ said Peña. “We are ready for tomorrow, we'll keep fighting hard and see what we can accomplish."

Today's 15-mile time trial drew an enthusiastic crowd, and the dry roads and cheers were a welcome relief from yesterday's driving rain. "Super" Mario Cipollini, a perennial crowd favorite, called it a day of recovery. "It was a nice crowd, nice scenery and overall just a day for our team to recover."

"It was good to have some dry roads today," added Freddie Rodriguez. "I wasn't in the general classification so my objective was just to ride. We were trying new bikes, and there were some mechanicals. We've been riding hard and sometimes you just need to keep your legs in rhythm.”

As part of the day¹s events in Solvang, Rock the Cure presented a $10,000 check on behalf of Rock Racing to Deputy Director Charlie Uhrig of the Sheriff's Activity League of Santa Barbara County. Presented by Team Owner Michael Ball, the check will benefit children at risk and after school programs in the Solvang area. Rock the Cure is the philanthropic division of Rock & Republic and the realization of a charitable giving model that can make a genuine difference.

As part of Rock the Cure‘s involvement Friday, Rock Racing rider Rahsaan Bahati helped children experience the excitement of the Amgen Tour of California by hosting a VIP tour for a dozen children from the Sheriff's Activity League. He spoke about how cycling changed his life for the better and the children received exclusive Rock Racing and Rock the Cure products and apparel.

Tomorrow, the team will race in Stage 6 of the Tour, riding 105.4 miles from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita. The Rock Racing team remains the only squad in the race with a less than eight-rider roster following the decision by race organizers to exclude 2004 Olympic time trial gold medalist Tyler Hamilton, past world time trial champion Santiago Botero and former Tour de France “best young ride” winner Oscar Sevilla. The team currently ranks 12th overall after five stages of the Tour.

- RRC-