LADERA RANCH, CA--(Marketwired - Apr 13, 2015) - Team SmartStop® Pro Cycling team is among 18 international teams and 11 top U.S. teams invited to race in the 10th annual Amgen Tour of California, America's largest and most prestigious professional cycling race, which winds through 13 California cities from May 10 through May 17, 2015.
"We have a strong team this year, and we can't wait to watch them compete in SmartStop's home state," said H. Michael Schwartz, chairman and CEO of SmartStop Self Storage, Inc. "Being invited to participate in this race with an unprecedented lineup of the world's top cycling teams is an honor that proves the team's continual growth."
Team SmartStop's 14-man roster for 2015 includes UCI America's Tour Champion Jure Kocjan, USA National Champion Eric Marcotte, whose breakout championship win put the team on the map last year, and USA Cycling National Racing Calendar winner Travis McCabe. Canadian trio team captain Zach Bell, U23 Canadian Time Trial National Champion Kris Dahl and Rob Britton, who achieved top three general classification podium results in the 2014 Vuelta Independencia Nacional, Tour of the Gila and Tour de Beauce, are all returning to the team along with three newcomers: former Astana Pro Cycling European racer Evan Huffman, former 5 Hour Energy Team racer Bobby Sweeting and former Hincapie Sportswear Development Team racer Chris Butler, who finished in the top 15 on the mountainous Tour of Utah last year. The newest addition to the team is Juan Pablo Villegas from Columbia, who won the 2014 Vuelta Mexico UCI 2.1 stage race.
"We are excited to participate in California because this will bring the team to the pinnacle of competition in North America," said team owner Jamie Bennett, a senior partner with Budget Development, a developer and manager of self-storage properties. "I really want to show SmartStop's CEO H. Michael Schwartz, first hand, how his long-term support of this team has culminated with a good showing at this premier event. We're going for a stage win in California after getting some racing under our legs in some early season competition in the Dominican Republic and Mexico."
The eight-day Amgen Tour of California, a grueling race that covers nearly 700 miles of California's most beautiful roadways, highways and coastlines, is one of professional cycling's most coveted titles. Since its inception in 2006, the race has become one of the most important competitions on the international racing calendar, showcasing the most accomplished cyclists from around the world on American soil. The Tour de France-style cycling road race, created and presented by AEG, challenges teams to compete along a demanding course that begins in Sacramento and winds through Nevada City, Lodi, San Jose, Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita, Big Bear Lake, Ontario, Mt. Baldy, Los Angeles and Pasadena. Top finishers receive important world-ranking points.
About SmartStop Self Storage, Inc. (formerly Strategic Storage Trust Inc.)
SmartStop Self Storage, Inc. (SmartStop®) is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed self storage company, which owns/operates 164 self storage properties in 20 states and Toronto, Canada. SmartStop® is a diversified real estate company that focuses on acquisition, advisory, asset management and property management services for self storage properties. SmartStop® is the sponsor of Strategic Storage Trust II, a public non-traded REIT that focuses on stabilized self storage properties, and Strategic Storage Growth Trust, Inc., a public non-traded REIT that focuses on growth-oriented self storage properties. SmartStop® facilities offer affordable, accessible and secure storage units for residential and commercial customers. In addition, SmartStop® offers secure interior and exterior storage units as well as outside storage areas for vehicles, RVs and boats. SmartStop® was recently ranked the seventh largest owner/operator in the United States by Mini-Storage Messenger Magazine.
To view SmartStop®'s self storage locations or to find self storage solutions at a nearby storage facility, visit https://SmartStopSelfStorage.com.