JAZZ APPLE CYCLING TEAM RETURNS TO NORTH AMERICA
FOR HEART-RACING TOUR
June 21, 2007

With the 2007 New Zealand apple season underway, the ENZA Jazz™ Apple Cycling team has mounted its second annual racing campaign throughout North America — this time with a special mission.

The team, which includes some of New Zealand’s top female riders, set off on a two-month road racing campaign through the U.S. and Canada in early June. In addition to racing and training, the cyclists are spreading awareness about the positive connection between eating apples and having a healthy heart, according to David Nelley, pipfruit category director for The Oppenheimer Group.

“Last year, the Jazz Apple Cycling Team members proved to be excellent ambassadors for our apples, on the road and off,” he said. “People really respond to these fit, focused athletes who clearly make good nutrition a priority. Between the crisp, tangy flavor and health benefits that Jazz delivers, our team is quickly making Jazz apple fans of everyone they meet.”

The team includes New Zealand national time trial and road race champion Alison Shanks, as well as the country’s current top-ranked road cyclist Jo Kiesanowski, and her sister, Michelle Kiesanowski. Other seasoned athletes include Sarah Murdoch and Susy Pryde, who is a two-time Commonwealth Games medalist and two-time Olympian. Newcomers Rushlee Buchanan and Malindi McLean round out the Jazz Apple squad.

"Heart disease is the number one killer of women in North America,” Nelley said. “With the recent studies showing how beneficial apples are for the heart, the team members are encouraging people everywhere to incorporate more fresh, tasty apples into their diets.”
A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in March revealed that flavonoid-rich apples decrease the risk of mortality for both coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease among post-menopausal women.

The team has raced in Pennsylvania, California, and Minnesota, and will swing back to the West Coast of the U.S. before racing in British Columbia until late July, hosting numerous store demos along the way.

Nelley said that the sponsorship is already drawing meaningful attention to Jazz. The team’s participation in the Liberty Classic race on June 10 in Philadelphia caught the attention of a food writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and other media outreach is planned.

“Just like the apple itself, the Jazz team seems to really intrigue people,” he said. “We believe the reputation we are building for the apple will benefit retailers, too. As people experience Jazz and understand its benefits, they will seek it out when they shop.”

New Zealand-grown ENZA Jazz apples are available throughout the U.S. and Canada from Oppenheimer from now until August, with the Washington Jazz season spanning November through May.

Photos are available upon request.
Related Web sites: www.oppyproduce.com | www.enzafruit.com

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