Dalton native Raisin joins AVIA effort

Published 1:06 pm Friday, November 7, 2008

Submitted by AVIA



AVIA, the leader in endurance sports training products, is proud to announce its newest team member, endurance athlete and activist Saul Raisin.

“Not only is Saul an extremely talented and accomplished athlete, but more importantly, he is an activist and we are thrilled to have him as part of the AVIA family,” said Ed Goldman, vice president of marketing for AVIA. “Anyone we bring into the fold has to have a tremendous personality and a real human interest element that transcends their athletic ability; we take great pride that our team is so much more than the typical roster of famous athletes. Saul compliments our core values perfectly, so we jumped at the opportunity to support him and his mission.”

A professional cyclist at age 23, Saul won the “Best Young Rider” jersey at the Tour de Georgia and turned in the strongest American performance at the 2006 World Championships before a near death crash in Italy resulted in severe brain trauma which forced him to retire from professional cycling. Now fully recovered, Saul recently authored the book “Tour de Life” and launched the Raisin Hope Foundation (www.raisinhope.org) in an effort to utilize his athletic ability to benefit fellow survivors of traumatic brain injuries.

To kick off his crusade, Saul ran the New York Marathon over the weekend in his Avi-Bolt racing flats with custom green laces in the Foundation’s signature color. Saul will also be competing at events throughout 2009 including the AVIA Wildflower Triathlon in May. His ultimate goal for ’09 is to complete the Ironman Hawaii in October.

“I am proud to be part of the AVIA team which includes some of the most inspiring and determined athletes I’ve ever met,” noted Raisin. “Since the accident, my mission has been to raise funding for brain injury research, increase awareness and further connect with individuals and families whose lives have been affected by a traumatic brain injury. My partnership with AVIA will better enable me to accomplish my goals while doing what I love: competing.”

For more information on Raisin or to check out AVIA’s entire team of professional triathletes including Kenny Souza, Scott Tinley, Conrad Stoltz, Eduardo Sturla, Heather Wurtele, Trevor Wurtele, Amanda Felder, Angela Naeth, Alexis Smith, Steven Sexton, Nicholas Thompson and Alessandro Alessandri, please visit www.avia.com.



About American Sporting Goods

American Sporting Goods is a manufacturer of performance athletic footwear and apparel based in Aliso Viejo, Calif. Brands under the ASG umbrella include AVIA, And 1, rykä, Nevados, Yukon, NSS, APEX, Turntec and Triple Five Soul.