Seven Cycles is pleased to announce the addition of pro racers Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick to Team Seven. The riders will be flying Seven's colors in a full schedule of mountain bike races, with a primary focus on the NORBA National Championship Series. The sponsorship deal also signs the two racers on for the 2002 cyclocross season.

Mary and Mike are relatively new to the pro ranks, but they have been steadily making names for themselves. In 2001, Mary took 9th overall in the NORBA National Championship Series and 5th overall in the Super Cup Cyclocross Series. So far this season, they've been posting impressive results. Mary has a pair of 8th place finishes in the cross-country events at Sea Otter and Big Bear, as well as a 6th in the Big Bear short track and a 5th place finish at the Iron Horse Classic. Mike's been going strong too, netting 5th place at the AMBC Bump & Grind. And they promise that, "The best is yet to come."

On a recent visit to the Seven factory, Mary and Mike were outfitted with custom Sola titanium mountain bikes. The whole Seven crew went the extra mile to get the racers fitted up and the bikes built before the two hit the road again, headed off to the NORBA National at Alpine Valley, Wisconsin. Before they left, Mary and Mike joined Seven founders Rob Vandermark, Matt O'Keefe, and Jennifer Miller for an after-work ride on some of their local off-road stomping grounds. At the end of the ride, Mary said of her new Sola, "I don't want to get off my new bike. I can't wait to ride it again."

Signing the two pros represents Seven's first foray into sponsorship at the national level. "While this certainly has the potential to increase our brand awareness, we're really just as excited about supporting two young racers who are out there trying to live their dream. Our mountain bike heritage is strong, and it's something many of us here have a personal passion for," says Seven's marketing director Jennifer Miller. The newly signed Broderick added, "This just feels right. Both Mary and I feel like we're part of something really special here at Seven."