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Swedish Team Attracts New Sponsor and Sets Sights on World Champs 2011

Press Release / 24.01.2011

Team Explore had a banner year in 2010, including a victory in the overall classification of the Swedish Multisport Cup and an Adventure Racing World Series victory in Costa Rica.

Following a name change to Team AXA Sports Club in 2011, the bar and the expectations will be raised even higher. "2011 will see our biggest commitment to building a winning team," says Mikael Lindnord, team captain for Team AXA Sports Club. "Besides defending our overall win in the Swedish Multisport Cup, we're going to set our sights on the Adventure Racing World Champs in Tasmania, Australia. We've really had our break-through the last two years and our team chemistry and
commitment is really starting to pay dividends. Thanks to our new Sponsor AXA, the team will get an extra boost this year from better nutrition during racing and training, which will help us maximize output and performance. Naturally, we think this will be key in helping us reach our goals."

Multisport and adventure racing are team sport that consist of cycling, paddling, and running. The course terrain can vary, depending on local conditions and geography, but teams may cross arid desserts, soaking rain forests, and whitewater rivers. Competitions may last anywhere from several hours to seven days non-stop. The physical demands on racers are so extreme that team mates typically spend up to 20 hours a week training.

The new main sponsor is looking forward to following "its" new team: "Multisport is an exciting venue to support, but it's even more relevant for us given the importance of proper nutrition in endurance sports," says Peter Larsson, sponsor and event
coordinator at AXA Sports Club. "AXA Sports Club's vision is to inspire people to live an active and healthy lifestyle and we believe that this team will help us achieve this vision. Even if most people may not make it through a multiday endurance event, we believe that following these multisport athletes as they meet their challenges can inspire our 40 000 members to reach their own personal goals."

From now until the World Champs in November, Team AXA Sports Club will be logging long and hard training hours. They will also compete in several multisport races in Sweden and abroad.

"It's going to be a tuff year, but we're fired up" says Mikael Lindnord. "I can promise one thing: each time we suit up we plan on "leaving it all out on the course and no holding back!"

<b>Team AXA Sports Club competitions in 2011:</b>

8-17 April - Ecomotion Pro, Brazil – Adventure Racing World Series
14 May - Hestra Adventure Race – Swedish Multisport Cup
28 May - Hjo Adventure Race, Military Championship – Swedish Multisport Cup
11 June - STAR, Stockholm - Swedish Multisport Cup
22-26 June - Le Grand Raid, France – Large international stage race.
9 July - Haglöfs Åre Extreme Challenge
31 July - Frosta Multisport Race - Swedish Multisport Cup
20 August - Swedish Championship, Karlstad - Swedish Multisport Cup
26-27 August -Stockholm Extreme, Stockholm
3 September - Norrlandsknäcket, Umeå - Swedish Multisport Cup
17 September - Kristinehamn Adventure Race - Swedish Multisport Cup
1 October - Femmans Multisport race, Gothenburg- Swedish Multisport Cup
31 Oct -10 Nov - ARWC 2011, Tasmania – Adventure Racing World Championship