METLIFE ANNOUNCES NEW CYCLING TEAM TITLE SPONSORSHIP

METLIFE ANNOUNCES NEW CYCLING TEAM TITLE SPONSORSHIP

NEW YORK, April 09, 2008

MetLife, the nation’s leading life insurer and provider of employee benefits, announced today its title sponsorship of the Boston-based Psyclone Sports Pro-Am Cycling Team. As part of a one year commitment the team name will be MetLife Pro-Am Cycling Team presented by unlose.it.

In 2008, MetLife will serve as the premier sponsor of the dedicated and passionate team of athletes, which enhances the company’s previous support of the team in 2007 as a presenting sponsor. Inspired by the huge upsurge in popularity that has golfers to grandparents riding bikes, cycling’s positive impact on health, physical fitness and quality of life make a sponsorship opportunity in support of cycling very appealing to MetLife. As the second most popular sporting activity in the United States behind walking, MetLife intends to associate itself not only with the thrill of road racing, but also with the eco-friendly promise and simple pleasures of the sport.

"We are excited about the partnership we are establishing with the Psyclone Sports Pro-Am Cycling Team," said Bill Webster, vice president, Global Advertising and Sponsorships at MetLife. "This is a great opportunity to let cycling enthusiasts know that we share their passion and are in touch with how people live their lives today."

Kim Taylor, manager, Global Advertising, Promotions and Blimp Operations at MetLife added, "Our prominent alliance with one of the nation’s leading cycling programs presents an ideal medium for us to connect with customers face-to-face and promote MetLife’s brand and services through an exciting sport – which is undeniably gaining huge momentum in the United States."

Throughout the year, the MetLife Pro-Am Cycling Team will be racing across the Unites States on a mission to help conquer cancer. The competitive cycling team’s philanthropic initiatives in 2008 include donating a portion of all prize money to Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. "Our team members take nothing for granted, especially health," said team captain J. Alain Ferry. "Cancer has touched each of our lives in some way and we are inspired knowing our efforts are helping to win a greater battle."

The squad’s experienced roster of high-powered category one and two racers will race primarily in the Northeast, focusing on larger National Racing Calendar events such as Rhode Island’s Cox Charities Criterium and the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic Stage Race in Massachusetts, both part of the growing New England Race Week series. With MetLife on board, the team can now prove its speed and endurance beyond the borders of New England in races such as the USA Crits Speedweek (North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia), the AT&T Austin (Texas) Criterium and August’s National Road and Criterium Championships in Orange County, California and Downer’s Grove, Illinois, respectively.

Members of the 2008 MetLife Pro-Am Cycling Team include: