Oakland, CA - Gregory Henderson is the latest rider to move up from the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis to the Pro Tour. In an effort to fulfill Greg's lifelong dream to ride for a Pro Tour cycling team and race in a Grand Tour or the Classics, Health Net Presented by Maxxis has honored Greg's request to release him from the 2nd year of his agreement with the team so that he can join T-Mobile for the 2007 season.

"I am extremely grateful to the management, staff and riders of Health Net Presented by Maxxis for allowing me to pursue my lifelong dream of racing at the Pro Tour level in Europe. The team has supported me for over three years and been instrumental in helping me reach my highest potential as a pro cyclist. The organization has been absolutely critical to my development as a rider and as a professional."

"Clearly, Greg has played an integral role in our organization since he joined the team in 2004 and you just can't replace an athlete of his unique qualities and skills," said Greg Raifman, Chairman & CEO of Momentum Sports Group, the owner of the Health Net Presented by Maxxis team. "At the same time, the talent on our team is deep, it is well managed and we have handled situations like this in past. And after speaking with Bob Stapleton of T-Mobile, I'm absolutely convinced that Greg will be taken care of at T-Mobile, something we hope for in connection with all of our departing riders."

Past accomplishments by Henderson, who is currently racing the Jayco Herald SunTour for Health Net Presented by Maxxis, include winning the points jersey at the Tour de Georgia and the Lancaster Invitational in 2005, while also winning at Reading and Philadelphia in 2006, coming back from a difficult hip injury only a few weeks earlier.

Team directeur sportif Jeff Corbett has worked with Henderson since the 7Up-Maxxis days, before the team merged with Team Health Net after the 2003 season. "I've watched him just get better and better every year," he said. "Moving to a Pro Tour team is the logical next step for Hendy. Naturally, we wish Greg all the best at his new team, T-Mobile."

"We're truly thankful to the management of Health Net Presented by Maxxis for allowing Greg to join our family at T-Mobile," added T-Mobile General Manager Bob Stapleton. "Clearly, Health Net Presented by Maxxis has demonstrated that it runs the top pro cycling program in North America, not just in terms of results, which have been dominant for the last three years, but also in how it treats its riders and staff and in its commitment to pursuing excellence on and off the road. It's no surprise that Greg has improved each year he's been with the program. The sport of cycling needs more teams like Health Net Presented by Maxxis and we look forward to both working with and competing against them in the future."

Health Net Presented by Maxxis, which has won the NRC team title for three consecutive years, has a history of sending riders to the Pro Tour ranks. "We've earned a reputation as a squad that takes talented riders and develops them into riders who can compete and win at the highest level of professional cycling," Raifman said. "And we're proud of that."

In his break-out year in 2004, Jason McCartney won the Olympic Trials Road Race and a stage and the King of the Mountains jersey at the Tour de Georgia. Subsequently, in 2005, after three years with the Team and its predecessor 7-Up Maxxis, McCartney left Health Net Presented by Maxxis on good terms and joined the Discovery squad. Since joining Discovery, McCartney has been a key rider for them, helping Paolo Savoldelli win the 2005 Giro d'Italia.

Tyler Farrar made the jump to Pro Tour team Cofidis after a strong 2005 season with Health Net Presented by Maxxis. "Cofidis had been pursuing Tyler since he won a stage of the 2004 Tour de l'Avenir," Raifman said. "After speaking with Tyler's parents, we determined with Tyler that he wasn't ready to race full-time in Europe and stayed with us for 2005. This turned out to be the right the decision as he won the 2005 USPRO Criterium Championship."

Farrar benefited from his time at Health Net Presented by Maxxis working with veterans such as Gord Fraser. "He had the pedigree," Fraser said. "We always knew he was destined to race not only here in the U.S. but also on a Pro Tour level."

With its success against Pro Tour teams racing in North America, as well as strong results in trips to Europe and Asia in 2006, Health Net Presented by Maxxis has also shown that it can win against the top teams in the world. "This is something we intend to keep doing more of in 2007 and beyond," Corbett added. "We're adding talented riders each year and we intend to continue as the top team in North America, and one of the strongest teams in the world."