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Atlas Mining Cycling Team Races to the Finish Line; Team to Open its National

Racing Calendar Season Today

Business, Sports & Lifestyle Editors

OSBURN, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 18, 2004--Atlas Mining
Company (OTCBB:ALMI), a natural resource and mining company, announced
today its sponsorship of an elite cycling team. Atlas Cycling will
begin its national race calendar today at the Pomona Valley Staged
Race in San Dimas, California. The elite racing team, formed earlier
this year, is already enjoying early success.
Brent Garrigus, captain of Atlas Cycling, said, "The first three
weekends of racing have been very exciting, but they've been tune-up
races for us. We've already had great individual success with two
first place finishes, a second place and two third places. We are
excited to open our National Racing Calendar season, where the
competition is much stiffer and team sponsorship exposure is greater."
The team has also had ten additional top ten finishes. Atlas Cycling
will race in five NRC races this year in California, Arizona, New
Mexico, and Utah.
The purpose of the sponsorship is to create exposure for the
company and provide an opportunity for a very talented group of
cyclists. The team has already received exposure on the local NBC
television affiliates in Phoenix and Tucson, as well as local coverage
from several Arizona newspapers. The Atlas name is on the team chase
vehicles, sponsorship literature, and jerseys.
The coverage from the National Racing Calendar events will give
Atlas Mining advertising exposure to thousands of spectators as well
as potential media coverage from news outlets all over the country.
More than 800 racers will participate in the Pomona Valley Staged
Race, and approximately 120 racers will compete directly against Atlas
Cycling.
According to the National Association of Sporting Goods Retailers,
cycling is the second most popular recreational activity in the United
States, even without extensive television coverage. More than 65
million Americans participate in some level of cycling. Walking was
the only sports activity with more participants.
The phenomenal success of five-time Tour de France champion Lance
Armstrong has propelled team cycling into a position of having
national media coverage. National exposure has attracted corporate
sponsors to cycling in unprecedented numbers. The US Postal Service,
T-Mobile International, Dasani Water, Merrill Lynch, MET-RX, Saturn
Corporation, Mattel, Nike and Coca-Cola are among the hundreds of
companies sponsoring cycling teams.
Members of Atlas Cycling bring a combined 10 State and National
championships to the group and are all seasoned amateur and/or
professional racers.
The team opens its National Racing Calendar season this week at
the Pomona Valley Stage Race in Pomona, California. They will field a
complete eight-man team for the four-day event and will face their
toughest competition of the season. After Pomona the team will take a
day off and then head to Redlands, California, for their first-ever
International event, the Redlands Classic, partnering with Team
Aerospace Engineering Group, a professional US racing team from Miami,
Florida.
"We were not anticipating any international events this year, but
the opportunity to race with an exceptional professional team, Team
Aerospace Engineering Group, was too great to pass up," said Garrigus.
"The advertising exposure for Atlas Mining and Atlas Cycling will be
extensive, and a good finish at Redlands will definitely give us
national exposure. We're very excited Aerospace Engineering invited us
to participate at Redlands."
A long-term goal for the team includes sending a squad to Belgium
next year to participate in the very tough European circuit.
Additionally, the team hopes to create a Junior Team with the hopes of
nurturing, mentoring, and grooming young riders into the professional
ranks.
About Atlas Mining Company: Atlas Mining Company is a diversified
natural resource company with its primary focus on the development of
the Dragon Mine in Juab County, Utah, the only known commercial source
of halloysite clay outside of New Zealand. The unique purity and
quality of the Dragon Mine halloysite is unmatched anywhere in the
world and has spawned considerable research into new and exciting
applications for this product. Atlas also holds mining and timber
interests in Northern Idaho, and operates an underground mining
contracting business. Atlas stock trades on the OTC Bulletin Board
under the symbol "ALMI." More information about Atlas Mining Company
can be found at www.atlasmining.com.
Safe Harbor Statement: Except for the historical statements made
herein, the statements made in this release are forward-looking
statements. Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected in forward-looking statements include,
but are not limited to, general business conditions, managing growth,
and political and other business risks. All forward-looking statements
are expressly qualified in their entirety by this Cautionary Statement
and the risks and other factors detailed in the Company's reports
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Atlas Mining
undertakes no duty to update these forward-looking statements.

--30--SAM/se*

CONTACT: First Global Media
John Roskelley, 480-219-0886

KEYWORD: UTAH NEW MEXICO IDAHO FLORIDA CALIFORNIA ARIZONA BELGIUM
INTERNATIONAL EUROPE
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SPORTS ADVERTISING/MARKETING ENVIRONMENT
MINING/METALS FOREST PRODUCTS
SOURCE: Atlas Mining Company

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Mar-18-2004 13:30 GMT
Symbols:
US;ALMI
Source BW Business Wire
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