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.