Regional Cycling News for January 27, 2005

Edited by Jeff Jones

Schleck helps tsunami victims

Luxembourg's Fränk Schleck has organised a spinning ride to benefit victims of the tsunami disaster in South East Asia. Called "Spinning for Help!", the event involved Schleck and his CSC teammates Jens Voigt, Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Lars Ytting Bak, his brother Andy and team-director Kim Andersen riding indoor bikes, with the general public invited to join them. The ride raised €13,000 for Unicef's tsunami appeal.

McGuire-Langdale 2005

McGuire Real Estate (San Francisco, California USA) and Langdale Forest Products (Valdosta, Georgia USA) have teamed up to co-sponsor a USA based Continental cycling team for 2005. The team will be co-captained by Erik Saunders (formerly from Ofoto) and Mike Taylor (McGuire Pro), along with Terry Curley as the Manager/Director Sportif and will include John Durso as the Team Advisor, with Tim Chase and Joni Mehler heading up Public and Media Relations.

In addition to the Corporate sponsors of McGuire-Langdale, the product sponsors include Jamis Bicycles, Sports Basement, Max SF, Upland Sports Group, Bergamo, RBC - Royal Bank of Canada, Capo, Elite, Mavic, Time, Rudy Project, Fizik, Easton, Truvativ, Hutchinson, Kinesys Sunblock, Cateye and Power Bar.

Team roster

Erik Saunders (USA)
Mike Taylor (USA)
Matt Dubberly (USA)
Zack Walker (USA)
Rahsaan Bahati (USA)
Roman Kilun (USA)
Devon Vigus (USA)
Colin Beardsley (USA)
Pat Dunaway (USA)
Geoff Rappaport (USA)

Taberlay to Specialized

Sid Taberlay (TIS/Cyclingnews.com) Photo ©: Mikkeli Godfree

Reigning Australian National Champion, Olympian, and Red Bull Giants of Rio champ, Sid Taberlay, a.k.a. "The Tasmanian Devil", will join Liam Killeen in the Specialized factory team for 2005. "After having some top results last year in the World Cup, doing it mostly on my own in Europe, I can't wait to be on a fully supported program and focus completely on my racing and results, and supporting Liam," said Taberlay, who rode as part of the TIS/Cyclingnews.com team last year. "I really respect and admire Liam and all he's done in his Under 23 career so to be on a professional team with him is something I'm really looking forward to."

The team's new UK-based director Gary Foord commented, "I'm so proud to be a part of the Specialized team. Liam and Sid are two very talented athletes with a ton of potential. And, having the support of Specialized in the US and here in the UK will be a powerful combination. I can't wait to start the season!"

With a specific focus on the UCI World Cup, both Taberlay and Killeen will be completely kitted out with Specialized equipment, including the 2005 S-Works Epic, Specialized tires, Optics, Decibel helmets, Body Geometry MTB shoes, gloves, and apparel. The pair will make their competitive debut at Round #1 of the NORBA National series, March 4-6, in Texas, USA.

Lynn Gaggioli to Monex

Lynn Gaggioli
Photo ©: Roberto Gaggioli

Lynn Gaggioli has signed with Team Monex for 2005. The team is directed by her husband Roberto, and Lynn has spent a lot of her time traveling and working with the team in the past few years. In 2005, Monex along with Time Sport International are providing Lynn with the resources required to compete at the highest domestic level of women's racing.

"Lynn is one of us," Monex Director Chris Carabini said. "Although we very much enjoyed working with her team at events in the past, we were hoping all along that she would one day be riding for us. Women cyclists, Lynn in particular, have a close following and I was pleasantly surprised by the immediate public response."

Recreational cyclists have already asked if Lynn will have her own, women's specific, line of clothes. Nurses at St Joseph's Hospital in Mission Viejo - the official charity of Team Monex - were especially excited by the prospect of a Monex women's cycling team.

Support will be provided for Lynn to create composite teams to race at the major races in North America including the Redlands Classic, Sea Otter, Philadelphia Liberty Classic, and the San Francisco International. She is currently working on the roster for those races.

To enquire about joining Lynn and Monex for those races, contact: lynngaggioli@monexcyclingteam.com.

Australian Madison Championships in Melbourne

The Australian Madison Championship will be held in Melbourne's Vodafone Arena on Saturday, February 5. The madison will count towards selection for the Australian national team for World Cups and the World Championship, which means former success and Olympic glory will count for nothing as 15 two-man teams fight it out at over 50km/h for the honour of becoming the next Madison Champion. The race will be held over 40 km/200 laps of the steeply banked Vodafone Arena.

A top flight field has been confirmed for the event, including Olympic, World and Commonwealth Games Champion Steve Wooldridge (NSW), World and National Champion Ashley Hutchinson (Qld), Junior World Champions Miles Olman (Qld) and Matthew Goss (Tas), and past Australian champion Darren Young (Tas).

The Australian Madison Championship will also have a full support carnival including a feature Wheelrace, the next round of the Vodafone Keirin Series and numerous other events including pointscore and scratch races

Tickets are available from: www.ticketek.com and more information can be obtained from Adam Murchie on amurchie@cyclistsinternational.com.au.

Randwick Botany rider awarded OAM

Janelle Lindsay
Photo ©: Tony Horneman

Randwick Botany Cycling Club member and Australian Paralympic Team member Janelle Lindsay has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal for service to sport as a gold medalist at the 2004 Paralympic Games.

Lindsay was run over by a car in August 2003, suffering a broken back, hip, pelvis and shoulder. After months of rehabilitation, Lindsay remounted the bike, trained hard, and qualified to be a pilot on a tandem bicycle at the Athens Games with visually impaired rider Lindy Hou, who was awarded an OAM along with other Australian gold medallists at last year's Olympic and Paralympic Games in Athens. Lindsay and Hou won bronze in the 1km time trial and broke the world record and won gold in the women's tandem sprint in Athens.

"Winning gold with Lindy in the Tandem Sprint at Athens is something I will never forget, seeing the Aussie flag and hearing the anthem, there were a few tears, but mostly a big smile," Lindsay said. "I am surprised and honoured to receive the OAM, but it was a team effort with Lindy who had a lot of faith in me recovering from such a serious injury. I am so happy for Lindy being awarded an OAM as well.

"My family and partner Tom are very proud of Lindy and I. My grandmother Ethel Lindsay from Bathurst said she is over-the-moon with pride."

Dundrum SC Orwell Wheelers Cycling School

By Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent, Evening Herald, Sunday Independent

A new cycling school for under-age riders has been established in Dublin, Ireland. The school is the brainchild of Paddy Doran of the Dundrum SC Orwell Wheelers CC, together with David O'Donovan, the Sports Development officer of the Dublin City Council. Doran is the director of the project while Aidan Hammond will function as the assistant director.

Paddy, Aidan and the members of the Dundrum SC Orwell Wheelers will work with David O'Donovan and the Dublin City Council sports development staff in planning programs for under-age riders of all abilities and also to train coaches from the ranks of the Dundrum SC Orwell Wheelers C.C. to achieve the long-term success of the cycling school.

The aims of the cycling school are:

• That all of the participants are given the opportunity, regardless of ability or gender, to try cycling in a safe and enjoyable environment, which will lead to some of them developing a life long habit of cycling for pleasure, health or commuting.
• That some of the participants will go on to compete in cycling competitions as members of the Dundrum SC Orwell Wheelers C.C. and become life long members.
• That in the long term that the Cycling school will produce cyclists who will compete at the very highest level internationally.
• That everyone who participates will gain a positive experience which may help in his or hers physical, psychological and social development.

The school kicked off with great success in November with 14 participants on Sundrive road track. Children from the local area and the Orwell took part in skills, games and time trials with 10 members of the Dundrum SC Orwell helping out with Paddy, Aidan and Dave. Everybody thoroughly enjoyed themselves and prizes were presented to all the kids and T-Shirts thanks to the Dublin City council.

A program of events will be continuing from the last Saturday in January (29th) from 2pm to 3.30 to continue right throughout the year. Membership of the cycling school will be for Dundrum SC Orwell Wheelers riders only for ages 11 to 15.

More information: paddydoran@hotmail.com

Team Starbucks Doubleshot

U.S. masters team Starbucks Doubleshot returns this year as an elite, multi-sport team consisting of veteran cyclists from around Washington State. The elite team will kick off its season with the Ohop Chilli warm-up series on January 29 and February 12. The series will be open to USCF licensed riders from February 26th (www.axleyusa.com/ohop_trophy.htm) with points awarded towards the Washington Cup series.

Click here for the full roster

(All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2005)