First Edition Cycling News, December 15, 2007Edited by Sue George Evans cleans up at Aussie awardsBy Greg Johnson reports in Adelaide, South Australia
Overall ProTour winner and Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans has cleaned up at the annual Australia Cyclist of the Year Awards, held in Adelaide, South Australia. The Predictor-Lotto rider was faced with stiff competition in every category he was nominated for following a bumper year for Australian riders on the international scene. Evans claimed the Cyclingnews.com-sponsored Male Road Cyclist award, while T-Mobile Women's squad rider Oenone Wood took the women's equivalent of the award. Evans claimed the award over Tour stage winner and team-mate Robbie McEwen and Adelaide local Stuart O'Grady, who became the first Australian to claim the prestigious Paris-Roubaix Spring Classic this season. Evans also claimed the Scody People's Choice award, which was nominated and voted by the Australian cycling community. The softly spoken rider wrapped up the evening by taking the night's biggest award - the Sir Hubert Opperman Trophy, awarded to the best performed cyclist each year. Evans took the trophy for the second consecutive year, beating contenders O'Grady, 500 metre time trial world champion Anna Meares and downhill world champion and world cup winner Sam Hill. "They're getting pretty hard to win these oppy awards now," said Evans. "I feel sorry for Stuey, he makes history winning Paris-Roubaix - a monument in cycling - then doesn't win it, but that's only a compliment to Australian cycling and everyone involved in it." "I think people's choice awards sometimes are often the best ones actually," said Evans, who also recently claimed Fairfax's top Australian sports person of the year award in addition to the new Scody-sponsored award. "Personally for me that's an honour to win." "If we can continue like this we'll have our biggest and best season in 2008, I wouldn't mind finding 24 more seconds in July next year," he added. To read the complete news feature, click here. Omega Pharma extends with Lotto teamBy Susan Westemeyer
In a press release, the company said it "continues to support the cycling project because – in addition to the top sport aspect and the company's committed involvement with social responsibility – it also combines a wide reaching and extreme anti-doping policy aimed specifically at juvenile cyclists." Omega has already used the names Davitamon (vitamins) and Predictor (home medical test products). The company said that "it was a firm believer in the effectiveness of cycling sponsorship and has already witnessed its positive impact for Davitamon and Predictor in the past." Silence is "an anti-snoring product based on natural ingredients." The team's new jerseys will be red and black. "Cycling is a tremendous sports discipline that needs unity, purity and honesty. All initiatives that contribute to these values will be supported by the cycling team," the company said. The deal hinges on Lotto' decision to continue sponsorship past 2008, a decision which is expected by the end of January. Marco polo gets new title sponsor
Just days after Trek announced their decision to sign on as the bicycle sponsor for the ProTour Astana team, the American bicycle manufacturer also stepped up support of the Marco Polo Cycling Continental Cycling Team. Trek will replace Discovery Channel as the main title sponsor so the Chinese continental team will continue into 2008 under the name Trek – Marco Polo Cycling Team. The team will be comprised of four Chinese riders and others from Malaysia, Russia, Japan and Australia. Russian sprinter Sergey Kudentsov is currently ranked fourth in the UCI Asia Tour while Fuyu Li will be returning form a year on the Discovery Channel ProTour squad after earning enough ProTour points to qualify for the Olympics in 2008. New to the team will be Japanese riders Ken Onodera and Yu Takenouchi, plus Australian climber Jai Crawford. One more rider will be named soon. The team will continue its cooperation with the Dolphin Mountain Bike Team, which shares a relationship with Trek, too. Mountain bikers Rudi van Houts, Alban Lakata and former Olympic and World Champion Bart Brentjens will be able to race on the road as part of their preparation for the Olympic mountain bike race. The squad will race in all major races in Asia plus do a program in Europe and a few individual events like the Giro del Capo in South Africa. Trek – Marco Polo Cycling Team for 2008: Xing Yandong, Yu Tong, Liu Yilin, Fuyu Li (all from China), Loh Sea Keong (Malaysia); Sergey Kudentsov (Russia); Ken Onodera and Yu Takenouchi (Japan); Jai Crawford (Australia). USAC selects hosts for three more national championshipsUSA Cycling announced Friday the location of two more national championship events for 2008. The USA Cycling Elite, U23 and Junior Road National Championships have been scheduled for August 7-11 in Orange County, California while the USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships will be held at the ADT Event Center in Carson, California on August 14-17. Jet Cycling, along with Rock-n-Road Cyclery, will host the road, time trial and criterium events. Specific details related to event schedules and courses are still being determined and will be announced in the coming weeks. Only three of USA Cycling's 15 annual national championship events are yet to be announced for 2008: USA Cycling Master Road National Championships, the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships and the USA Cycling BMX National Championships. Decisions on these are expected before the New Year. 2008 USA Cycling National Championships USAC recognizes ten clubsBased on race promotion, membership composition, instructional clinics and seminars, club activities, charitable contributions and racing performance, USA Cycling recognized ten clubs, from 2,139 registered clubs, for outstanding programs throughout 2007. All will receive complimentary registration fees for the 2008 season. Three primary clubs were recognized based on membership size among three divisions while seven additional clubs were awarded with the Club of the Year designation based on specific categories – mountain bike, collegiate, track, new club, women's, master's, and junior/high school. Division I winner Velo Club LaGrange Westwood, with 458 members, exemplified a model cycling club across several categories including bicycle race promotion, the hosting of clinics and seminars, community service, programs dedicated to junior, women and master riders. The club promotes the West Los Angeles Grand Prix, holds introductory track classes at the Encino Velodrome, leads regular training rides including some as charitable fundraisers and administers a scholarship fund. Six-time national champion Coryn Rivera is among the most well-known members, but in total, club members won 37 races this year including 11 state championships as well as 94 podium finishes and 244 top-ten performances. Virginia Beach's Tri-Power Cycling Club earned Division II top honors. The club promotes the Conte's Cycling Classic, the Amphibious Assault Criterium and the Mt. Trashmore Cyclo-cross as well as hosts educational clinics and seminars and participating in the charitable rides and organization. North Carolina's Cross Creek Cycling Club won the Division III and Master's Club awards after winning the Best New Club award in 2004 and Master's award in 2005. 2007 USA Cycling Club of the Year Recipients Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast adds five for 2008Back for its second season, the Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast pro cycling team will again challenge on the North American circuit. Last year's racers return along with five new athletes to strengthen the team's spring and GC talents. Former Jelly Belly team-mates Alex Candelario and Andrew Bajadali come to the team together. Top sprinter Cadelario is the 2007 winner of the Tour de Nez while climber Bajadali won the 2007 Redlands Classic and the Tri Peaks Challenge. Also new to the roster are Ben King, the US Junior National Road Race and Time Trial Champion and David Veilleux, three-time Canadian U23 champion and the 2005 winner of the Tour de L'Abitibi. Rounding out the new additions is Brian Buchholz, a time trialists who is turning pro after only three seasons of racing. "I'm extremely exited about our roster for the upcoming season," said performance director, Jonas Carney. "In 2007 we demonstrated that with great teamwork we could take on some of the biggest teams in North America. 2008 is all about building on that momentum, so it was important to return with the majority of our team intact plus some strategic new additions." "Our sprinting core will be stronger with the addition of Candelario, and Bajadali will improve our overall GC threat. All of our athletes who suffered injuries in 2007 have a full, clean bill of health for the new season and will be coming back stronger and faster than ever. Plus we've added three powerful all-rounders in so we're excited to see what they’re capable of doing, especially in the time trials." Dan Bowman, Martin Gilbert, Keven Lacombe, Jonny Sundt, Nick Waite, Justin Spinelli, Reid Mumford and Mark Hinnen will all return for 2008. Waite, Spinelli, Mumford, and Hinnen are back on track after injuries. "We are focused on building the best team in the United States," said John Kelly, title sponsor and president of Kelly Benefit Strategies. "We've taken a giant stride toward that goal in just our first season. But we're not here to buy results or rush things. 2008 will be about looking after our guys first and foremost, making sure they have the environment, equipment and support to race at their best – and then about watching them win." Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast Pro Cycling Team for 2008: Andrew Bajadali, Dan Bowman, Brian Buchholz, Alex Candelario, Martin Gilbert, Mark Hinnen, Ben King, Keven Lacombe, Reid Mumford, Justin Spinelli, Jonny Sundt, David Veilleux, Nick Waite Team Cycleworks for 2008Team Cycleworks presented by HDR amateur cycling team announced its 2008 which includes the addition of Georgia's top-ranked Men's Master's racer, Doug Pomeranz and a new men's pro/1/2 squad featuring Geoff Mina, Daniel Karnis and Mitch Askew. Fresh from winning the 2007 Georgia Cyclo-cross Series, Ellen Carroll will be returning to lead the elite women's squad. The team will focus on one-day races and omnium events throughout the Southeast US. It will also contest the men's masters and elite national championships. Team Cycleworks for 2008: Ellen Carroll and Sarah Heaton (elite women); Mitch Askew, Daniel Karnis and Geoff Mina (elite men); Eric Edgar, Joe Rosentel and Nello Teer (Cat 3); Kevin Collins, Carl Stimmell, Joe Gasser, Michael Gordon, David Grant, Tim Millwood, Ben Owens, Dan Klapheke, Tim Smith and Eddie Sun (Cat 4); Brad Harper, Arnold Galit, Doug Pomeranz, Eric May, Randy Nelson, Sid Carter, Robbie Bryant, Bryan Holloway, Xavier Cortez and Mike McMurray (Masters). (All rights reserved/Copyright Future Publishing (Overseas) Limited 2007) |
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