British former mountain biker joins Cervélo's women's team on one-year deal
Ladies overall and stage winners Hanlie Booyens and Sharon Laws (Image credit: Sportzpics)
Cervélo TestTeam has announced that Sharon Laws will join the German-registered squad next season. The 35-year-old British rider has signed a one-year contract and will join compatriot Emma Pooley on the Cervélo roster.
"I've signed with Cervélo TestTeam because the team is run very professionally and has some of the best equipment in the industry," she said. "The riders are committed to racing aggressively, with a strong emphasis on teamwork. Participating on this team will provide me with an incredible opportunity to develop and improve significantly as a rider."
Laws has been a latecomer to professional road racing. She began her career as a mountain biker and was a winner in the women's pairs at the 2004 Cape Epic in South Africa. In 2008 she finished second in the Australian road race championship and returned to Britain later that season to turn professional with Team Halfords Bikehut.
In her debut season she finished 6th in the Tour de l’Aude and 5th in the Tour of Ardeche, before representing Great Britain in the road race at the Beijing Olympics, where teammate Nicole Cooke took gold.
This season Laws has returned to her mountain bike roots. She once again claimed victory in the female pairs category of the Cape Epic and represented Great Britain in the European Championships. A shoulder dislocation saw her return to the road in time to finish 7th in the Tour of Ardeche and last month she represented Great Britain at the World Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland.
Cervélo said today that Laws will play a key support role for the team's general classification objectives in 2010. "Sharon is one of the strongest climbers in the peloton and has made great progress in a short time," said Team Manager Thomas Campana.
"She still needs to develop some technical skills, but she is extremely strong and will be a valuable support rider for our climbing team, especially for our riders for overall classification: Claudia Häusler, Emma Pooley and Christiane Soeder."
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