Chloe Hosking to headline Roxsolt Sydney Uni Velo team

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Chloe Hosking will lead the new Sydney based team made up of both domestic and international riders for upcoming criteriums series in Australia. Joining Hosking will be British Olympian Lucy Martin and Australian talents Sarah Roy, Brittany Lindores and Gina Ricardo.

The Hitec Products rider is looking forward to racing with her new teammates. "I really love racing when back home, it is exciting to get the chance to compete against some of the best female cyclists in the world," Hosking said.

"The last few years in Australia there have been new teams starting up and really increasing the quality of racing that we're seeing. Wiggle Honda and Orica-AIS are obvious examples and they really help to make the racing a great spectacle but there is also Specialized Securitor and Suzuki Bontrager."

The Roxsolt Sydney Uni Velo team has been built over the last few months with the aim of providing domestic riders the opportunity to race alongside those with international experience while also challenging for wins.

"It was really important to me that the team was competitive and I know this will be the case with girls like Lucy (Martin), Sarah (Roy) and later in the summer Lauren Kitchen coming on board," Hosking said.

"But it was also important that we had a few domestic riders on the roster to give them the opportunity to race in a professional environment with riders who have international experience."

2013 NSW Criterium Champion Roy is racing off the back of a highly successful criterium and road race season in the Netherlands and Belgium that has resulted in being signed to the UCI Pro Women's team Vienne Futuroscope for 2014.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to race with Chloe," said Roy. "I gained a lot from my stint in Europe and am excited to see how my experiences transfers to a strong Aussie field."

Lucy Martin joins with the expectation that a summer racing down under will be a good platform for 2014. "This is my first time racing the NSW Grand Prix and I am really excited to spend the summer down under," said Martin.

"The Aussie women always have a strong start to the season in Europe so it will be good to get some racing and training over the European winter."

National Road Series cyclist Brittany Lindores is set to benefit from joining the new team. "It's a great opportunity to be able to race in a team environment and be able to learn from the more experienced girls. Chloe would have to be one of the fastest women in the world, I'm fortunate to be racing with, rather than against her," said Lindores.

Sydney Uni Velo President Andrew Best said the purpose of the team is to help nurture women's cycling across all ages and abilities in Sydney, and Australia. "Through the ongoing assistance of Sydney Uni we are fortunate to have the chance to bring together such a strong team and we are very grateful for the riders' time and enthusiasm in how they help support and grow women's cycling," said Best.

The team launches their summer racing assault this weekend at the NSW Gran Prix, a two stage criterium series, with no assumptions of victory.

"Races like the NSW GP are just as tough as some of the races in Europe and are a great opportunity to showcase the strength and depth of women's cycling in Australia," said Hosking.