Kelly Benefit Strategies to Portugal

The American Kelly Benefit Strategies team is heading to Portugal this week. Just days after competing in the Philadelphia International Cycling Championships, the team's performance manager Ken Mills has left with a five-man squad for the GP Internacional CTT Correios de Portugal, June 11 to 14.

"The GP Internacional CTT Correios is one of Portugal's major stage races," said Mills. "To be invited to this year's race is a major honour for our programme and for us goes hand in hand with our team's vision of growing our European race calendar more each season."

Andrew Bajadali, Dan Bowman, Jake Keough, Jonny Sundt and Cheyne Hoag are the riders that will compete in Portugal as of this weekend.

"The competition in Portugal is going to be tough, but our athletes have proven time and again that they can compete with the top riders. I was based in Portugal in the late 90's so I know how hard these races are."

Another part of the squad will be racing the Canada's Tour de Beauce.

Already in the 2009 racing season, the Kelly Benefit Strategies team has raced in Thailand and Uruguay, both of which they won. There are plans to compete in a further three countries before the season concludes.

"We are continuing to expand our international schedule," said performance director Jonas Carney. "Before the end of this year we will also do UCI stage races in France, Spain, Canada, and Mexico."  (HK)