Melero joins Team Type 1

Team Type 1 has added another European to it squad. Ivan Melero is the next to join the US-based team, which will move up to Professional Continental status in 2011.

Melero, 27, rode this year for Burgos 2016 – Castilla y Leon. He turned pro in 2005 and has spent his whole career with Spanish Continental teams. He comes from a cycling family. His father, Carlos, won a stage in the 1977 Vuelta a Espana and his older brother Oscar rode professionally for two seasons.

"Ivan is a good all-rounder for stage races and understands the pace of European races,” said team director Vassili Davidenko. “He's going to help us in the multi-day events and we hope will find himself with a free hand to bring in some podiums for the team next year."

This year Melero finished third in the Vuelta Ciclista a la Communidad de Madrid, and he won a stage of the Circuito Montanes in 2007. He as also Spanish national junior champion in 2001.

The team has signed a number of European riders for the coming year, including Rubens Bertogliati, Laszlo Bodrogi and Alexander Efimkin. With its higher status, the team will have bases in both Italy, and Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Of the 21 riders, six are insulin-dependent Type 1 diabetics, and the other 15 are non-diabetics.

Team Type 1 for 2011:

Laszlo Bodrogi - FRA
Daniele Callegarin - ITA
Alessandro Bazzana - ITA
Alexander Efimkin - RUS
Jure Kocjan - SLO
Andrea Grendene- ITA
Rubens Bertogliati - SUI
Olaf Kerkhof - NED-T1*
Aldo Ino Ilesic - SLO
Alexey Schmidt - RUS
Martijn Verschoor - NED-T1*
Scott Stewart - USA
Valeriy Kobzarenko - UKR
Javier Megias Leal - ESP-T1*
Will Dugan - USA
Fabio Calabria - AUS
Joe Eldridge - USA-T1*
Kiel Reijnen - USA
Ben King - AUS
Alex Bowden - USA-T1*

* = Type 1 diabetic