TIBCO signs Aaron's firepower

By Mark Zalewski

Aaron's professional cycling team looked to be continuing into 2009 under a new sponsor, when Cyclingnews ran its state of the peloton feature last week. However, the climate has quickly changed and the team will not be around next year.

As such, three of the top riders of the team, Katharine Carroll, Meredith Miller and Julie Beveridge, have all signed with the TIBCO team for 2009.

"I am thrilled that Amber, Lauren, Brooke and Joanne are all back," said TIBCO director Linda Jackson. "But it's going to be an exciting year for sure [with the new riders]."

Jackson said there that there is an eighth 'big name' rider who is signed but yet unnamed to respect her wishes, bringing the 2009 team to 13 riders. "I am continuing the development part of the team so we will have riders to substitute when our riders go over to do the US national team in Europe," said Jackson.

As for the fate of the Aaron's team, director Micah Rice said he was keeping a positive outlook for the past few weeks that negotiations would pan out for the women's program. "We had some interest from the top level of two companies, but following Downers Grove they came back as a no," he said. "We had been speaking with four companies but we just come up short."