Orbea-For Goodness Shakes! officially unveiled their 2010 men's and women's squads at Redbridge Cycling Centre in the United Kingdom on Monday. Individual pursuiter Rebecca Romero is a new addition to the team.
Orbea-For Goodness Shakes! will be supporting both a men's and a women's squad in 2010, a commitment that sets them apart from other domestic teams. With Olympic Champions, World Champions, experienced riders and young up and coming athletes, the team is looking to the future and aiming for the top.
The men's squad brings together a talented mix of youth and experience, captained by the former British rider Andy Lyons. With the experience of Lyons, Dean Shannon and Ben Thompson to guide them, expectations are high for the talented youngsters Dan Kogan, Marcel Six, Steven Griffiths, Lewis Atkins and Kristian Downs to come through and shine in the mixture of domestic and continental racing the team will undertake in 2010.
With Olympic Gold Medallist Rebecca Romero heading the women's squad alongside multiple national and world masters champion Janet Birkmyre, Cassie Gledhill, Caroline Wojcik-Gammell and Emilie Fisher, there is a wealth of talent and experience designed to deliver results on the road, in time trials and on the track.
Men's team manager Steve Charles can't wait to get the season started. "I couldn't be working with a better bunch of riders. The guys have really clicked and already there's a real team spirit, both on and off the bikes," said Charles. "We've got a training camp in Mallorca in late February to fine tune the form before we kick off the season in France at Paris-Evreux. Then it's back to the UK for some early season local classics before the Premier Calendar starts. This is a big season for us but we've been training hard this winter, the fitness is good and we'll be looking to get off to a flying start come March."
Renny Stirling, head of Orbea UK, is positive about the launch of both of the squads, "To be able to launch both a men's and women's Squad for 2010 is fantastic and a natural progression for Orbea-For Goodness Shakes! The men's road calendar is becoming more and more exciting with the introduction of The Tour Series and the fierce competition between all of the teams involved in the domestic scene.
"Women's racing has faced some difficult times of late and Orbea wanted to show that we are backing women's racing and are proud to be supporting some of the finest Women athletes in the country."
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Romero is also part of Orbea's "I'm Gold" exclusive - a unique squad of Olympic Champions alongside Samuel Sanchez (2008 Road Race Gold Medallist) and Julien Absalon (2008 MTB Gold Medallist). She will focus first on the World Time Trial Championships in Melbourne in September and ultimately the Olympic title in London 2012.
"Rebecca is a remarkable athlete and has long since proven how adaptable she is, and Orbea will be doing all we can to support her in her quest for Gold Medals in the Worlds and Olympics during the next years," added Stirling.
For Goodness Shakes! stepped up their sponsorship from 2008 when it sponsored Olympic Gold Medallist Bradley Wiggins in 2008.
