Willow Koerber (Subaru-Gary Fisher) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
The Subaru / Gary Fisher Team retains the core of its team for 2008 including Olympic hopefuls Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Willow Koerber, and Heather Irmiger. They also kept their title sponsor, Subaru, who re-signed for an additional three years. For 2008, the team will be split into two divisions - a National Team and a Global Team. The National Team will race largely in North America with a focus on the National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) events, World Cups, premier domestic events, and select international races.
In 2007, Horgan-Kobelski captured another first place cross country finish at the Deer Valley, Utah, NMBS. Koerber stood on two World Cup podiums and five domestic podiums while finishing the season as the top-ranked American woman in the World Cup rankings. Nat Ross pulled in the overall USA Cycling National Point Series endurance title for the second year in the row, and Heather Irmiger stood on three domestic podiums.
Horgan-Kobelski, Koerber and Irmiger will be aiming to make the US Olympic Team by competing in World Cup and World Championship races throughout the first half of the season.
Former U23 US National Champion Sam Schultz will be looking to make his place among the elites after a strong showing at the UCI World Championships in 2007 where he was part of the bronze-medal winning relay team. Schultz, a Missoula native, will base himself in Colorado Springs.
The longest standing member of the team, Nat Ross, captured the USA Cycling Ultra Endurance series title in 2007 in addition to competing in the Race Across America (RAAM) for his second consecutive year. Ross is aiming to defend his series title in 2008.
Britain's Jenny Copnall will continue to ride for the global squad with regular appearances at UK and World Cup events. She'll be joined by 22 year-old Ken Onodera, a pro from Japan, Swedish marathoner Asa Erlandsson, and Israeli racer Dror Pekatch.
Fisher (US) National Team: Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Willow Koerber, Heather Irmiger, Sam Schultz, Nat Ross
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Fisher Global Team: Jenny Copnall, Ken Onodera, Asa Erlandsson, and Dror Pekatch.
