Team HerbaLife launched in the UK

The new road race team HerbaLife/Wheelbase.co.uk held its team launch the past weekend at The Borough in Lancaster, Great Britain. The team was founded by Neil Taylor and Geoff Newcombe and is based on talented youngsters from the north-west of England. The HerbaLife/Wheelbase team will race in the Premier Calendar and national elite crit races in 2009.

The young riders have two teammates, Stuart Reid and Lewis Craven, who will provide necessary experience and guidance. Both Reid and Craven were with Wheelbase Ron Hill RT.

The team will start its campaign of 2009 in the Clayton Velo Spring Classic on Sunday, March 1 at Bashall Eaves, the north-west's opening race of the season. Known for being a hard and fast race, it is often run in cold and treacherous conditions, being so early in the season. The team then uses the Cycling Development North West races to gain fitness and move into The Premier Calendar national series and the British Cycling criterium series throughout the summer months.

The team is sponsored by Martyn and Karen Farmer, who are independent distributors of Herbalife, the sponsor of the sprinters' jersey in the recent Tour of California. The team will be riding Cannondale bikes donated by Toby Dalton and Chris Herd of Wheelbase in Cumbria and the team gets Mavic wheels. All riders will go through a full VO2 max test initially to gauge their potential and keep a watchful eye over their fitness and development.