Cooke gains another teammate (Image credit: Sirotti)
Following the signing of young Welsh rider Katie Curtis, Vision 1 Racing has announced the signing of another young British rider, Dani King, to its roster for 2009.
Dani, from Southampton, has had an outstanding year in 2008 and will be a first year elite rider in 2009. However, she has gained great experience and has been a winner of events in the UK and abroad for many years.
Having alerted the Olympic Development Program of British Cycling to her talents, Dani was selected for the European Championships in 2007 as a first year junior. She finished 9th in the Sprint and 12th in the Keirin. In her final year as a Junior, Dani went on to win a stage of the prestigious Junior Tour of Borsele in Holland. This result, together with her ambition and character, made Dani a perfect addition to Vision 1 Racing.
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When asked what joining Vision 1 Racing for will mean for Dani, she replied, "Being alongside Nicole Cooke gives me a fantastic opportunity to learn from the very best in order to reach the top in women's cycling. I am really excited to meet the rest of the team and progress in cycling over the coming years. I believe that being part of Vision 1 will ultimately help me to fulfill my ambition to be a World and Olympic Champion myself one day.
"I am very keen to learn all aspects of cycling and joining Vision 1 Racing gives me the chance to develop personally whilst working with Nicole and the rest of the team," continued King. "Hopefully I will be able to add to the overall team spirit, one day making Vision 1 Racing the strongest team in women's cycling."
Team Manager Stefan Wyman commented, "Dani is a serious, talented young rider, with the right attitude to achieve great things in the sport. We are sure we can help her gain experience and take steps forward in her cycling career. We are happy to give her the same opportunities and staff that Nicole has had around her in 2008 and work with the same system."
Vision 1 Racing also confirmed that they'll be starting their season in March in Italy before the first World Cup of the 2009 season. "We'll be holding several training camps throughout February and March and we'll be looking to build well through the early season classics," said Wyman.
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"We've still got a few spot on the team to fill and we're considering applications at the moment," continued Wyman. "Once we know the complete line-up of the team, we'll make some choices on our final calendar. It's certainly not too late for riders to apply to us and they should contact me directly on stefan@vision1racing.com."
Vision 1 Racing also still has opportunities for sponsors who wish to join the team for 2009. Anyone interested should contact the team manager directly at stefan@vision1racing.com.
For more information, visit www.vision1racing.com.
