Cycling Team clocks two wins on US tour

29 May 2008

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New Zealand’s Jazz Apple Cycling Team is already turning heads less than two weeks into its three month racing tour in the United States and Canada.

The team includes a combination of established and developing New Zealand riders and two Australian riders. Beijing Olympic Games cyclist Alison Shanks has completed the first three races of the tour.

Team member and co-director Susy Pryde says Ruth Corset, a newcomer to the team this year from Townsville, delivered an excellent performance in the season’s second race in San Jose California on May 24.

“Ruth won the prestigious and very challenging Mt Hamilton road race. The course always calls for the best climbing legs you can muster, and nothing short of a nifty pair will suffice with the 35km hill. It's enough to cause leg cramps thinking about it.

“Ruth shot early from the group, which had suffered damage over the preceding 9km hill, and took the Queen of the Mountain title by a minute and a half,” adds Pryde.

The team raced their third race the following day.

“We dodged the smoke screen from the San Jose fires and delivered another win, this time from Belinda Goss. The course was difficult to be alone in due to the wind and the fact that the corners were very wide and very gentle, almost non-existent, making for fast cornering in a big pack. Emma and I lead out Belinda for the finish, which she also won in an exciting finish,” says Pryde.

The team departs California today for Tulsa, Oklahoma, in preparation for the Tulsa Tough race on 31 May.

ENDS

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