SUBWAY® Pro Cycling name balanced roster for 2012

SUBWAY® Pro Cycling name balanced roster for 2012
19 December 2011

SUBWAY® Pro Cycling has announced its team line up for 2012 which includes a strong mix of youth and experience.

Returning to the elite team are Westley Gough, Pete Latham, Paul Odlin, Sam Horgan, Ian Smallman, Nick Lovegrove, Matt Gorter and Dillion Bennett. New signings are Scott Creighton and Simon Binney.

Also joining SUBWAY® Pro Cycling as development riders are leading New Zealand juniors Dillion Kennett and Tayla Harrison.

SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s General Manager Hayden Godfrey said he was particularly keen to see how Kennett in particular developed. The Waimate teenager recently underlined his promise by winning four gold medals and breaking three national records at the Oceania Track Championships.

Godfrey said he was very pleased with the line-up, and was happy with the mix of proven experience and developing talent.

“The team will continue to focus on a domestic calendar with some international racing also included in the schedule. It is a program that has proved successful for the last three years as a UCI registered professional team. The team’s focus is to continue to be a home for New Zealand’s top domestic riders while at the same time providing a development program for up and coming riders looking to establish themselves internationally.”

Godfrey said the SUBWAY® Pro Cycling team was very fortunate to have the support of SUBWAY® restaurants for a seventh year, and that the length of the sponsorship also “reflected the value SUBWAY® restaurants sees in the team and the sport of cycling in New Zealand.”

BikeNZ CEO Kieran Turner said it was fantastic to have SUBWAY® restaurants ongoing support of the team which was “contributing to the development of road cycling in New Zealand.”

“As our first domestic UCI registered cycling team SUBWAY® Pro Cycling has provided many opportunities for New Zealand road cyclists to develop and the team continues to help raise the profile of the sport. While they have a presence on the international cycling scene, particularly in Asia and the US, their support of the domestic cycling scene is invaluable.”

Godfrey said he had not ruled out the possibility of signing additional riders from the recently disbanded Pure Black Racing.

SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s first event for 2012 is the RaboDirect National Elite Championships between January 6 and 8th in Christchurch where Gough will defend his National Time Trial title.

Ends

Notes
• SUBWAY® Pro Cycling Team is having a team camp in Christchurch in early January. A media day for potential interviews and photos is Thursday 5 January.

Rider profiles:
Westley Gough;
Olympic medallist, New Zealand Time Trial Champion, Commonwealth Games medallist,
World Track Championships podiums.

Peter Latham:
Under 23 World Time Trial Championships medallist, Commonwealth Games medallist, multiple World Track Championship podiums.

Paul Odlin;
Elite National Championships time trial podium, Benchmark Homes series winner, Sprint ace classification winner Tour de Korea.

Nick Lovegrove;
Tour of Southland stage podium, two time winner of the Fred Ogle Memorial Ride, National Points Series round winner.

Sam Horgan;
Benchmark Series Winner, National Club Championship Time Trial winner, Under 23 Oceania Time Trial Championships podium.

Ian Smallman;
Benchmark Series event podium, former national representative rower. Winner Gwaloop Challenge.

Matt Gorter;
Tour of Southland podiums, New Zealand Mountain Bike Marathon Champion, US Superweek podium.

Dillon Bennett;
New Zealand Club Nationals Under 23 road race podium, Canberra ACT Championships podium.

Scott Creighton;
Junior Track Worlds podium

Simon Binney;
National mountain bike champs Under 19 podium.

Dylan Kennett;
Junior World Track Championships multiple podiums, four Gold medals and three New Zealand records at Oceania Track Championships.

Tayla Harrison;
Under 17 National track medallist, Under 19 medallist Oceania Championships, New Zealand Under 17 Road Race Championship podium, Yunca Junior Tour of Southland stage winner, general classification podium and KOM and Sprint classification winner.

• SUBWAY® Pro Cycling Team was New Zealand’s first professional cycling team, established seven years ago.
• It has been registered as a UCI Continental team since early 2009 with a successful track record of racing in New Zealand, Asia and the United States.
www.subwaycycling.co.nz

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