Transfers and team news

Okay break's over. Yes I know I've said that before but now I really mean it. The days are becoming shorter, training starts again and the 2009 team landscape is starting to take shape.

As was rumored, Floyd Landis did bring a new sponsor to the team managed by the Momentum Sports Group, the California-based OUCH Sports Medical Center will replace departing sponsor Health Net, and will now be called OUCH presented by Maxxis. Personally, I can't wait to see the new kits.   Landis' physician and friend  Dr. Brent W. Kay, MD,  the co-founder and executive director of the clinic led the effort to the sponsorship together.  Rory Sutherland, Tim Johnson and Karl Menzies are staying with the team and will be joined by Successful Living's Brad White, and the Symmetrics' duo of Cameron Evans and Andrew Pinfold.

The Bissell announced its full 2009 roster, and Mark Bissell is taking over the ownership of the team with DS Glen Mitchell moving into the management role. After 15 years as professional, the eight-time Canadian Champion and all around tough guy Eric Wohlberg is moving behind the wheel to help out with the DS duties.  Staying with the team are Ben Jacques-Maynes, Tom Zirbel, Burke Swindlehurst,  Jeremy Vennell, Omer Kem, Joao Correia, Morgan Schmitt and Graham Howard.

New additions to the team are Kirk O’Bee (Health Net-Maxxis), Peter Latham (Albi Velo Sport) , Ben's twin brother  Andy Jacques-Maynes (California Giant), Sheldon Deeny (Empire Cycling), Cody O’Reilly (Successful Living), Paul Mach (Davis Bike Club Race Team) and Tim Farnham (NorCal Bike Sport).

The team is definitely strenghtening its sprinting game by adding  two-time U.S. Criterium Champion O’Bee and 20-year-old O’Reilly who recently took 2nd place at the U.S. Track Champs Scratch Race.  Latham is a New Zealand Olympian and World U23 Championship Medalist. Deeny was quite aggressive at the Tour of Utah and made it known that he was looking for a pro contract. It worked.

Leaving the team are Teddy King, Aaron Olson, Scott Zwizanski, Steven Howard, Richard England and Garrett Peltonen. King is moving to the new Cervelo-TestTeam and England to the Amore & Vita-McDonalds team. Peltonen has announced that he is starting up a starting a guiding buisness called “Beyond Boulder Adventures". 

Team Type 1 has continued to slowly announce its roster.  Australians Matt Wilson and Fabio Calabria, and Ian MacGregor are all returning to the team for another year.  Joining the team is young Belgian all-arounder Willem Van den Eynde who, like Calabria, is a Type 1 diabetic.  The 18-year old Van den Eynde won five races and scored nearly 20 podium finishes. while racing for the  DCM-GB Vorselaar squad in 2008. He is the nephew of Guy Vandijck, a former Belgium cyclocross standout who raced professionally from 1990-94.

For those counting at home, that makes it a total of eight riders announced for the team led by Ed Beamon as Chris Jones, Moises Aldape,  Ricardo Escuela  and Ken Hanson were announced earlier.

After losing 3 riders to pro teams, A. Jacques-Maynes, Hanson and Max Jenkins who is going to the Danish squad Glud & Marstrand Horsens, the successful amateur squad California Giant Berry Farms /Specialized announced that NorCal-ers Jared Barrilleaux (Jittery Joe's) and U-23 Adam Switters (Rock Racing) will be joining the team.

On the 31st of October, the LandRover-ORBEA team officially applied for a UCI Continental Team Status and will know by November 25 if they are approved. Kiwi Aaron Tuckerman is returning to the Norrene & David Godfrey managed team after a year with the Jelly Belly team.  Returning riders are Josh Bartlett, Logan Hunn, Carson Miller, Dean Tracy and Roman van Uden. New to the team  are Evan Elken (Jittery Joe's) who  will also be Assistant Team Manager and Coach, Jim Camut, Mike Northey, Bobby Sweeting (Toshiba-Santo) and Ryan Taylor.

On other tidbits, Canadian Will Routley will be joining the Jelly Belly team. After years of working for his teammates on the Symmetrics team, Routley went all out at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour in Australia and finished eleventh overall and caught the eye of the American team. Also, at the same race, Australian Henk Vogels  announced his retirement. Speaking of the Toyota-United squad, Hilton Clarke is still looking for a job.

On the women's side, the ValueAct Capital Women’s Cycling Team finalized its roster and announced that they will be working very closely with the US Women's Cycling Development Program (USWCDP) in 2009.

Joining the team led by Lisa Hunt are climber Kristin McGrath from the Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light team , stage racer Kristin Sanders from Aaron's and Robin  Farina from Cheerwine. Returning riders include Sharon Allpress, Nicole Evans, Tour of the Gila winner Leah Goldstein, Giro di San Francisco winner Martina Patella, bronze national time trial medallist Chrissy Ruiter and Emily Zell. Also returning is Courtenay Brown, a former elite road racer who will now  be racing as a professional triathlete.

"We've got some exciting things happening with the team that we'll be announcing shortly," said the Huntress. "2009 is going to be a great year!"

And finally, Sarah Bamberger is returning to her roots. Now that the Cheerwine team is taking a hiatus, Bamberger will be racing for the Touchstone Cycling team in 2009. She was one of the original racers for the team in 2005.