Team News: Ben Grenda’s Season Continues in Oz

Tasmanian (Australia) Ben Grenda’s successful first season with Rapha Condor Sharp is set to continue through October, when he returns to racing in the southern hemisphere next week.

Grenda will form part of a composite team to tackle his home race, the Tour of Tasmania that runs from October the 2nd to the 7th, before he flies to China to represent the Australian national team in the Tour of Hainan.

Grenda’s selection for the Australian team racing in China is a major boost for the 22 year-old, who recently completed his first Tour of Britain. Throughout the Grenda’s consistent results have attracted the attention of a professional continental team, who he is currently in talks with. Racing in Hainan will no doubt further aide his chances of stepping up a level in 2013, something that team manager John Herety would be very pleased to see.

“Ben has been an integral part of this team throughout the season. I was immediately impressed with him when he first raced for us in Taiwan, he displayed that he really had a racing brain, something that I can’t stress the importance of enough to the young guys on our development program.”

“Being a development team we would be naturally delighted if Ben can make the step up so quickly. He is a rider with a big future and I think both parties have benefitted from our involvement in 2012. Likewise if he needs more time to develop we will be delighted to have him back with us in 2013. No doubt he will be very motivated for the racing in China.”

For the rest of the Rapha Condor Sharp team, the 2012 season will soon be drawing to a close. The domestic season will wrap up this Saturday night at the inaugural Cycle Show Nocturne, where fans will have a last chance to catch Olympic Gold medalist Ed Clancy in action on the road, before he switches back to the velodrome for the Revolution series later in the year. Recently crowned Tour of Britain King of the Mountians Kristian House will also be making an appearance.

The team then leaves for its final race of the season, the 5 day Tour of Tobago next Monday. The team has enjoyed a great deal of success in the Tour in previous editions; with Kristian House and Dan Craven both stage winners for Rapha Condor Sharp in 2011.