Team News – KTM Ready for Reservoir Challenge

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New British Team KTM road-and-trail is ready for the Tour of the Reservoir this weekend having already taken on some tough challenges last month in France

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Team News – KTM Ready for Reservoir Challenge

The team has a program of regular European UCI racing and in March competed in Northern European early season classics GP Lillers, and Paris-Troyes. Anthony Moye was one of the riders taking on the challenge.

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“These races were really hard because most of our top riders are for hilly stage races, but even so our guys were in the mix. It’s the kind of racing that Harry Tanfield will eventually compete in really well. He was up there in the front echelon with Cofidis when the race blew to pieces on the exposed roads. He’s still only 19!”

“I think what we’re doing is different to what other UK teams have done in the past” says team owner Rob Adlard. “We’re trying to link our race program in with mainstream UCI racing in Europe, and it’ll be interesting to see how it compares as a program across the board with the UK National Series races. Has the level of UK racing increased so it compares with some European racing? I think many people would say yes.”

With the reduction in recent years in the number of National Series (Premier Calendar) races and the increases in the standard of UK teams, it’s maybe natural to look to Europe.

“When I was a kid riding the Premier Calendar races, there were over 20 rounds, whereas last year we had a low point of about seven I think. Even though they’re good races, it’s not enough.” Rob explains.

“I think what turns a lot of people on to our sport is that it is part of this huge continuum across Europe, and now the world. Someone could rub shoulders with a KTM rider at a mid-week circuit race; one of our riders who is just back from racing in France against Cofidis, a French team who will go on to ride the Tour de France this year”.

“It makes you realise the sport is connected from top to bottom. We want people to feel a tangible sense that they can aspire to travel all the way up through the sport, and hopefully our team will be an important stepping stone.”

KTM road-and-trail have selected riders who excel at European style racing, in particular stage racing, and hope to get to show off talent such as David Clarke, Kit Gilham and Gary Hand, all of whom have experence of tough UCI stage races.

Opportunities are there with UCI races such as the Tour of Gironde in France, Oberostereichrundfahrt in Austria, Tour of Slovakia, Tour of Malaposka Poland, to name just a handful of races from KTM’s program.

Gary Paris Troyes

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