News – GAC Re-Signs with Team Raleigh

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GAC announces a new three-year partnership with Team Raleigh Professional Cycling Team and Cherie Pridham Racing

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News – GAC Re-Signs with Team Raleigh

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The partnership sees co-naming rights once again shared between Raleigh and GAC resulting in the name, Team Raleigh-GAC, ahead of the Tour of Britain (7-14 September).

The deal brings the GAC logo back to the front of the Raleigh team jersey and shorts. The sponsorship secures the team’s future at the elite level of cycle racing in the UK, an area the team has been dominant in since 2010.

Team Raleigh-GAC - CycloSail Challenge_credit Mark Lloyd Photography

Photo: Mark Lloyd Photography

To celebrate the deal, GAC brought together the cycling pedigree of Team Raleigh and the Sailing expertise of the Extreme Sailing SeriesTM, in which GAC have a competing team through its partnership with GAC Pindar, who are the official logistics provider to the series, to put on a first of its kind cycling-meets-sailing multi-sport challenge.

Five Extreme Sailing SeriesTM crews, including GAC Pindar, competed in the unique CycloSail challenge ahead of the Cardiff leg of the series. Team Raleigh-GAC cyclists Yanto Barker, Liam Stones, George Atkins, Ian Wilkinson and Evan Oliphant took to the water to experience professional sailing competition.

Team Raleigh-GAC’s Yanto Barker said of the CycloSail race, “It was a great thrill to get out onto the water in the high speed Catamarans that they use in the Extreme Sailing Series. As a sprint cyclist, I’m used to speed on the bike, but it was a new experience for me to see the speed the GAC Pindar boat travels at out on the water.”

Team Raleigh-GAC - CycloSail Challenge2

Team GAC Pindar eventually ran out winners after finishing third in the sailing section of the day and finishing first in the cycling section with a time of 17.23 seconds, led home by Team Raleigh’s Yanto Barker and GAC Pindar’s Hugh Styles. Gazprom Team Russia finished second, with RealTeam by RealStone and Groupama Sailing Team in joint third and JP Morgan BAR finishing fifth.

To view the CycloSail video please click here 

Sean Bradley, Group Marketing Director, GAC said: “GAC has a global track record of building successful long-term business relationships over the past 50 years. We already handle global distribution for Raleigh’s bicycle and accessories divisions so we are proud to enhance our existing strong relationship with the Raleigh management team and to be involved in the exciting direction that Cherie is taking the team. Already iconic, already successful and we look to continued success on and off the cycle track.

Team Raleigh-GAC - CycloSail Challenge3

The CycloSail event was the perfect representation of the innovative thinking that GAC, Team Raleigh and Cherie Pridham Racing bring to the table in this partnership and it is a really exciting time for GAC to be involved with Team Raleigh ahead of the upcoming Tour of Britain.”

Team Manager, Cherie Pridham said: “We have been consistently punching above our weight for the last few seasons and I’m very happy to have the support of such respected and internationally renowned companies like GAC and Raleigh Cycling.”

“Together with supportive local sponsors in the East Midlands this gives us a firm platform on which to step up our activity and achieve our ambition of reaching the pinnacle of cycling once again.”

Raleigh Managing Director, Mark Gouldthorp said: “I’m delighted to be supporting Cherie Pridham Racing for another three years. We have had a great relationship with Cherie over the past four years and she has been integral to our success and growth in that time. Having GAC on board adds another exciting angle to the partnership, and we look forward to developing our already strong relationship with them”

 

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