News – British Womens Team goes UCI

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British Women’s team Podium Ambition with Sarah Storey is to register as a UCI Women’s Professional Team in 2016

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News – British Womens Team goes UCI

After a hugely successful first two years, Podium Ambition will register their team as a UCI Women’s Professional Team in time for the launch of the Women’s World Tour in 2016.

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Sarah Storey

First registered as a British Club Team on January 1st 2014 the team has been riding under the name of Pearl Izumi – Sports Tours International and the first two years has seen the team go from strength to strength. Amassing an impressive 28 race victories, including a stage of the UCI Tour of Brittany in 2014 and 29 victories in 2015 already, including the polka dot jersey after stage 1 of the Tour of California in May, the team also won the Matrix Fitness Grand Prix at the Tour Series in both years and have proved to be the team to beat in the UK in road, time trial and track events.

Team Principle, Barney Storey spoke of the decision after a successful weekend of racing for the team at the National Track Championships in Manchester, “We always knew we wanted to take our riders up in to the professional peloton and the announcement of the Women’s World Tour for 2016 helped to us to make that decision for next year.”

“Our race programme in 2015 included 4 UCI stage races, two of which [the Amgen Tour of California and the Aviva Women’s Tour] are now both included in the Women’s World Tour for its inaugural year in 2016. It is exciting to see two of the Women’s World Tour events being held in the UK, as well as a third professional race in Wales in May and as such we felt it was important we moved with these developments.”

 

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“We have a group of riders aiming for the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games, but we are also intending to add some key riders to ensure we have a strong squad throughout the year.”

“With the line-up of riders we are putting together our aim would be to qualify for the World Team Time Trial Championships in Qatar next October. The number of British women riding in the professional peloton on a regular basis has not increased a great deal over the last few years and it is our intention to change that with a team that is going to be almost 100% British.”

Sports Tours International and Club La Santa UK are already confirmed as playing key roles for the team in 2016 and CEO of Sports Tours International Chris Bird spoke of his delight at the decision, “We at Sports Tours International and Club La Santa are delighted to see Podium Ambition taking this team in to the professional ranks for our 3rd year together. It has been impressive to watch the progress of the riders and see the collective effort of everyone and the reward is now a team that is ready for the step up next year. We are delighted to be supporting this progress and look forward to assisting with the final line up or partners that will join us in 2016.”

Katie Archibald, Joanna Rowsell Shand and Dame Sarah Storey are the first riders to be confirmed on the team and they will be joined by a number of other riders over the coming weeks.

In addition to the professional line up, the team will create a cycling club to be registered in the UK which will be open for anyone to join. Further details of this club will be available in the coming weeks but it is expected that the club will form the basis of a new development programme and supporters club for the professional team.

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