Team News: Saint Piran

Cornish team, Saint Piran Pro Cycling, has launched its 2020 Elite team headed up by sprinter Chris Opie and Ed Laverack and with Colin Sturgess filling the Directeur Sportif role

Team News: Saint Piran

Cornish team, Saint Piran Pro Cycling, has launched its 2020 Elite team headed up by sprinter Chris Opie and Ed Laverack and with Colin Sturgess filling the Directeur Sportif role

Eleven riders are on the roster for the Cornish team’s fifth season (its third at the Elite level), with a full programme of races planned across the UK. The squad consists of a mix of seasoned pros and up-and-coming talent, overseen by a management team with decades of experience in the sport.

“The team has gone from strength to strength, and this is the strongest iteration of Saint Piran that we’ve ever had at the beginning of a season,” said Team Owner and Principal, Richard Pascoe.

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Returning to pro cycling, Cornishman Chris Opie will lead the team on the road. The 32 year-old retired in 2018, embarking on a media career with You Tube giant, GCN. But the Truro born rider, who has three Ovo Energy Tour stage wins to his name and was part of three winning teams in that competition, is now back in the peloton where he has ‘unfinished business’. His experience in the sport will be invaluable, especially for the younger riders.

Ed Laverack, fresh from winning the UK National Hill Climb Championship, is another high profile signing. The Welshman is also a former U23 National Road Race Champion and has placed in the top 10 at the Tour of Japan and Tour of Korea.

Returning after previous successful seasons, Joe Evans, Cameron Jeffers and Ollie Maxwell form the experienced core of Saint Piran. They are joined by a group of very promising young (all aged from 18-22) newcomers: Conor Davies, Tristan Davies, Matt Ellis, Ross Holland, Bradley Symonds and Jenson Young.

Saint Piran Ambassador, Steve Lampier, who will be riding for Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling this season in order to secure a place in the Tour of Britain, is proud of the team’s record in identifying new talent.

“We probably get 20 requests every week to join Saint Piran. But we’ve scouted all the new riders and invited them on board”, said Lampier. “For example, I’ve known Matt Ellis since he was 10, and I saw Conor Davies riding in his home race on the Isle of Man. We’ve had our eyes on all these guys for a while and wanted to get them in the team.”

To help run the team, Richard Pascoe has called on the services of Colin Sturgess to fill the Directeur Sportif role this season. Sturgess, who will oversee training and be responsible for race planning and tactics, is a very well known name in the world of cycling. The former Olympian (he finished fourth in the 4km Individual Pursuit in Seoul) was World Individual Pursuit Champion and a Commonwealth Games silver medallist.

Rounding out, literally, the back-room staff is Team Mechanic James Round who keeps the show on the road.

Saint Piran has an extensive race calendar for the 2020 season. The HSBC National Road Series and HSBC National Circuit Series will dominate the schedule, but the highlight is likely to be the Ovo Energy Tour Series. The competition brings fast and furious ‘crit’ racing to seven different city centre venues across Britain and receives extensive coverage on ITV television.

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Says Opie, “It’s the hardest crit racing series in the world. Riders travel from as far away as the US and Australia to compete, and it’s made the careers of many UK riders – including me! There’s lots of attacking, contact and cornering and whoever wins it is a really deserving winner. It’s a big target for Saint Piran this year.”

Saint Piran has also launched a Development Team to identify and nurture new talent. Based at Bike Chain Café in Bissoe, near Truro, this is the platform for riders of all ages, seeking to race within a professional setup, gaining experience and knowledge from a management team with many years in the sport. Under the guidance of Jenny Bolsom and Charlie McFall, there is also a strong focus on developing women riders.

Saint Piran 2020 Elite Team
Chris Opie (Team Leader)
Conor Davies
Tristan Davies
Matt Ellis
Jo Evans
Ross Holland
Cameron Jeffers
Ed Laverack
Ollie Maxwell
Bradley Symonds
Jenson Young