PARK CITY, UT (BRAIN)—RealCyclist.com is launching their own professional cycling team in 2011.
This UCI Continental pro cycling team will compete in National Racing Calendar events in North America. All UCI-required documents and contracts have been submitted for final approval from USA Cycling Inc. for the RealCyclist.com Pro Cycling Team, according to a press release.
“U.S. pro cycling is coming of age with three ProTeams fielding squads here this year,” says Dustin Robertson, RealCyclists.com’s chief marketing officer. “It is the right time to support the growth of bike racing in the U.S.”
RealCyclist.com Pro Cycling Team will be led by the winningest North American road cyclist in recent history, Gord Fraser, as the directeur sportif, and will be administered by seasoned Dahlonega, Ga.-based On The Rivet Management.
"This is an outstanding opportunity for me to lead a new elite-level professional cycling team here in the U.S.,” says Fraser, a native of Ottawa, Ontario, who is a three-time Canadian Olympian and four-time Commonwealth Games participant. “And with RealCyclist.com, a leader in online bicycle sales, as the title sponsor, it makes our work easier to promote our established stars and emerging talent on the team. I can't wait for the racing season to start."
Fraser, who currently resides in Tuscon, AZ, has won more than 200 events in his 12-year road racing career. Most recently, Fraser served as the directeur sportif of the United Healthcare Pro Cycling Team presented by Maxxis.
RealCyclist.com’s online community of roadies, of which the RealCyclist.com Pro Cycling Team members will now be a part, uses the site to share personal feedback on the gear through gear reviews, images, videos, questions and answers. This interactive community will allow the Pro Team riders to share their expertise on the gear they use in training and competition with RealCyclist.com customers.
“We want the most passionate cyclists in the United States to know who and what we are, and the Team will be a killer representation of our brand while they’re out there racing,” Robertson said. “But on top of this obvious benefit, the team’s active contribution to the ongoing conversation on our site’s community will be incredibly valuable to our customers.”
RealCyclist.com Pro Cycling Team management is currently in discussions with Spanish stage-racing star Francisco Mancebo Perez to captain the squad. Mancebo is a two-time third-place finisher of the Vuelta a Espana (2004, 2005) and finished in the top-10 of the Tour de France four times. Mancebo was named the Best Young Rider of the Tour in 2000. The full Team roster will be announced in early December.
