NEWS

Team Raleigh-GAC face the cameras

Team Raleigh has unveiled its 2012 squad, along with a new co-sponsor, logistics giant GAC.

Nine new riders make up the roster, along with Jeroen Janssen, Jamie Sparling and Liam Holohan who excelled for the team last year.

Two of the most high profile names to join the squad are current National Criterium Champion Graham Briggs and Australian rider Bernie Sulzberger, who joins up with team later in January after making the cut for the UCI World Tour race, the Santos Tour Down Under.

Also joining the squad are Evan Oliphant, Brennan Townshend, Simon Holt, Russell Hampton and Tobyn Horton from the UK, and US-rider Daniel Holloway.

The Team were presented at Raleigh UK’s dealer show, being led in by Scotsman Evan Oliphant on the bagpipes.

Team Director Cherie Pridham said “Jeroen, Jamie and Liam had a great season in 2011 so we’re excited that they’ll be flying the flag again for Raleigh-GAC in 2012. We’ve got some promising youngsters too, such as Brennan Townshend (winner of the Junior Tour Of Wales in 2011) from Devon so we’re hoping that the example set by Bernie and Briggsy will bring the younger guys on in leaps and bounds.”

Team Raleigh-GAC will target mainly in Premier Calendar races in the UK, especially the Tour Series and the Tour of Britain, but thanks to its continental licence and results over the past three years, the team will also race across Europe, Asia and the US.

Following Sulzberger’s strong performances there is plenty of confidence among the riders and management at Raleigh HQ. Raleigh Marketing Director Geoff Giddings said: “I’m really pleased to welcome these new riders to the team. We’ve got a great blend of youth and experience now with strengths in every category of racing so we’re expecting to see the Raleigh name featuring highly on the domestic scene again. As well as the SP Team bikes we’re also testing these boys on the Raleigh Militus, designed by Raleigh USA and for sale in the UK in 2013.”

The team head out to a training camp in Majorca this February and will be on show on home soil at Eddie Soens Classic at Aintree, Liverpool on Saturday 3rd March 2012.

More images of the riders and team management can be found at www.teamraleigh.co.uk/TheTeam.aspx

An interview with Bernie Sulzberger can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3-2Y7FpYLc

An interview with Jamie Sparling can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPGilnr1zwY

• Full Team roster: Bernie Sulzberger, Graham Briggs, Daniel Holloway, Russell Hampton, Tobyn Horton, Simon Holt, Evan Oliphant, Liam Holohan, Jamie Sparling, Jeroen Janssen, Brennan Townshend.
• Team Director: Cherie Pridham
• Team Manager: Eddie White

Bernie Sulzberger (middle) in action on day one, wearing his Urban jersey and Team Raleigh shorts.

The talented sprinter was racing in his native Australia for the Urban Hotels team in a four-stage criterium series in the state of Victoria.

Sulzberger is a new signing for Team Raleigh-GAC and his strong performances in 2011 add a great mix of strength and experience to the team’s lineup.

Team Manager Cherie Pridham said “Bernie brings many aspects to the team, and that has shown already. We are really looking forward to the training camp and kicking the season off in Holland.”

The 29-year old Tasmanian won three intermediate sprints on stages one and two but sealed the jersey by winning all three of the intermediate sprints on the final day and finishing fourth, beating other notable Australians such as Allan Davis, Chris Sutton and Robbie McEwen in the process.

Bernie (pictured, middle) said: “That’s a good start for me. I was in good condition here last year and now I’m as good or better so I’ll head into the crits tomorrow night and the road race with pretty good form. I’m happy with the way things are going.” 

Sulzberger’s palmares shows that he is no stranger to criterium racing with Australian National Champion (2009/10) and Bay Crit series (2011) titles to his name. His next race for Team Raleigh-GAC will be the Australian Crit Championship on January 5th and Australian Road Race Championships on January 8th.

Team Raleigh-GAC’s first race as a team will be the Ster Van Zwolle UCI 1.2 in Holland on the 25th February.

Bernie’s fellow Team Raleigh-GAC riders will also be present at the Team Raleigh-GAC ride from Raleigh’s UK site in Eastwood, Nottingham on Sunday 22nd January.

After an another extremely eventful & successful year for Team Raleigh, here are 11 of my favourite shots. The first is the header above. It was a quick snap from across the valley that didn’t look much to start with. After taking out all the colour apart from the blue jerseys it really made for an interesting shot.

As the lads rounded this corner during one of their training days in Majorca it was obvious that they were building into a formidable group. The kit contrasts nicely with the cliff wall and the form of the group has a flowing composition.

One of the many reasons why Majorca is one of the premier training locations. Again the team look menacing speeding through an epic panorama.

This was one of those “abandon the car whilst moving” moments to capture this swooping corner. Training in Majorca.

Round one of The Tour Series in Durham. I’ve chosen this one because of the feeling of anticipation and excitement rounding the first corner of the series.

The one below is a good indication of what you have to give in this sport. Tour Series in Durham.

JJ spinning moments before the beginning of the Canary Wharf round of the Tour Series 2011. Focused.

This one really shows how much power you need to compete with the pace of a race like Canary Wharf. 

This is an obvious spot for a photo, but when you have a bunch of riders freight-training toward you it certainly gets your heart racing. Canary Wharf.

Composition, tone, contrast and feeling all work together to make this one is my overall favourites. Canary Wharf.

Similar shot to the Canary Wharf one but with added bonus of the majestic Lincoln Cathedral in the background. Lincoln GP.

Images and Words Joe Coales

Raleigh continues to strengthen their line up for 2012, signing American sprinter Daniel Holloway to the team. 

Image courtesy of Lyne Lamoureux lyne@lynelamoureux.com

The 24-year-old Californian moves to Team Raleigh from Kelly Benefit Strategy.

Daniel has an impressive record having previously held the US Elite National Criterium title before taking the US Professional Criterium Championship in 2010.

Daniel is a flamboyant sprinter who is equally at home on the road and track, and is also an accomplished 6-day rider.

Career highlights include USA Pro Criterium Championship; 2009-2010 US Worlds Team Member on the Track; ?3 time US National track champion (Scratch, Madison, Team Pursuit).

Team Director Cherie Pridham says, “we are very pleased to welcome Daniel to the team where he will be a big asset to our sprinting strengths”.

Raleigh have also signed young rider Matt Holmes for 2012. Matt represented Great Britain recently at the World Junior Road Race championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. Matt also finished 2nd overall behind Brennan Townshend at the Junior Tour of Wales.

Team Raleigh announces their first signing for the 2012 season with the young amateur rider Brennan Townshend from Chagford, Devon.

Brennan Townshend in Yellow Jersey – Junior Tour of Wales Photo credit Guy Swarbrick http://swarbrick.com/

Brennan comes from the hard school of Colin Lewis’s Mid Devon Road Club and has just finished his final junior year with overall victory in the prolific Junior Tour of Wales in August where he used his climbing prowess to great strength to take the win from the best juniors in the country.

“We are extremely excited to announce Brennan Townshend to Team Raleigh for the 2012 season and he will fit in well with our plans for the season ahead. 

Team Raleigh are keen to continue developing promising young riders, and we have been keeping an eye on Brennan’s progress all year, having first spoke with him a week or two prior to the Junior Tour Of Wales commented Team Director Cherie Pridham”

On signing for Team Raleigh Brennan said “To ride for Raleigh in their 125th anniversary year means a huge amount to me, I feel honored to be given the opportunity to be racing and training with some of the biggest names on the British and continental racing scene. I am also really excited to be part of a British team at this point in time where the British racing scene is growing and developing. This opportunity means so much to me and I cannot wait to help the team achieve some big results in 2012.”

Team Raleigh has made one of their biggest signings to date by securing the signature of current National Criterium Champion Graham Briggs formally of Rapha Condor Sharp.

Briggs joins as one of the leaders of the team for 2012 and is looking to further enhance his already illustrious career with an increased road and stage race program for next season. 

With the National Champions jersey on his back he is also eager to lead the team in the Tour Series having won the Peterborough round this year and the overall title, the Elite circuit race series along with a planned trip to a US criterium series also feature prominently.

Cherie Pridham commented; “Graham will bring a whole new dimension to the team. Having the National Criterium Champion for 2012 is fantastic for Raleigh at this stage of the team’s development and progression. Raleigh will certainly embrace the opportunity that a National champion brings to the team”.

Graham Briggs in the National Jersey (Photo credit – Andrew Kennedy)

Also re-signed for 2012 is Liam Holohan and Dutchman Jeroen Janssen, Liam who will be into his third season brings an all round versatility to the team and with the skilful Jeroen both riders will be an asset to the team in the town centre races.

Canadian Jamie Sparling is also set to return to the UK for a second season having proved this year to be an invaluable ‘domestique’ for the team in the premier calendar and overseas stage races.

With five riders already released Team Raleigh will have further news on some interesting signings to follow shortly.