It’s now just 4 weeks until the first race of the season for Vision 1 Racing and final preparations are under way. These start when the team meet in Belgium on 17th February for a team building camp and for an opportunity to ride over the course of Tour of Flanders.
‘We have a young team and these riders will really benefit from the opportunity to ride over World Cup courses in advance. These first few months aren’t all about the bike for us, it’s about forming a team as quickly as possible. We’re looking to get the balance right and this camp in Northern Europe before our second camp in Italy will do that for us.’ said team manager Stefan Wyman.
The early season calendar for Vision 1 Racing will be as follows:
7 March Gran Premio Brissago
20 March Costa Etrusca
21 March Costa Etrusca – Gran Premio Comuni di Riparbella
22 March Trofeo Costa Etrusca
29 March Trofeo Alfredo Binda
5 April Tour of Flanders
22 April La Fleche Wallonne
The team will also have a camp for 2 weeks in Tuscany from 13th March, with races on the middle weekend in preparation for the first world cup of the season, Trofeo Alfredo Binda on 29th March. Channel 4’s Transworld Sport are flying out to Tuscany to film the team preparing for the season ahead.
The main stage race goal for the first half of the season will be Tour de L’aude, where Vision 1 Racing riders Nicole Cooke and Vicki Whitelaw both won stages last year.
‘We’ve got a small squad of riders, and until now we’ve had a very varied winter regime by many of the riders. Three of the team have just finished the cyclo-cross season, and Christel has travelled straight to the Tour of Qatar to compete for the French National Team. Now it’s a case of pulling everything together to ensure that the right performances are possible for the team.’ added Wyman
The team are also encourage by the strong interest from new potential sponsors, ‘times are hard for sure for many companies and sponsors out there, but we’re getting a lot of interest at the moment and have converted much of this into sponsorship for the team. Its’ made us work harder and be more innovative in the ways we can attract and reward our partners. I honestly think in the long terms the efforts we’ve made will help the team and our sponsors.’ Commented Wyman.
For more information, comments and interviews please contact the team via:
Stefan Wyman
Tel: 0032 484 201 726
Gayle Howells
01633 423756
07931 777164
