Friday 16 January 2009

ALTURA PATTERSON TRAINING ANNOUNCE NEW TEAM FOR 2009

The Altura Patterson Training cycling team has made some changes for 2009, with a new all-female line-up and a new bike sponsor in the form of Cannondale.

Team Leader Jenn O’Connor will be joined by fellow elite racer Nadine Spearing and former Junior National Champion Annabel Simpson, who will also be moving up to elite for 2009. Masters racer Ruth Mordaunt will round out the four-woman core team, with Sports Physiologist and Masters racer Andrew Patterson providing coaching and support.

The team plans to tackle both MTB XC and road races this season, with a schedule that will include the British National Series, National Championships, Mountain Mayhem and a number of team and individual road events including the Cheshire Classic and Bedford Two-Day.

Cannondale is a new team sponsor, and the girls will be racing on Scalpel and Taurine Carbon mountain bikes and Synapse Carbon road bikes. Altura clothing continue as title sponsor, and the team will receive support from Powerbar, Hope, FSA, Crank Brothers, Catlike Helmets, Panaracer, Rock Shox, SRAM and Royles bike shop.

O’Connor will once again focus on endurance and marathon racing, with a number of international events including the inaugural Intermontane Challenge, a five-day mountain stage race held in Kamloops, British Columbia. She’ll also defend her title at the Salzkammergut TT in Austria, and represent New Zealand in the World Marathon Champs, also in Austria this year. She will be riding a petite-sized custom Scalpel Feminine.

“We're really happy to have such a quality brand as Cannondale on board, with a truly world class racing pedigree. These bikes will give our girls a real advantage come race season."

Spearing will be building her profile as a road racer this season, with support from her new team mates. Simpson will be focussing on the XC side with the British National Series and National Champs, where she’ll contest the U23 National Championship title. Mordaunt will also focus on XC, having won the Masters National Series in 2008, she will this year be working towards the Masters National Championship title.