March 8/08 8:35 am - Symmetrics Cycling Presents 2008 Team

Posted by Editor on 03/8/08
 

Symmetrics Cycling 2008
Courtesy Symmetrics Cycling

After an historical season last year, highlighted by a win in both the individual and team competition at the UCI America Tour, Symmetrics Cycling is ready for 2008.

2008 is an enormously exciting year for Canada's top professional cycling team, due to the 29th Olympiad in Beijing in August. The team is focusing on qualifying as many riders as possible for the three available spots.

Following such an impressive year, the roster for 2008 will stay largely the same. Once again, Svein Tuft, winner of the 2007 UCI America Tour, multiple National Champion and one of Canada's most successful riders, will lead the team. Tuft, who received multiple offers from other teams, has decided to stay in Canada and ride with the S-Team. Similarly, top riders such as Andrew Pinfold and Zach Bell - who both had great seasons sprinting - Christian Meier (2nd Vuelta A Chihuahua), National Champion Cam Evans, Andrew Randell (2nd, National Championships, and MTB rider extraordinaire Geoff Kabush will be back on the team. New to the squad will be Quebec rider François Parisien. Parisien comes to the team from the American Slipstream squad, and is a former National Road Champ. Ryan Anderson will also be joining the team, coming from Trek-Red Truck.

Filling out the roster is three-time Olympian Eric Wohlberg, Beauce top-ten rider Jake Erker, Will Routley, Jeff Sherstibitoff and Brandon Crichton. Symmetrics will also support junior rider Cody Campbell. The team has decided to focus solely on the men's team for 2008 and will no longer be continuing its women's team.

The S-Team will be once again riding carbon fiber Norco machines for both road, time trial, and on the track. Shimano is back to provide components and shoes, and Ritchey will be providing forks, saddles and other parts.

"It's great to have our support renewed by our sponsors for 2008," team co-owner Kevin Cunningham said. "We had an amazing 2007 and it's going to be tough to try and one-up it, but we're going to try. All the guys on the team have grown so much these past years and it's exciting to think of what we can do next."

After having an extraordinarily exhausting 2007, chasing valuable UCI points all over North and South America (and earning Canada an additional Olympic berth), the S-Team has reworked its season start for 2008. The team has been focusing on training in January and February in warmer climes, and has begun its racing season in March in California to assure fresh legs come the important races in the Summer.

Last year, by season's end, many on the team had difficult times in the final races (Svein Tuft, notably, after his defense of the UCI America jersey) such as the World Championships, due to racing for almost 10 months straight. This year, with such an important goal as the Olympics, the team will be focusing on specific targets.