March 2/07 11:25 am - Rocky Mountain Adds New Title Sponsor for 2007

Posted by Editor on 03/2/07
 

New Co-Title Sponsor for Rocky Mountain Bicycles

The Rocky Mountain Bicycles race team is pleased to announce a new co-title sponsor for 2007. Haywood Securities, who has been a team partner since 2001, will increase its sponsorship commitment to become the co-title sponsor with Rocky Mountain Bicycles, a Canadian manufacturer of premium bicycles.

Haywood Securities and Rocky Mountain Bicycles have been in partnership for 5 seasons. Haywood Securities is a Vancouver-based Securities Company with offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and London, England. The core values of both companies are consistent with the Team goals of excellence in sport.

Haywood Securities is also a major supporter of the Canadian National Cross Country Ski Team. Haywood has participated in raising over $9 billion dollars in new equity finance for Canadian and International resource companies from 2004 to 2006. With over 25 years of industry experience, Haywood has earned a reputation for providing its clients with ideas and investments that are profitable and ahead of the curve. "Haywood Securities believes in excellence in performance," commented Haywood President, Rob Blanchard. "We are very excited about our partnership with the Rocky Mountain Bicycles athletes as they strive for excellence on the International stage and the 2008 Olympics."

Other Rocky Mountain Haywood Team sponsors include Shimano, Marzocchi, Sigma Sport, Vittel, Easton ,Hutchinson and WTB. Partnerships include Powerbar, DeFeet, Dakine, Bell, Kleinwalsertal resort , Pedros,Stans No tubes, FSA and Champion Nutrition. Clothing is by Biemme of Italy.

The Rocky Mountain Haywood Team is proud to have some of the world's strongest mountain bike racers among its members. In 2007 the Team will welcome another Canadian Olympian. Seamus McGrath of British Columbia will join Olympic and multiple World Championship medal winners Marie-Hélène Prémont Max Plaxton, Alison Sydor and Carsten Bresser.

Seamus McGrath has a fifteen year history in mountain biking. His career highlights include his 9th place finish at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, a silver and bronze medal at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, and winning the overall US National Championship Cross Country Short Track title in 2002. Seamus also has a number of top 10 World Cup and World Championship finishes in his resume. "I am excited to be representing such a great team", said McGrath. "I will focus on racing very competitively on the World Cup circuit and in North America to help Canada build ranking points towards the 2008 Olympics."

McGrath will add to powerful men's Pro squad of two-time German Olympian Carsten Bresser and 2006 World Championship bronze medal winner Max Plaxton. McGrath and Bresser will partner to compete in some of the World's biggest epic stage races in 2007.

Bresser has re-signed with the Team and will concentrate on Epic and World Cup Marathon races. Carsten won the Bronze medal in the Marathon World Championships in 2003. Four-time TransAlp Challenge Champion, Bresser will race all major marathon races in Europe in 2007.

Max Plaxton, 2006 Espoir Bronze medal winner at the World Championships, finished his 2006 season with an impressive victory in the Pan American Championships in October. In 2007 Max will focus on the World Cup Espoir (under 23) title and on earning points for the 2008 Olympic team selection.

2007 is the final qualifying race year to earn starting positions for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The Rocky Mountain Haywood Securities Team will support the Canadian National Team in the quest to maximize Canada's chances for starting positions at those Games.

2008 Olympic hopeful Marie-Hélène Prémont is one of the hottest talents on the cross-country mountain bike circuit. Her 2006 achievements included 2 World Cup Victories, a Bronze Medal at the World Championships Cross Country, podium finishes at every World Cup race, and her fourth consecutive Canadian National title. Marie-Hélène will focus on the World Cup circuit in 2007 and on improvement to her Bronze Medal at the World Championships in 2006.

Mountain bike icon Alison Sydor continues to bring in good results in the Cross Country Olympic distance, and shines in the Marathon Cross Country. Sydor is a three-time World Champion, Olympic silver medal winner, and has 13 World Championship medals to her name. The four-time Roc D'Azur Marathon Champion will race high profile Marathon events and continue to help Canada score points in the Olympic quest.

The Rocky Mountain Haywood Team has a powerful force of young riders aspiring to the 2012 Games. Raphael Gagné, Marty Lazarski, Jean Ann McKirdy, and Matt Hadley will all return to the team for 2007.

2005 Junior National Champion Raphael Gagné will race for his second year with the Rocky Mountain Haywood Team. Gagné had a great start with the team in 2006 in finishing 3rd overall in the Canadian National Series as a first year espoir racing in the senior category. Like Plaxton, Gagné brings with him a set of World Championship stripes as the junior member of the Gold Medal winning Canadian Relay Team in Les Gets 2004.

2005 Trans Rockies co-champion and 2004 Espoir (U23) National Champion, Marty Lazarski of Ontario will return to the Rocky Mountain Haywood Pro Am team as will 2005 and 2006 U23 women's National Champion Jean Ann McKirdy. McKirdy has ridden for the Rocky Mountain Team since 2001 when she came on board as a junior. Matt Hadley of New Brunswick had a solid 2006 season on the National series circuit with a number of top 10 finishes.

The first events on the Team's 2007 calendar will be the Pan Am Championships for McGrath and Plaxton on March 7 and the US Norba National in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 31st. This will be followed by the Sea Otter Classic, April 12 to 15 in Monterey, California. Prémont, Plaxton, McGrath, and Sydor will then go to Europe for World Cup races in Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland. McGrath and Bresser will contest the prestigious Trans Alp Challenge victory in July. Another team highlight will be the World Cup in Mont Sainte-Anne, Québec, on June 25 where Prémont will strive for a third consecutive victory. At the World Championships in Fort William, Scotland, September 3 to 9, the team will look to better its 2006 performance of winning 3 World Championship medals in New Zealand in 2006.