February 17/11 10:26 am - Team Juvederm-Specialized Announces Roster

Posted by Editoress on 02/17/11
 

The Juvederm-Specialized team is looking forward to a breakout 2011 season. A merger of the long running Specialized-Mazda-Samson Groupe Conseil Women's team from Montreal and last year's Team Nanoblur-Gears formation out of Toronto has set the stage for Canada's only UCI Women's road team.

By combining the skills and resources of the two teams, Juvederm-Specialized is taking a big step forward in exposing Canadian women to racing on the international stage. The team will have its official launch, March 5th at Specialized in Montreal, Quebec.

United under new title sponsors, Juvederm and Specialized, the team is looking forward to building on the success that its founding teams enjoyed in 2010 and to working towards a long term goal of building an international program. For 2011 the team will tackle an ambitious calendar across North America and Europe, while still attending select local races. The team will seek to develop their riders to the next stage by giving them valuable experience racing at the sport’s highest level.

More than just developing riders, the team will look to make an impact at every race it attends. The team has a deep line up that can score results in a wide range of races, with strong time trialists, sprinters and all-rounders in its 11 rider line up.

National team road coach Vincent Jourdain spoke with enthusiasm about the new team: "The UCI Women's Team, Juvederm-Specialized will provide a key element in the development of women's cycling in Canada. Their new status as a UCI team will support a larger number of Canadian athletes and help them to enter the highest level of international competitions. With all the progress in recent years in women's cycling, the creation of a Canadian UCI women's team is great news for the future."

The team will kick off its season with a team camp in California managed by prolific ex-pro Scott Moninger before competing in the San Dimas and Redlands Classic stage races. The team will then target the challenging Tour of the Battenkill one day race in New York State.

The squad will then contend some of the biggest races in North America: Joe Martin, Tour of the Gila, Liberty Classic in Philadelphia and Nature Valley as well as Canada's only UCI women's races in Gatineau, Quebec.

These quality races should see the riders in good form to contend at the Canadian National Championships in Ontario before heading across the Atlantic for a four to six week period of racing in Europe.

Both of the founding teams rode Specialized bikes last season and look forwards to continuing this relationship aboard the excellent Specialized Amira S-Works bicycles.

The team would not be able to chase after any of its ambitious goals if it wasn't for the support the team receives from its marketing partners. Juvederm-Specialized would like to thank its supporters:

• Juvederm (www.juvederm.ca)
• Specialized (www.specialized.ca)
• Mazda (www.mazda.ca)
• Samson Groupe Conseil (SGC) (www.samsongroupeconseil.com)
• Hincapie Clothing
• DeFeet
• E-Load
• Headsweats
• Thule
• Usana

Riders:

Joanie Caron returns in 2011 as a legitimate sprinting threat and will look to improve on last year's fourth place finish at the National Road Race Championships. The tireless Caron rode a seemingly endless season last year, with a strong early season campaign in Europe and gained momentum as the year went on, with an impressive second place finish at Fitchburg's challenging Stage One circuit race.

Anne Guzman was one of the driving forces behind the foundation of last year's Nanoblur team and returns as a valuable team player with heaps of horsepower and a selfless team focus.

Former U23 National Championship medalist Krystal Jeffs is another returning rider from Nanoblur with experience and strength who will play a key role on the road for Juvederm-Specialized.

Veronique Labonté emerged on both the local and North American scene as a workhorse who thrives in just about any type of road course. She is hoping to build on her time trial prowess that saw he finish in the top twenty at both Nationals and the Gatineau UCI race.

Captain of last year's Specialized team, Jenny Trew is hoping to regain the form that saw her win the final stage at the Tour de PEI in 2009 after an injury shortened season in 2010. Trew chalked up strong results in US criteriums last season before a pile up in the Gatineau UCI race brought her season to a premature end.

Moriah MacGregor brings a wealth of European racing experience and a history of strong results, with palmares that include a bronze medal performance in the National Road Race and a third place on GC at the Tour de PEI.

Joining the team from Team Kenda Tire is Denise Ramsden, one of the outstanding young talents in Canadian cycling. Ramsden should be a contender for young rider jerseys at stage races and is a potential race winner on just about any style of course.

The sole American on the team is Mary Zider, who spent the last two seasons with Specialized-Mazda. Mary was the Queen of the Mountains Champion at last season's Green Mountain Stage Race, where she also finished sixth on GC.

Lex Albrecht broke onto the scene last year with a daring all day breakaway in the road race at Canadian National Championships. With a European trip under her belt last fall, Albrecht will look to combine that experience with her attacking style.

Junior national road race champion Véronique Drapeau-Zgoralski joins the lineup as a development rider. Juvederm-Specialized hopes to provide a stepping stone in the young rider's career, giving her a taste of higher level racing and mentoring her in her journey as an elite cyclist under the wings of her more experienced team mates.

Valerie Crete is a developing young rider with strong regional results that will ride with the team in a development capacity.

Team Juvederm-Specilzied will have two additional riders in Ontario and one in Quebec who will proudly wear the "colours", and race in the Ontario and Quebec Cup series. We are pleased to have former Olympian Leigh Hobson and Masters National Road Champion Sarah Byers participating in this regard. In Quebec we will have time trial specialist Kyla Rollinson race with us.

Team owners Malcolm Eade, Gerard Penarroya and Michael Des Ilets are thrilled to be working together to bring this project to life.

www.teamjuvedermspecialized.com