December 19/00 10:39 am - Shaklee Gone, Randell and Dionne To U.S., Team News

Posted by Editor on 12/19/00
 

Shaklee Leaves Cycling

We knew it was coming, but it still hurts. Shaklee team director Frank Scioscia has officially announced that Shaklee will be pulling out of cycling. After 13 years, Shaklee is no more (in cycling). This despite finishing number 1 in the UCI rankings for Tier III. We spoke with Eric Wohlberg, a Shaklee mainstay, last month when he was in Toronto for our Cycling Celebration, and he was disappointed. "Shaklee has been a great team, a great bunch to ride with. I'm sorry that Frank couldn't get the sponsorship and that we are going to have to break up." Wohlberg has been scooped up by Saturn.


Randell and Dionne To 7Up/Colorado Cyclist
(courtesy John Alsedek, PR)

BOULDER, CO. (December 17, 2000)- After months of negotiations, a slimmed-down but beefed-up 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist team officially released its 2001 roster today. Although losing stalwarts Anton Villatoro and Steve Speaks to retirement, they have been more than ably replaced by a quartet of new recruits that should, according to Operations Manager Scott McAfee, "give us the firepower necessary to step up to the next level." Key among those new acquisitions are a pair of riders acquired from the defunct Shaklee team, John Lieswyn and Dave McCook. McCook, 32, is a former U.S. Professional Criterium Champion and renowned field sprinter, who counted among his 2000 victories the prestigious Clarendon Cup- a Saturn U.S. Pro Tour event. McCook will combine with 2000 resident speedster Kevin Monahan to give 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist a one-two punch in the mass finishes that will be hard to beat. And then there's John Lieswyn. A veteran of the Saturn and Coors Light teams, Lieswyn had a career season in 2000, with results that included a silver medal in the National Time Trial Championship and third overall in the U.S. Pro Tour. Lieswyn's no-holds-barred riding style is a good complement to the likes of climbing aces Clark Sheehan and Doug Ziewacz, and gives 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist a formidable presence for stage races and tough road events. "John's a non-stop motor who gives us a good shot at winning races like Redlands, Altoona, and even the U.S. Pro Championship", enthuses McAfee.

The 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist team also welcomes a duo from north of the border, as Canadians Charles Dionne and Andrew Randell enter the fold. Randell, 26, comes over from the Jet Fuel Coffee squad of Canada, where he emerged from relative anonymity to take some pretty impressive results in 2000, including a stage victory in the American Cup series. Randell's aggressiveness and all-around skills make him equally useful as a team worker or as a leader in his own right. In comparison to the hitherto little-known Randell, Charles Dionne has been the gem of the Canadian amateur ranks for the past three years, ever since he won the '98 Tour de 'Toona as a 19-year old. Courted heavily by other domestic pro teams-particularly after scoring three top-ten stage finishes in the 2000 Tour de l'Avenir- Dionne opted to join 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist due to its position as an up-and-comer in the U.S. professional ranks: "For me, this is an ideal situation. I can learn a lot from guys like team leaders Clark Sheehan and John Lieswyn, and I hope to be a strong contributor to the team's success in 2001."

And the improvements aren't all on the road, either. While product sponsorships are still being finalized, the title sponsors have substantially increased their financial commitment to the team. "Both 7 UP and Colorado Cyclist have shown a great deal of confidence in us," says McAfee. "They've given us the funds to put together a squad capable of fulfilling our goal- to be the country's number-one domestic program- and we owe it to them to make it happen." The 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist Professional Cycling Team will compete in all the major U.S. races during 2001; the team will make its season debut at the Valley of the Sun stage race on February 17th.

2001 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist Roster
Jeff Corbett
Charles Dionne
Ryan Guay
John Lieswyn
Dave McCook
Kevin Monahan
Juan-Carlos Pineda
Oscar Pineda
Andrew Randell
Clark Sheehan
Doug Ziewacz


Team Updates

We are looking for team and rider updates. If you know of Canadian team or riders rosters for 2001, please send us information. It can be sent to teams@canadiancyclist.com