December 14/05 9:08 am - 2006 Navigators Team

Posted by Editor on 12/14/05
 

2006 Navigators Insurance Cycling Team

As they prepare to enter their thirteenth year of professional cycling team management, Velocity Sports Management announced the 2006 Navigators Insurance Cycling Team roster today. Based in New York City, the support of Navigators Insurance Company represents the longest continuous sponsorship of a professional cycling team in North America. The team will once again be registered as Professional Continental by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), and will contest an international calendar beginning with the Jacobs Creek Tour Down Under in Adelaide Australia (Jan 17th-22nd).

Seventeen athletes are currently signed, making this the largest squad representing Navigators Insurance in their long history. The 2003 U-23 World Road Champion Sergey Lagutin heads the lineup of new recruits that includes several European based professionals as well as a strong compliment of North American based performers. Lagutin, the current National Road and Time Trial champion in his native Uzbekistan is joined by former Ukrainian National Champion Valeriy Kobzarenko, the Belgian based Australian Glen Chadwick. The California based Australian Ben Brooks joins the 2006 squad along with two Americans, the former Navigators rider T. Burke Swindlehurst, and the up-coming Bernard Van Ulden. Van Ulden's 3rd place Time Trial at the 2005 US National Championships was a sign of his strong potential.

A strong cast of returning riders represents a well rounded team that looks to be competitive in all types of races as the team focuses on the National Race Calendar in the USA, and a Spring campaign in Europe including many popular UCI races in Western Europe. The power sprinter Vassili Davidenko headlines the core roster that will also see former Olympic Gold and Silver medalist Marty Nothstein focus entirely on the road and criterium circuit following his 2005 retirement from international Velodrome racing. Nothstein will contest several European 6-Day events in January, before returning to the USA and concentrating on the tarmac. David O'Loughlin will again don his Shamrock emblazoned Navigators Insurance jersey as the 2005 Irish National Champion, while rising star Phil Zajicek, and former Philadelphia (USPro Championships) champion Mark Walters, continue their Navigators Insurance careers.

With this expanded roster, the team will continue to compete in key events throughout Europe, Asia and Oceanic countries, while refocusing on domestic goals as well. The team is well positioned to take advantage of a strengthened U.S. event schedule that now spans February through September.

2006 Navigators Insurance Cycling Team

BROOKS, Ben AUS 27
CAMPONOGARA, Siro ITA 29
CHADWICK, Glen AUS 30
CLARKE, Hilton AUS 27
DAVIDENKO, Vassili RUS 36
GRAJALES, Cesar COL 33
GRICHKINE, Oleg RUS 31
KOBZARENKO, Valeriy UKR 29
LAGUTIN, Sergey UZB 25
MILNE, Shawn USA 25
NOTHSTEIN, Marty USA 35
O'LOUGHLIN, David IRL 28
POWER, Ciaran IRL 30
SWINDLEHURST, T. Burke USA 33
VAN ULDEN, Bernard USA 27
WALTERS, Mark CAN 30
ZAJICEK, Phil USA 27