Velo29 Cycling Team

Jack Rees Opens The Season’s Tally !

Velo29 Elite Team Rider Jack Rees comfortably sprinted to victory at Croft this weekend in the Velo29 Winter Series, a great start to the team’s season!

Jack sprinted home with a huge gap, arms in the air in a sweet victory for Velo29. The race went as planned for the team, Chris Mark was away briefly after 5 laps, when Chris came back Jack went immediately and established a group of 5 whom were uncatchable by the 70 plus field.

Jacked opened the Sprint with 200m to go and the outcome was never in doubt. I great win!

1 Jack Rees Velo29

2 Mike Sloanes Sunderland Clarion

3 Ryan Fenwick Gala CC
4 Sean Moon Edinburgh RC
5 Matt Rositer Durham Uni
6 Chris Mark Velo29
7 Mathew Bulmer Dirt whls cycles
8 Andy Heath Fietsen Tempo
9 Mark Johnson York Road Club
10 Tony Macullach, Phian Carbon

So, this is your 2nd year with Velo29, how have things been over the last 12 months?

I think on the whole we can class the season as a great success, we finished by far the best team in the North East, had some outstanding results, and sent a team to compete in a UCI tour (Morocco). We’ve also had a presence at the Premier Calendar races and have a brilliant starting point on which to build over the next 12 months.

How’s the Winter training going, have you changed the plan since 2011?

I spent most of January in Australia last year, and I don’t think it worked that well for me, with it being there Summer and everyone being race fit, I did a bit too much quality and neglected base miles, and paid for it later in the season, don’t get me wrong though it was a fantastic experience and I met some great people.

I’ve completed re-evaluated my training this year and put a lot more planning time into it, each session now has a definite goal and there are blocks of specific work during rides, as opposed to going out and just riding.

What’s the team’s goals for 2012, there are loads of big races in the UK now, must be a lot of travelling?

We’ve made some good new signings which has really increased the strength on the team. We will be looking to transfer our regional success into national success. We are sending a six man team to the 10 Day UCI Tour of Morocco in March, which is going to help set us up nicely for the bigger UK races, I know that just from a brief look at the calendar, May is a big month.

We are aiming to ride the Elite Criterium series which we didn’t this year, and also looking to fit another UCI tour in that mid season lull so that we can finish the season strongly. There are a lot of new E/1/2 races popping up particularly in Yorkshire, and with the strength of the team now we can realistically have a split programme sending two good teams to two E/1/2 races.

I think the travelling is just part of parcel of the sport, a lot of races are northern anyway so we are quite lucky. We’ve got the team cars as well which really help.

Any new Sponsors for 2012, have the old ones been retained?

Bike food has come in to supply nutrition and Vankru frames have continued sponsorship. We also have a physio on board which will help in the multi-stage events.

It’s a big team at Velo29 this year, what’s the selection process for the big events?

I think it will be pretty simple, whoever is in the best shape will ride the bigger event, the others will race another event on that weekend. We have different riders with different strengths so this will all come into play when selecting the team for races, and if riders are performing well week in week out, it might create a bit of a selection headache for the management, but I think that element of healthy competition within the team will help push everyone forwards.

You guy’s must win every race in the North East, is this a good thing for local Cycling?

We had a lot of success this year but we didn’t win everything. It’s helped bring the whole area on and there are still other strong teams, who have signed some good riders over the winter and will be more competitive this season.

Finally, I see you are putting on your own coaching sessions now, what’s the story here, how’s it all going?

I have a degree in Sports Coaching, and sport is really all I know, I have various different sports qualifications but I wanted to start a cycling specific coaching setup that I could build on and progress over time. The weekly sessions at Prissick have proved popular and there is a core group of riders who have been attending week on week and really improving. It’s also been a good opportunity for lad’s who are looking at getting into racing and are a bit daunted by it, each week I’ve been focus on different racing skills as well as building fitness, so that when the races come around the riders will be well prepared for it.

I’m a big advocate of quality sessions even during the base period, it works for the Australians who race all year round and also GB Track riders, so as well as catering for the novice racers, the sessions have been a good opportunity for the lads who already race to drop in get a quality 2h00 session during the week, when normally they’d be on the turbo or resting.

If anyone wanted to know more about the session, you can find it at www.achievecyclecoaching.co.uk

We took the chance to catch up with new Elite Team member Anthony Moye over a coffee. Anthony joined Velo29 Team to strengthen the Premier Calendar squad.

The interview went as follows;

So, you’ve joined Velo29 for the 2012 season, what was it that brought you to the Team? 

Riding on my own in the premier calendar this year has been really challenging. The importance of being part of a Cycling Team in races of this calibre becomes more and more apparent every time you race in one. Although I raced well in the Premiers this year I felt that had I of been part of Team I would have really fulfilled my true potential.

 Joining Velo29 Cycling Team has been a really positive move for me. I first saw the Team in a race last year and couldn’t help notice they’re ambition to move forward. The Teams’ goal is to be a significant force in the Premier Calendar which fits it exactly with where I want to be. The Team itself is made up of a good mix of experience and Youth. Riders like Dan Smith and Matt Kipling will really help the Team become stronger.

 I can’t wait to get going with Velo29. There’s a real buzz around what this Team is doing and I’m sure we’ll achieve some great results in 2012. 

Tell us about your Cycling before joining Velo29.

 My dad got me into Mountain Biking when in was 13. I starting racing when I was 14 and travelled around the country competing in the NPS and Sams series. I converted to road racing when I was 19 and started racing when I was 20. I raced with cc Luton for four years and achieved some good results. I’ve moved up the rankings and raced in the Premier Calendar in 2011.  

 It’s quite a big squad of 12 riders, is this a good thing?

 Yes I believe it’s a good thing. The team has a 6 rider allocation for the Premier Calendar races so competition for places is going to be difficult. Everyone is going to be keen to ride the big races so it will make everyone work harder and hopefully make the team stronger.  Having a 12 man team will give us the flexibility to have two teams riding on the same weekend which will be good for getting the Velo29 name about. 

 What’s the race program for 2012, what are your targets?

 The Team is aiming to do the Premier Calendar Series, Elite Crit Series and 2 UCI stage Races.

 My aim is to achieve a top 20 or better placing in the premier calendar events. Having ridden 5 of the 7 last year I know what is required of me to achieve this. I’d like to do well in the Uci races too.  In between the big events I plan to ride the local National B races as well as supporting the team in the North East. I will be riding evening criteriums too as I always think its good get a midweek race in.  

Tell us about your preparation for next year, sounds like a long tough year is ahead, what are you doing different to last year?

Since Joining Velo29  my 2012 winter preparation has been a lot more structured..  In previous years I’ve hit peak form at the end of July which isn’t ideal really. This year I’m training a lot harder in November and December instead of cramming most of the training into January. In 2011 I partially trained myself fit and partially raced myself fit. This year I aim to be race fit for the first major road race of 2012 and hopefully hit peak form in April/May time.  

The UK standard is getting increasingly high, with 6 UCI teams it must be hard for the amateurs to complete at the highest level?

Punching above our weight is going to be the only option. The majority of the team have full time jobs so putting in the equivalent training and racing hours the UCI team riders will be difficult. The team is planning to ride two UCI stage races in 2012 which will of course give us a good springboard into the premier calendar races. The Team has also made some good signings which will bring the Team up to level required.   

Finally, I hear Velo29 are part of the Tour Of Morocco, are you part of the squad for this?

I hope so! I’d love to be a part of the Team going to ride the Tour of Morocco. It’s a 10 day stage race which will be really testing. I’ve been speaking to some of the other Team members that went this year and they it was a really good race. I tend to go well on hot days too so Morocco’s climate should suite me!   

Check back over the next few months to see how Anthony and the rest of the Elite Team are getting on.

North East based Internet Cycle Retailer Velo29.com have confirmed thier Sponsorship with the Velo29 Elite Racing Team for a 4th Year.

Velo29 have been title Sponsor and majority backer since the teams conception back in 2009. This new 1 year deal comes at a time many big names are pulling out of the Sport. It’s a sign of Velo29′s commitment to competetive bike racing in the UK.

The relationship between sponsor and team is really close and it’s a relationship which works well. Velo29 Retail is ran by ex-racing cyclists so they understand the needs of a top Team. The 4 year deal reflects the ambition of the shop and thier belief in UK Bike Racing as a tool to promote thier business.

Company director Richard added “We’ve been behind the Team since day one, it’s a relationship which really works for us. The Team have some great beliefs and have made huge progress in a short timwe. They have taken the National Team by storm and with the really good signings made over the last few months, they are going to make a serious noice in 2012. We are right behind them!”

“We love that the Team is local to us, for an internet shop this is great as it really helps local trade. The Velo29 brand is growing and the Team is a big part of this. The Velo29 events, which we are also part of complete the picture. The ambition is that when the people of the North East think of Cycling, they think of Velo29.

You can follow the Team’s progress, checkout the shop and also Velo29 Events at www.velo29.com

The North East’s Velo29 cycling team sign North East Elite, Matt Kipling from Raleigh for 2012. Formally of Team Raleigh and earlier Pinarello, Matt joins Velo29 as the Team Leader for the 2012 road season. “This is a huge signing for the Northern Team and a massive step towards their long term goal off success in the Premier Calendar and Major UK road events” says the team.

“Matt’s pedigree cannot be questioned. With a decade of performing at the highest level in the biggest teams, Matt can sprint, climb and is a real contender in any race he enters.”

The Velo29 Elite Team, sponsored by Velo29 Online Retail and Vankru Performance Cycling have been on the scene for three years now and have grown rapidly in this time. The team have a great ethos and though very focused, they really work to enjoy their racing. Despite the French name, the routes hail very much from the North East of England.

Richard Williamson, Velo29 Sporting Director adds’ “Matt joining the Team is a credit to how far we have already come and a sign of our real ambition for years ahead. This is an important move for both Team and Rider. It’s great that Matt has been able to sign for a local Team and shares very much our ambition to take on the big players in the UK. Velo29 is an ever growing team and success is coming fast. With the rest of the already very strong team behind Matt, 2012 will without a doubt be our and Matt’s best year so far. We did the deal on Friday, this was a really proud day for us and a huge step, the racing season can’t come fast enough!”

In other signings, CC Luton’s Anthony Moye has signed for Velo29 and the NE squad has also signed bronze medallist in the National Junior RR, Alex Bottomley.