British Olympic stars Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell and Danielle King are amongst a swathe of outstanding athletes set to join a new British based pro women’s team – DTPC Honda – run and lead out by Australia’s Rochelle Gilmore. DTPC, the initialism standing, appropriately enough, for Dream Team Pro Cycling, has financial backing from Bradley Wiggins’ Wiggo Foundation and will also feature double World Road Race champion Giorgia Bronzini (Italy), Junior World Individual TT cham Elinor Barker (GB), the 2012 European Junior Team Pursuit winner Amy Roberts (GB), seven-time Japanese National Road Race champion Mayuko Hagiwara, Australia’s 2011 U23 TT winner Lauren Kitchen, Italian Beatrice Bartlloni, German Anna-Bianca Schnitzmeier and New Zealand’s Emily Collins.
Along with the headline Honda sponsorship and Wiggo Foundation backing (‘Wiggins’s support will further enable the girls to fulfil their potential out on the road…’ read a team statement), DTPC also finds support from High5, Tacx, Pinarello, Campagnolo, Vanmobil, Lazer, Fizik and Look.
Speaking of her signing to the team double-Olympian Laura Trott said, ‘I’m excited to be joining the DTPC Honda Pro Cycling Team for the 2013 season and look forward to being part of what I believe will be one of the most professional, and successful teams next year. I’m looking forward to gaining more experience on the road with such a great team next year.’
Gilmore was driven to start the DTPC team by her ambition to provide female athletes with both the environment and conditions that she feels they deserve in order to perform at their very best. In a statement Gilmore, the 2010 Commonwealth Games Road Race champ, said, ‘I believe that having partnerships with companies like Honda and the Wiggo Foundation, the team can function as a truly professional organisation, making the athletes a priority and providing them with what they need in order to reach their potential…’
DTPC Honda will make their debut at the Ladies Tour of Qatar – Jan 30-Feb 2, 2013.
Despite heavy rain showers hundreds of cyclists joined Bradley Wiggins yesterday for the (now) annual Ride with Brad sportive around some of his favourite training routes through Clitheroe and Trough of Bowland in East Lancashire. This year’s event, held in support of his charity the Bradley Wiggins Foundation which was set up to promote sport in the community, was complimented by a Festival of Sport in Victory Park, Barnoldswick. Riders set off with Sir Bradley, from Eccleston, at around 7am, on a choice of 50km, 100km, or 160km routes, with Wiggins returning to Victory Park just after noon to sign autographs and talk to the press. Amongst those taking part were fellow Olympians Laura Trott and Dani King now part of the Wiggle-Honda team supported, in part, by the Bradley Wiggins Foundation.
