Tag: Team Sky

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Ben Swift Extends Contract with Sky

Ben Swift

Ben SwiftBen Swift has signed a new two-year contract with Team Sky, keeping him with the team until the end of 2016. The 26-year-old Yorkshireman has been a valued member of Team Sky since they began in 2010, achieving 11 victories and racing in five Grand Tours over his time with the team.

 

Swift made history when he secured the team’s first-ever stage race win at the 2010 Tour de Picardie, and WorldTour successes at the Tours of Romandie, Poland, Basque Country and Down Under have marked him out as one of the best sprinters in the sport. His third-placed finish at the 2014 Milan-San Remo also showcased his ability as a one-day rider and he will now look to continue that upward trajectory over the next two years.

 

Last month, team-mate and fellow Brit Geraint Thomas also signed a new two-year deal, committing the Olympic gold medallist and Tour de France winning team member to Team Sky until the end of the 2016 season.

 

Commenting on signing his new two-year deal, Ben Swift said: ‘I’ve been with Team Sky since the start and five years on it really does feel like home to me. To keep that relationship going was really important so I’m delighted to be staying for another two years. I already have one eye on next season and with this team I know I can deliver some good results.’

 

Details on Team Sky at TeamSky.com and follow Ben Swift in Twitter @swiftybswift

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Wiggins to Lead Sky at Tour of Britain

Sky Tour of BritainTeam Sky have announced that Sir Bradley Wiggins will lead Team Sky’s squad at the 2014 Tour of Britain, which begins in Liverpool on Sunday September 7. Wiggins returns to the Tour of Britain after winning the race in 2013 and this year he will line up alongside fellow British riders Ian Stannard and Ben Swift as part of a six-man squad. The full Team Sky squad for the 2014 Tour of Britain will be: Bradley Wiggins, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift, Bernhard Eisel, Sebastian Henaoa and David Lopez.

 

Wiggins comments on the event: ‘The Tour of Britain is a special race for me so to be returning as defending champion is a real honour. It’s always been a tough race but the support we receive from the fans is incredible, and it’s our home tour so I’ve always enjoyed racing it…. From the start of the year it’s always been a goal of mine to race to the Tour of Britain. The race is growing in stature year on year and it’s our chance to go there with a strong team and race in front of home fans to thank them for their support over the season.’

 

The 2014 Tour of Britain starts in Liverpool and finishes in London on Sunday September 14, taking in eight stages along the way. September 7 also sees Sky hosting the first ever Sky Ride Liverpool event, where cyclists of all ages and abilities are able to enjoy a fun day of cycling through a traffic-free route in the city centre, which is free for all to enter.

 

Further details on the Tour of Britain at tourofbritain.co.uk and on Sky Ride Liverpool at goskyride.com

 

Further information on Wiggins and Team Sky at teamsky.com

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Team Sky Vuelta Squad

Team Sky Vuelta Squad

Team Sky Vuelta SquadTeam Sky has announced its nine man line-up for the 69th edition of the Vuelta a España, which starts on August, 23. Chris Froome, who was forced to abandon the Tour de France last month, will lead the team, which will comprise Kanstantsin Siutsou, Luke Rowe (the team’s youngest rider, 24), Mikel Nieve, Christian Knees, Philip Deignan, Vasil Kiryienka, Peter Kennaugh and Dario Cataldo.

 

Confirming the Vuelta a España line-up, Team Sky Principal Sir Dave Brailsford said: ‘This year’s Vuelta is a great opportunity for us to get back to Grand Tour racing and I’m delighted that we’ll go there with a strong team that’s very capable of performing well… Chris Froome will be our team leader and it’s great to have him back on the bike and focused on the challenge ahead. He was obviously very disappointed after having to withdraw from the Tour de France but Chris has recovered and trained well since the injury. He’s now more determined than ever to get back to what he does best – riding Grand Tours.’

 

Froome adds: ‘This is exactly the sort of challenge that I need after the disappointment of withdrawing from the Tour de France. You can’t dwell on disappointment, you have to move on quickly to next thing and the Vuelta has become the perfect race for me to focus on. I’ve always really enjoyed racing at the Vuelta, it’s a tough race but a great opportunity for the whole team.’

 

More on Team Sky at teamsky.com and on the Vuelta at lavuelta.com

 

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Tiernan-Locke Sacked by Team Sky

Tiernan-Locke

Tiernan-LockeTeam Sky’s Jonathan Tiernan-Locke has received a two-year ban for an anti-doping violation. The International Cycling Union (UCI) imposed the ban on the 29-year-old, who joined Team Sky in 2012, after finding discrepancies in his biological passport; Tiernan-Locke is also stripped of his 2.012 Tour of Britain title and sacked from Sky.

 

Team Principal of Team Sky, Dave Brailsford, said: ‘Jonathan’s contract has been terminated today. Whilst there have been no doubts about his time with us, his doping violation – from readings taken before he joined this team – means there’s no place for him in Team Sky. We’ve a well-known stance on anti-doping and our action is the inevitable outcome of a violation. This is a team that trains, races and wins clean.’

 

The discrepancies in his biological passport were taken in September 2012, shortly before he signed his two-year contract with Team Sky and three months before his first race with the team.

 

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Team Sky Announce Tour de France Line-up

froomeTeam Sky has announced its nine-man line-up for the 101st edition of the Tour de France, which starts with the Grand Départ in Yorkshire on Saturday July 5. Reigning Tour de France champion Chris Froome will lead the nine-man team and will be joined by: Richie Porte, Geraint Thomas, Mikel Nieve, Bernhard Eisel, Vasil Kiryienka, David López, Danny Pate and Xabier Zandio.

 

Confirming the final selection for the Tour de France team, Team Sky Principal Dave Brailsford said: ‘Team Sky returns to the Tour de France with the reigning champion and we are looking to win the yellow jersey for the third time in three years and a second consecutive time for Chris Froome. Defending champion Chris Froome is an exceptional talent, a brilliant stage racer, and he’ll lead the team…. We know how hard it is to win this race and that it takes a totally focused and carefully constructed team, with the right blend of riders, to give us the best chance of victory. Each rider has been selected to play a specific role which will involve total sacrifice and commitment to the team’s ambition of reaching the Champs Élysées in yellow.’

 

Chris Froome, Team Sky leader and 2013 Tour de France champion, adds: ‘Everyone in the team is hugely excited about the Tour de France starting in the UK and racing in front of home fans as defending champion will be an incredible honour. We did a recce of the Yorkshire stages a few weeks ago and the excitement was already starting to build and the support that we have received has been fantastic.’

 

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Team Sky Catch Tour Fever

Team Sky Tour Fever

Team Sky Tour FeverTeam Sky, set to chase down their third consecutive Tour de France win, are going all out on whipping up a storm of support with their Tour Fever campaign. In addition to a series of short films about how some Team Sky fans are getting ready for the greatest cycling event in the world (see video below), they are encouraging Team Sky fans to share their stories – via email website@teamsky.com – as well as pictures and videos on facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the Tour Fever hashtag #TourFever.

 

Of course there’s a great revenue angle too (has anyone bought the Team Sky Breakfasts yet?) with the launch of the official Tour Fever t-shirts, produced in conjunction with Rapha. The three t-shirts – Union Jack’d, Dossard No. 1 and Va Va Froome – are all available from Rapha and Evans Cycles. Each t-shirt is available in sizes S-XXL, priced at £15, with a kids’ version of the Va Va Froome t-shirt available for £10.

 

Further details on the Team Sky Tour Fever campaign at teamsky.com

 

 

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Fancy a Team Sky Breakfast?

Team Sky Breakfast

Team Sky BreakfastTeam Sky have joined forces with nutrition brand CNP to launch their first range of nutritious, high protein breakfast products. The Team Sky High Protein Porridge and Team Sky High Protein Smoothies, which have been jointly developed with CNP’s nutrition experts, will initially be available in selected Tesco Superstores and from the CNP website.

 

Each serving of the High Protein Porridge – which comes in Fig & Honey and Super Fruits flavours – contains 12g of quality protein and includes fibre in the oats that contribute towards natural maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. The High Protein Smoothies, which are packed with 26g of high quality dairy protein and flavoured with fruit juice, come in Pineapple & Coconut and Orange & Mango flavours. The High Protein Porridge retails at £3 and the Smoothies at £2.50.

 

Team Sky’s Head of Nutrition Nigel Mitchell said: ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and this innovative range of great-tasting, convenient and widely available products is very exciting. Both the Team Sky Porridge and Smoothies contain a rich source of high quality protein, complex carbohydrates and fibre that will help provide a slow release of energy to keep you energised and feeling fuller for longer.’

 

Online purchase at cnpprofessional.co.uk

 

Read Cyclo’s Nutrition Talk feature with Team Sky’s Nigel Mitchell here.

 

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Team Sky Announces Giro d’Italia Line-Up

sky_giro_2014_squadTeam Sky has announced its line-up for the 2014 Giro d’Italia, which starts in Belfast and Dublin next month, it will include Irish rider Philip Deignan in his first Grand Tour for the team.The nine-strong team for the first Grand Tour of the season will also feature Italian riders Dario Cataldo and Salvatore Puccio alongside Pete Kennaugh, Ben Swift, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Bernhard Eisel, Sebastian Henao and Kanstantsin Siutsou. Confirming the squad Sky Team Principal, Dave Brailsford, said: ‘The Giro d’Italia is a fantastic race and this year provides a great opportunity for the team to go out and really express themselves on the bike. We’ve brought together an exciting squad and we can’t wait, not only for the start in Northern Ireland, but to perform in front of our Italian fans.’

 

Philip Deignan, added: ‘As soon as I heard that the Giro d’Italia was starting in Northern Ireland it was a goal of mine to be there, and racing there with Team Sky is a real honour for me. We’re going with a good balance of youth and experience; we’re all looking forward to it. Growing up in County Donegal I never dreamt of riding a Grand Tour here in Ireland and this is my chance. I’m going to relish every minute of it racing in front of my friends and family.’

 

This year’s Giro d’Italia starts with three stages outside Italy, taking in Northern Ireland and Ireland. Starting with a time trial in Belfast on Friday May 9, the race will move on to Italy from Tuesday May 13 and end in Trieste on Sunday June 1.

 

Take a look at the Cyclo feature on this year’s Giro d’Italia here