February 24/05 9:35 am - Gears Racing MTB Team For 2005

Posted by Editoress on 02/24/05
 

Gears Racing Announces Mountain Bike Team For 2005
Courtesy Gears Racing

Mr. Mark S. Bonham, Chairman, and Mr. Kevin Wallace, President, of the Gears Racing Institute (“GRI”) are today very pleased to announce the composition of the Gears Racing Mountain Bike Team for the year 2005. The complete list of racers signed to the team is listed below.

“We welcome back several of our experienced riders to the team this year, and are pleased to announce new additions to the team”, stated Kevin Wallace. “The pool of talent we have attracted to GearsRacing is very impressive. Each of the riders has committed to the development-team concept that is unique to the Gears Racing Institute.”

As one of Canada’s first true development teams in the sport of mountain biking, management takes the objective of matching seasoned and experienced athletes with promising up-and-coming future stars on the racing scene through a mentoring program. The GRI is committed to nurturing Canada’s junior athletes in the formative stages of their careers as they develop into professional athletes.

The goals of these mountain bike athletes include the desire to be selected for Canadian National Team projects, to represent Canada at international competitions such as the Olympic Games, or to be asked to join competitive Trade Teams.

“Our development program has worked very successfully in the past”, continued Kevin Wallace. “Over the last five years, we have helped teammate Kiara Bisaro achieve her goal of racing for Canada in the 2004 Olympic Games. Similarly, the team mentored Ricky Federau as he worked his way to Canadian National Elite Champion in 2004. Other graduates of the GRI program have met their development goals and have proudly moved on to professional trade teams. Now, the GRI is launching its program for the next four-year Olympic cycle. Part of this strategy is to return to the grassroots level to identify Canada’s promising athletes and help them develop as competitive racers.”

Gears Racing is proud to be sponsored by Shimano Canada, Specialized Bicycles, Sugoi, Michelin Tires, RockShox, Stoney Ridge Estate Winery, and Bonham & Co. Inc.

The Gears Racing Institute is a specialist, non-profit foundation created to identify and develop world-class competitive cyclists for Canada. For more information on the team, visit www.gearsracing.com .

For further information: Mr. Kevin Wallace/Ms. Ira Kargel, GRI, (905) 271-2400.


2005 – Team Roster

Division/Name

World Cup:
Kiara Bisaro
Ricky Federau

National Espoir:
Mark Batty

Junior Expert Women:
Emily Batty

National Senior Elite:
Sue Trimble
Andrew Watson

Provincial:
Derek MacNeil
Craig Hawkes
Sean Ito
Paul Skafel
Colin Reinholt
Steve Perkins
Gary Serra
Chris Bent
Dustin Miedema
Max Tompkins

Team Management:

Kevin Wallace, President
Ira Kargel, Vice-President
Ron Vanderleeuw, Team Captain/Head Mechanic
Ryan Hindmarsh, Training/Development Manager