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12.01.2007/ Kirk Willett director at Toyota-United, Discovery Channel not excluded from IPCT, AEG, Health Net
announce cycling team's addition to 2007 Amgen Tour of California, Aaron
Olsen and Kim Anderson at T-Mobile
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Looking back in anger
Kirk Willett
director at Toyota-United
Kirk Willett, a former professional cyclist and well-known
team director, has been appointed Team Director of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team. Willett will join Harm
Jansen on the frontlines to handle team logistics, day-to-day operations, race strategy, and overall management of team personnel.
A seasoned
professional, Willett is recognized on the racing circuit for his tactical skills, logistical expertise and his ability to
quickly discern the advantage in the field, helping lead his teams to prominent wins.
“Kirk is a natural competitor,” said Team Owner Sean Tucker. “He brings global experience,
managerial and tactical skill, plus a core competence in sports science to our team. His in-depth knowledge of the sport,
his ability to motivate and direct comprehensive racing operations make him a fantastic asset to Toyota-United. We are
pleased to have him on board."
Prior to joining Toyota-United, Willett’s experience included a three-year stint, from 2000 to 2003 as Team Director for the Prime Alliance Cycling Team.
There he managed high profile athletes, leading the team to over 100 wins and the number one position on the NRC calendar.
In 1999, as a leader of the Mercury Professional Cycling
Team, Mr. Willett also served as Development Cycling Team Director/Manager.
Willett began his cycling career in 1984
at age 14, gradually moving up the ranks to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials and joining the pro-cycling
elite as a member of the U.S. National team. His illustrious career includes racing in the
U.S. and in Europe as part of the Mercury Pro Cycling Team, the Comptel/Colorado Cyclist Professional
Cycling Team, and other elite teams. During his career, Willett achieved over 100 national and international career victories,
garnering top 5 finishes and stage wins in key NRC races including the Tour de Toona, the Cascade Cycling Classic, and the
Redlands Classic. He also competed in UCI Pro Tour events such as the Tour of Switzerland and garnered
stage wins at the Tour of Venezuela and Tour of El Salvador. He enjoyed yellow jersey wins at the Visalia/Exeter Road Race, the Tour le Fleur Road Race, the Tour of Willamette
and the B.C. Commonwealth
Invitational Road Race. Willett completed his professional racing career in 2000.
Discovery
Channel not excluded from IPCT
The IPCT
(International Professionnal Cycling Teams) did not exclude Discovery Channel yesterday. Last month it looked like the IPCT
decided to exclude Discovery but during a meeting yesterday 8 teams voted in favour of Discovery and seven teams voted against
the US based team. The French and German Pro-Tour teams wanted to exclude Discovery Channel after the team signed last years
winner of the Giro d'Italia, Ivan Basso. Basso's name was linked with the Fuentes scandal but the case against the Italian
rider was closed by the Italian anti-doping authorities. All IPCT members agreed to supply Spanish authorities with DNA samples
from riders who were mentioned in the Fuentes case. T-Mobile spokesman Christian Frommert told reporters that
he thinks it is a setback in the anti-doping fight that Discovery Channel will be allowed to stay in the IPCT.
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| Did Ivan Basso open the door for Jan Ullrich? (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
AEG, Health Net announce cycling team's addition
to 2007 Amgen Tour of California
The Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis will again race
in the Amgen Tour of California, it was announced by AEG, presenters of the 8-day, 650-mile professional cycling road race
and Health Net of California. Health Net also will return as one of the event's "founding partners," which will include sponsorship
of the Lifestyle Festival presented by Health Net .
The Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis has won the National Racing Calendar team title every
year since 2004. Based in Oakland, Calif., the team stepped up to UCI Continental Professional status and made its first foray
into European racing in 2006. International victories in 2006 included overall wins at the Tour of Taiwan and New Zealand's
Tour of Wellington, and a stage win at Australia's Herald Sun Tour. The 2007 team will be led by crowd favorite Nathan O'Neill
(AUS), who finished 5th overall in the 2006 Amgen Tour of California. He will be joined by newcomers Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)
and Rory Sutherland (AUS), as the team races for the overall title in 2007.
As a founding sponsor of the Amgen Tour of California, Health Net will present the Lifestyle Festival as well
as Stage 6, in which the peleton races from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita.
The Amgen Tour of California Lifestyle Festival presented by Health Net is an interactive eight-day, free-to-the-public
"festival" that will travel with the internationally sanctioned professional cycling stage race. Located near the finish line
of each daily stage, the festival will feature race-day activities such as health screenings, cancer awareness education,
bicycle stunt shows, live music, sweepstakes drawings, family activities and interactive displays and presentations featuring
more than 40 participating companies.
"The Amgen Tour of California is a perfect venue for Health Net to promote healthy lifestyles and affirm our
commitment to helping people live healthy lives," said Stephen Lynch, president, Health Net of California.
With an emphasis on health, wellness and the benefits of leading an active lifestyle, the festival will give
the public an opportunity to explore the lifestyle of cycling while awaiting the peleton. A big-screen TV featuring live coverage
of the race will help keep spectators apprised of the exciting race action. Fans also will be able to watch the explosive
sprint to the finish and the awards ceremony where jerseys will be presented to the day's top riders and overall race leader.
"The Lifestyle Festival presented by Health Net, is a vital component of the overall race-day experience that
brings cycling culture alive in the communities the race will visit," said Shawn Hunter, president of AEG Sports. "With its
focus on important messages like bike safety and healthy living, the festival gives us an opportunity to share a positive
experience with the fans and communities that have come together to support the cyclists."
Aaron Olsen and Kim Anderson at T-Mobile
The busy life of a professional cyclist always puts its strain on relationships – always
on tour, or always on the move between races and camps. When both partners in the relationship are professional cyclists then
things are doubly difficult.
Fortunately, for team newcomer Aaron Olson, his better-half
Kim Anderson rides for the other side of the same team, so it’s a welcome bonus that the T-Mobile men's and women's
camps are being jointly run on Mallorca.
"We hardly see each other throughout the
season, so the fact the women are also at camp here is a welcome bonus!" says the 29-year-old American.
Indeed, a few days into the camp, Olson looks at ease with his surroundings on Mallorca. After all,
the camp size and set-up comes as no surprise to Olson. Anderson was here last year and prepared
him for what to expect. Well almost.
“It seems the organisation is even bigger and the schedule
more intensive than last year. It is all laid-on for us, we've just got to apply ourselves and avail of all the fantastic
training tools.”
US racing’s Mister Consistency
After
a number of strong years racing on the US circuit, where he earned his Mister Consistency reputation,
Olson's ProTour breakthrough came when he earned a contract with Saunier Duval-Prodir for 2006.
It wasn't Olson's first taste of European action; Olson raced in Belgium for the US U23
national team, and then returned to Europe with iTeamNova - a less than ideal experience.
"I rode 2002 with iTeamNova, until they stopped paying us halfway through the season. After that, I went back
to the States to continue racing there, perform well and wait for a big team to come along.”
At Saunier everything gelled nicely, and Olson achieved his goal of riding and completing a Grand Tour, the Giro,
and also posting some strong results such as a stage second place at the ProTour Tour of Poland - while always showing people
how hard he can work for the team.
"It was a great year and a great experience for
me. I enjoyed the scene in the US, but it was the right time to make a change and take the next step in my cycling
career. At Saunier, I learned a lot and grew as a rider.
His consistency caught the
eye of Bob Stapleton. “I had always been in contact with Bob Stapleton, because of Bob and Kim’s involvement with
women’s cycling. And when the opportunity came along to part of this re-vamped team, I had to jump on it.”
European base in Girona
Olson's objectives for his first season in magenta are straightforward
- help the team, in his own consistent ways, and maybe take his chance to score a stage win along the way. His program, which
includes a series of US races; Tour of California, Tour de Georgia and the Philly week, should be right up his street.
“I start at the Tropheo Mallorca, and then head back to California, which
is great. It’s a cool race I still like racing in the US. A stage win in California
would be fantastic, but it is too early to peak and I just want to be have the form and consistency to help the team.”
A stage race specialist, who likes hillier parcours, Olson is also hoping for another crack
at Grand Tour this season. In between races, he will train at his European base in Girona; where he has simply taken over
the furnished apartment of a fellow American who has retuned home for the year.
“I
didn’t want all the hassle of setting up my own apartment. You know how it is, you set an appointment with a plumber
or whatever and they don’t turn up. Hell I’ve got to train!
Schedule
jinx
Men’s and women’s race programs rarely coincide, except at a few isolated races such as
the Tour of Flanders and Fleche Wallonne. However, none of these races are on Olson's 2007 program. And perhaps it is just
as well.
"Last year the only races where both Kim’s and my program crossed
were the Tour of Flanders, but it wasn’t a good omen and we don’t need a repeat - Kim broke her collarbone
and I broke my hand!"
Source: T-Mobile
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