BikeNZ PureBlack Racing to make its debut appearance at the Tour de Langkawi 2012
BikeNZ PureBlack racing came close to its demise in the previous season but thanks to the efforts made by the national association and a number of other supporters, the team will continue racing at the 2012 season.
The side has been invited to the 10-stage Tour de Langkawi scheduled from February 24th to March 4th, 2012. The team has announced the list of six specialists to represent the team at the Malaysian race.
James Williamson, Michael Torckler, Roman van Uden, Louis Crosby, Joe Cooper and Sam Bewley will open the 2012 campaign for the team.
James will lead the side and the Elite men’s national road champion will be accompanied by the two top climbers Joe Cooper and Michael Torckler at the trace.
The trio will target the overall classifications at the race, along with the individual victories at one of the biggest cycling event in Malaysia.
Inclusion of Sam Bewley in the team will strengthen its sprinting department, as the 24-year-old was a part of the New Zealand team that won the bronze medal during the 2008 Summer Olympics.
He will replace Tim Gudsell at the Tour de Langkawi after a tremendous display of his abilities at the London World Cup.
Sam told the media, "I’m excited to head to Langkawi for the Tour. It’s always been a tour that has caught my fancy. I'm racing the Tour as part of my preparation for the Track World Championships".
"I discussed the possibility of doing this with national track coach Tim Carswell and he believed it would be good for my preparation. I'll pick my days, some stages I'll race hard and see if I can get a result," he concluded.
Bewley can definitely help the team with his experience as he has participated in such events in the past.
The team will continue its professional pursuit in the South East Asia for the next few months and will make an appearance at the five major cycling events in the coming season.
The Tour of Langkawi is the first major race for the team and it will be interesting to see if BikeNZ PureBlack Racing Team manages to impress the selectors during the upcoming race.
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