Tara Whitten signs for Tibco
Tibco/To The Top has announced that Tara Whitten and four other cyclists have joined the North American women’s team for the 2011 season. Whitten secured the signing after winning the gold medal at the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games elite women’s time-trial
on Wednesday, October 13.
“Tara is an immense talent who is still so new to the sport that she hasn’t even begun to reach her potential as a road racer,” said team director Linda Jackson. “The fact that she won the time trial and also finished 7th in the road race – after picking
up three bronze medals on the track earlier in the Games – is a testament to her all-around ability and determination.”
Whitten will be joined in the transfer by two fellow Canadians, Erinne Willock and Joelle Numainville. Jackson, a Canadian herself, admitted that she would like to support Canadian cycling more on the American team.
“I’m Canadian and a former Canadian Olympian, and I want to be able to support Canadian cycling a bit more...I want to be able to provide Canadian cyclists with more opportunities than I had when I was starting out.”
Alison Powers and 21-year-old Carlee Taylor complete the five new signings. Taylor competed with the Australian national team in 2010 and won a stage at the Tour Feminin en Limousin.
“Carlee is yet another of the young crop of riders who is getting tremendous international experience early on,” Jackson said. “She will definitely benefit from the presence of her new, more experienced teammates like Powers and Willock, as well as Meredith
Miller.”
Powers and Miller are more experience riders, who Jackson is hoping will stimulate the development of the younger riders.
“We still have a strong core group of American riders on the UCI team, and the Team Tibco Junior Team is comprised entirely of U.S. women, and we intend to keep it that way,” said Jackson.
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