Team Blanco Pro hopeful to start the new season on a high note
Team Blanco Pro Cycling, formerly known as Team Rabobank finalised its roster for the first World Tour race of the new season, the Santos Tour Down Under.
The team is sending an Australian-packed squad for the event and is hoping to start the New Year on a high note after being shattered by the exit of its former sponsor Rabobank.
"The 2013 Santos Tour Down Under will be a special race for the Blanco Cycling Team, it is going to be a fresh, new start. The first page of a beautiful story will be written," Team Manager Erik Dekker noted.
"The team is committed to perform at the highest possible level in Santos Tour Down Under and is 100% focused and motivated".
Rabobank sponsored the team since its inception and it has really been a happy marriage between the two however, the recent doping scandal that hit the sport of cycling real bad made Rabobank part its ways from the sport.
USADA’s in depth investigation into the former Team US Postal cyclist, Lance Armstrong exposed a lot of faces that used performance enhancing drugs to achieve the desire results previously in their career.
The United States Anti Doping firm manages to record a doping confession from as many as 26 former cyclists including 11 of Lance Armstrong’s former teammates.
The American’s former teammates testified against him helping USADA in building a strong case against the seven time Tour de France winner.
Those 11 names include, Lance Armstrong, in alphabetical order, are Frankie Andreu, Michael Barry, Tom Danielson, Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie, Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, Stephen Swart, Christian Vande Velde, Jonathan Vaughters and David Zabriskie.
UCI disqualified Armstrong from all his victories since 1998 including seven overall victories at the Tour de France in one of the biggest doping scandal, the sport has seen.
Dutch sponsor, Rabobank decided to end its associations from cycling following the news but promised to continue it support with the team by the end of 2013 season and team has to find a main backer in that frame of time.
The Blanco Pro Cycling team for Santos Tour Down Under include, Jack Bobridge (Aus), Graeme Brown (Aus), Wilco Kelderman (Ned), Mark Renshaw (Aus), Tom-Jelte Slagter (Ned), David Tanner (AUS) and Maarten Tjallingii (Ned).
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