The Twenty3c.co.uk Racing Team enter its fourth year with a selection of new riders and a new joint title sponsor in the German bike manufacturer Focus.
Twenty3c, the Milton Keynes based cycle shop, continues to be the team’s main sponsors.
The team will retain Wojciech Szlachta, Rhys Howells, and Luke Ryan whilst Andy Lyons and Dean Shannon remain as team managers and riders with Lyons hoping to spend more time in the support role rather than in the saddle.
New riders include four young eastern region based riders in Olli Rossi who joins from Rapha-Condor, Dave Nichols looking to build on his last two years in Belgium, Owen Lake who joins from the Cambridge CC after a very promising 2012 and Adam Norris ex junior national champion. The team is completed by Devon based Pete Vincent who is also looking to build on a very strong 2012.
The 2013 season will see the team again concentrate on the Premier Calendar Series although the limited number of events will mean the team has to look abroad for bigger races. They will also focus on National A events and participation in national criterium events.
Team manager Andy Lyons is confident the team can continue to have a strong presence in the British peloton “We’ve got some good lads and they are keen to better themselves, they have ambition and want to get on in the sport.
“We want to help them realise that potential and with the continued support of our sponsors we can do this. Public awareness of cycling is at an all time high for obvious reasons and hopefully the British scene can build on this success and we can grow with it.”
Twenty3c.co.uk-Focus has continued support from specialist clothing manufacturer Shutt Velo Rapide and Oriel Securities who have been integral backers of the team for three years. Italian helmet and glasses manufacturer Salice also continue their sponsorship of the team as do tyre manufacturer Clement who will be supplying the team with their Strada LGG road tyres and Poole based Prendas Ciclismo who will continue to supply their stylish cycling accessories.
Ceri Dipple of Twenty3c was also pleased to announce new sponsorship from nutrition providers Clif, Sram, Kinetic Road Machine turbo trainers, Paceline Chamois Butt’r and Lizard Skin DSP bar tape. “The support of these additional sponsors is invaluable and helps make it possible for the smaller teams like ours to function and to compete against big budget UCI registered UK teams.”
The team will be officially launched in early February and the webpage www.twenty3c-focus.co.uk will go live shorty after that.
Full 2013 line up
Rhys Howells
Owen Lake
Andy Lyons
Dave Nichols
Adam Norris
Olli Rossi
Luke Ryan
Dean Shannon
Wojcjech Szlachta
Pete Vincent
