ULLRICH'S FORMER MANAGER SIGNED BY ROCK RACING
Jan Ullrich's former manager and confidant Rudy Pevenage has been signed as a directuer sportif by the controversial America Rock Racing team.
Pevenage was sacked from German team T-Mobile when he and Ullrich became embroiled in the Operacion Puerto doping scandal. Ullrich himself was also ejected from the team and promptly retired from the sport.
Rock Racing has courted controversy since its inception by team owner Michael Ball. Ball was quick to sign up the services of several high-profile riders that had been involved in doping allegations or bans, including Oscar Sevilla and Tyler Hamilton.
Hamilton was suspended from competition for two years in 2004 after he failed an anti-doping test for blood transfusion at the Vuelta a Espana. Hamilton won the 2008 US Road National Championships, an act that has divided opinion among US fans.
Along with Pevenage, Rock Racing has also signed several new riders to bolster its line-up for 2009 - Baden Cooke, Francisco Mancebo and Jose Enrique Gutierrez join the team in addition to several US riders. Santiago Botero has left the team to be closer to his family in Colombia.
?Last year was a year of redemption,? Ball said. ?Given the opportunity to ride, we proved we were able to win. In 2009, we will continue our winning tradition, and from a branding and fan perspective, be the number one team in the world.?
"We have assembled a world class team and acquired a mix of tremendous talent and experience. We have the strength, depth and tenacity to compete in any race around the globe.?
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Rock Racing attended the 2008 Tour of Britain, but suffered mixed fortunes as Hamilton crashed out of contention. Always one to generate publicity, Ball organised a team signing event at London store Harrods and hailed the squad's visit to Britain as a success.
Rock Racing 2009 roster
Rahsaan Bahati
Chris Baldwin
Alex Boyd
Austin Carroll
Glen Chadwick
Baden Cooke
Michael Creed
Freddy Cruz
Ivan Dominguez
Danny Finneran
Jose Manuel Garcia
Cesar Grajales
Jose Enrique Gutierrez
Tyler Hamilton
Sergio Hernandez
Sterling Magnell
Francisco Mancebo
Caleb Manion
Ian Moir
Victor Hugo Pena
Fred Rodriguez
Oscar Sevilla
David Taner
David Vitoria
Justin Williams
EXTERNAL LINKS
Rock Racing: www.rockracing.com
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Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
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