Cycling: Southland first hitout for PureBlacks

Glen Chadwick

Ambitious New Zealand cycling team, PureBlack Racing, will get their first run at next month's Tour of Southland and will be led by the experienced New Plymouth rider, Glen Chadwick.

Mike Northey (Auckland) and Mark Langlands (Cambridge) will be the other senior riders with backup provided from under-23s Shem Rodger (Cambridge) and Aucklanders Roman van Uden and Taylor Gunman.

Opunake's Chadwick, 33, specialises in time trialling but is a versatile and aggressive rider at home on flat or lumpy terrain.

He won the Tour of Mexico in 2008 when he also won the New Zealand time trial title and was a member of the national team to the 2007 world road championships.

"PureBlack Racing has its inaugural training camp in Queenstown next week, then we move on to the Tour of Southland," team sports director Carl Williams said today.

"While we aim to be competitive there, this is very much a pre-season event, as many of our riders for 2011 remain under contract to other teams until the end of December.

"It is an important part of our build up for 2011."

Other riders signed to Pure Black's senior squad are Michael Torckler, Daniel Barry, Scott Lyttle, James Williamson and James McCoy who should be available for selection when the team takes to the start of their first race on the United States continental tour next March.

The team's ultimate goal is to become the first New Zealand-developed team on the world's ProTour and qualify to compete in the grand races such as the Tour de France.

They will receive major support from New Zealand bike makers Avanti.

The Tour of Southland runs from November 1-6.

- NZPA