Subway Avanti breaks barrier
18 November 2008
Tapping into the lucrative Asian circuit is on the radar for Subway Avanti team manager Greg Hume after a breakthrough with cycling's international body.
The Christchurch-based team, which last week won the teams' classification at the Tour of Southland, has become New Zealand's first internationally recognised road-racing organisation after its registration with the International Cycling Union (UCI).
They are one of four continental teams in Oceania Australia has three and now have the chance to ride in UCI races in America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.
Hume and world track champion Hayden Godfrey approached the UCI last year about registration.
"This is not just a challenge for myself and Hayden but for BikeNZ. I believe once we've got it done, any team that wants to follow the same path in the future, it should be easier and the template will be there."
The paperwork is not yet complete and Hume must present a budget to the UCI, something he expects to exceed $100,000 a year.
The team must still secure a bank guarantor, which Hume is prepared to undertake, and must name its team by December 12. A maximum of 16 cyclists can be named and Hume said he was in talks with some "high-profiled" riders.
He was confident in naming the minimum of eight senior riders (over 18), with world omnium champion Godfrey, former world junior road champion Jeremy Yates, Wellington's Joseph Cooper and Alexandra's James Williamson who won the under-23 title in Southland last week expected to be included.
The team was launched in 2005 to offer a professional set-up for New Zealand cyclists. It finished 10th in its first outing in the country's leading tour, the Tour of Southland, in 2006. Last week it won the teams' classification, along with the king of the mountains jersey, the under-23 title and it won two stages.
The team's first outing under its new status will be at the Tour of Wellington in January.
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