25.10.12

PureBlack Racing look to storm Tour of Southland - It has been a massive year for PureBlack Racing but they still have one last tour before the 2012 racing calendar is over.

PBR

Thursday 25th October: It has been a massive year for PureBlack Racing but they still have one last tour before the 2012 racing calendar is over.
 
The Tour of Southland begins on Sunday with a 4.2km Team Time Trial at 4pm following the team presentation.
 
After such a long year the team is looking forward to having a break from racing tours, but not before they have made their mark on the iconic New Zealand cycling race.
 
“The Tour of Southland has a special meaning for PureBlack Racing as it was our first ever race as a team in 2010,” said Business Director, Greg Cross.
 
Now in its 56th year, the Tour of Southland is known for its tough conditions, with riders regularly contending with ice, snow and heavy winds. PureBlack Racing knows what they are in for, and will be looking to bring some fire to the wild weather of the deep south.
 
“With the weather being a huge factor, early into the race we will know who is racing well, and who isn’t,” said Captain, Roman van Uden, “With everyone returning from their international seasons, it is going to be interesting to see how everyone’s form is so late in the year.”
 
“It is going to be a typical Tour of Southland – bloody hard,” said Roman.
 
Director Sportif, John “Harry” Harris, agrees, and believes the race will be determined by two factors: cross winds and crashes.
 
Harry believes he has a great team who are all ready to get the job done in Southland.
 
“We have the right guy leading [Roman], the perfect tactician [James “Jimmy” Williamson] and the two young guns [Taylor Gunman and Dion Smith] who are both fired up and flying at the moment.
 
“Dion was cracking at the Tour of Tasmania, that young guy is rearing to go after the injuries he has suffered this year, he will be fired up wanting to make an impact.
 
“Jimmy has been Mr. Consistent all year, not quite getting the podium that he was hoping for. He will be looking for that in Southland.”
 
Australian cyclist, Daniel Bonello, and Canadian Cody Canning who races for the Canadian National Team are joining the team; both recruits have raced against PureBlack Racing during 2012, and raring to pull on the black jersey.
 
“We have a strong team, and the new guys will make a big contribution. It is important to bring new blood from different walks of life into teams - it is like adding salt and pepper to a meal, it brings something different to the dynamics of the team,” explained Harry.
 
“The boys are definitely looking forward to ending their year on a high note,” said Roman, “I am really excited to be racing Southland again after missing out last year.”
 
The Tour of Southland consists of a prologue and eight stages and covers a whopping 900km in eight days. Delayed footage of the Tour of Southland will be screened on Cue TV (Sky channel 110, Freeview channel 23) from 9.30pm each night.
 
Alternatively, they will be Tweeting throughout the tour and you can follow the race live through their Twitter page twitter.com/pureblackracing

AVANTI RIDERS