Top US women’s team aiming for Olympic development ahead of rider allocation in May
Team Tibco-To the Top will once again be targeting the international calendar in 2012, with the broad aim of qualifying as many riders as possible for the London Olympics. The team has been International Cycling Union (UCI) registered since 2010, competing in a number of the biggest races in Europe, with the aim of developing riders that will be able to compete at Olympic levels.
Although the UCI has already announced the rider allocation for the men’s road race and time trial, the women’s allocation will not be released until May 31st next year. With a maximum of just three riders per nation, it will be important for all aspiring countries to make it as high up in the spring rankins as possible.
“The U.S. needs to finish as one of the top five countries in the UCI rankings by May 30 in order to send a four-rider squad to the Olympic Games,” said team manager and founder Linda Jackson. “To support the goals of both our athletes and USA Cycling, we will be sending Team TIBCO to Europe for two solid blocks of racing in the spring. These races will prime our riders to come back to the U.S ready to kick off the NRC calendar with Redlands.”
The team enjoyed a strong season in 2011, with the biggest result for a Tibco rider was Megan Guarnier’s overall victory in the Giro di Toscana a week before the World championships; although she was riding in the colours of the US National team.
“Everything came together for Megan at Toscana,” said Jackson. “This is only the beginning for her. Megan is an incredibly talented rider who is just starting to see the fruits of her dedication and passion for the sport.”
The core of the 2011 team will remain, including Guarnier, Jo Kiesanowski Meredith Miller, Erinne Willock and Tara Whitten but significant additions will be made, including former rider Amanda Miller, who spent 2011 riding for HTC-Highroad, and Canadian champion Veronique Fortin.
“We knew Amanda was a special rider when we brought her onto the team in 2010,” explained Jackson. “This season, she continued to develop into a top-flight talent. Vero is an exceptional climber, and a rider whose talent is only starting to emerge. We’re really excited to have her and to see how she continues to develop.”
Fortin will join compatriots Willock and Whitten, although the latter will be riding less of a road programme than the rest in 2012.
“Tara will be focused on the track again with an eye on Omnium gold at the London Olympics,” said Jackson. “We’re really proud to have her on the squad and we want to support her efforts to win gold in 2012.”
Once again the team will be riding Specialized Amira frames, equipped with SRAM Red components and Reynolds carbon wheels. To the Top cycling will also continue to support the Tibco Juniors and Tibco II teams.