Heading into 2012 in a very different team to the one she had anticipated, Alexis Rhodes has spoken about the switch from Garmin-Cervélo to the new GreenEdge team.
The Australian road race champion had a valid contract with the first of those two outfits but the American women’s team crumbled apart due to a lack of finances. Rhodes was a natural choice for the new Aussie setup, while many of her other team-mates are tipped to be going to the AA Drink team.
2010 world time trial champion Emma Pooley confirmed to VeloNation in recent days that she would move to the latter squad.
Rhodes has now given her thoughts on her team switch. “I had a two year contract with Garmin so I hadn't even contemplated joining GreenEdge-AIS, but after JV (Jonathan Vaughters) sent me a text message telling me the team was folding, I started thinking about how great it would be to ride for GreenEdge-AIS,” she said. “I am really excited to be part of the first Aussie women's pro team.”
She has a chance to clock up a major victory for the squad if she can successfully defend her national road race title in this week’s Mars Cycling Australia championships. The road race is on Saturday, with a strong group of 79 riders confirmed to take part.
Rhodes will also compete in the criterium and time trial. “I'm not really sure how I'll go, to be honest, but I am hoping to go well in the time trial and will be out to defend my title in the road race.”
As is the case in the men’s championships, the GreenEdge team will have a serious presence in the competitions. It features a total of seven Australians in the 2012 lineup, with Rhodes being joined by Tiffany Cromwell, Rowena Fry, Shara Gillow, Melissa Hoskins, Jessie Maclean and Amanda Spratt. They will work together in the race to ensure that one of them holds the national champion’s jersey after the weekend.
Four foreign riders will also compete with the GreenEdge lineup during the season ahead. These include world time trial champion Judith Arndt of Germany, who like Rhodes previously competed with the former T-Mobile/Highroad team. Ditto for the Kiwi Linda Villumsen, while Claudia Häusler (Germany) and Loes Gunnewijk (Netherlands) complete the team.
“We have a really great group of girls to race with this year, including Judith, who is a champion on and off the bike,” said Rhodes. “And of course Shara (Gillow) who is an amazing talent, and also a really good chick.
“Then you have surprise packages like Mel Hoskins. I am really excited about watching her progress over the coming season - Mel Hoskins can sprint.”
Another part of her attraction to the setup is the fact that there are some very good backup personnel to help the riders achieve their best results. She knows many of them from her previous experiences of racing with the Cycling Australia and Australian Institute of Sports setups.
“All of the staff are experienced in dealing with the challenges of racing in Europe but I think the main advantage is that unlike many other teams, the GreenEDGE-AIS team is not set in their ways and are open to new ideas.”