Team Type 1 will field a versatile roster sprinkled with international flavor and experience when it begins its third season as a men’s professional team in 2010.
In 2009, Team Type 1 won 55 races, finished fourth in the National Racing Calendar (NRC) standings and captured the King of the Mountains title at five races, including the Tour of Missouri. In two seasons, the squad has registered 100 victories and 219 podium (top three) finishes.
Team Type 1 is the world’s only professional cycling team with a roster that includes riders who have Type 1 diabetes. Established in 2004 by Phil Southerland and Joe Eldridge, the team strives to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes.
Southerland said the team’s previous success paves the way for an expanded racing calendar in 2010 that will include competition in North and South America, as well as Europe, Asia and Africa.
“We have had two great years with a great group of guys,” Southerland said. “The beauty of our team is the impact we have. With this roster, we hope to leave a long-lasting – and winning – impression on people around the globe.”
Southerland said the support of sponsors and a strong group of riders has the team on target to achieve its long-term goal of competing in the Tour de France by 2012.
“The notoriety Team Type 1 has garnered has allowed us to partner with great companies, as well as the International Diabetes Federation, with the goal of providing insulin to the 70,000 people in need of it around the world,” he said.
Southerland will continue as the team’s Chief Executive Officer but not compete professionally after being sidelined much of the past two seasons by a leg injury. The second-year pro competed in the Amgen Tour of California in 2009 and was part of Team Type 1’s winning eight-person team in the Race Across America (RAAM) in 2006 and 2007.
Team Type 1’s roster for 2010 includes a strong mix of veterans (Michael Creed, Valeriy Kobzarenko, Shawn Milne), sprinters (Eldridge, Ken Hanson and Aldo Ino Ilesic), stage racing specialists (Chris Jones and Davide Frattini), European talent (Javier Megias, Thomas Rabou and Martijn Verschoor) and an abundance of promising newcomers (Will Dugan, Alexey Shmidt, Thomas Soladay and Scott Stewart).
Four of the 17 riders have Type 1 diabetes: Fabio Calabria, Eldridge, Megias and Verschoor. In addition to nine Americans, there are riders from Australia, Holland, Italy, Russia, Slovenia, Spain and the Ukraine.
Vassili Davidenko returns for his second season as the team’s director sportif. He will be assisted by Michael Carter.
Team Type 1’s 2010 Roster:
Fabio Calabria*, Michael Creed, Will Dugan, Joe Eldridge*, Davide Frattini, Ken Hanson, Daniel Holt, Aldo Ino Ilesic, Chris Jones, Valeriy Kobzarenko, Shawn Milne, Javier Megias*, Thomas Rabou, Alexey Shmidt, Thomas Soladay, Scott Stewart, Martijn Verschoor*.
*Indicates rider who has Type 1 diabetes.
Returning:
Fabio Calabria (AUS) missed half of the 2009 season after breaking a bone in his wrist in a fall during a training ride in June. The 22-year-old was the only rider with Type 1 diabetes to place in the top 10 in a national-caliber stage race in the United States (seventh place on Stage 2 of the San Dimas Stage Race) in 2009.
Michael Creed (USA) added to his already impressive list of accomplishments in 2009 by earning a silver medal in the points race at the USA Cycling Elite National Track Championships. On the road, the 10th-year pro was the squad’s most consistent rider in stage races after signing on with Team Type 1 in June.
Will Dugan (USA) finished the 2009 season competing as a stagiaire for Team Type 1 at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and several one day races. The promising 22-year-old won the sprint competition at the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic while finishing third on the race’s second stage. He also captured the 2008 USA Cycling National Collegiate Cyclocross Championship riding for the University of Vermont.
Joe Eldridge (USA) earned the Dick Lane Velodrome “Rider of the Year” honors in 2009 with 22 victories on the track. The co-founder of Team Type 1 also won the Ride to Live Circuit Race in April in his hometown of Birmingham, Ala. He is the first professional rider with Type 1 diabetes to have competed in the USA Cycling national championships in track, time trial, criterium and road race.
Shawn Milne (USA) scored one of Team Type 1’s most impressive victories when he won a five-up sprint at the U.S. Air Force Cycling Classic in Arlington, Va. Among the fifth-year professional’s eight podium placings in 2009 was the King of the Mountaisn title at the San Dimas Stage Race and a runner-up finish on Stage 7 of the Vuelta Mexico Telmex.
Ken Hanson (USA) teamed with Aldo Ino Ilesic to produce a powerful 1-2 punch in criteriums in his first season with Team Type 1. The 2008 USA Cycling elite criterium national champion scored three wins, five runner-up finishes and one third place. Included were wins at the San Rafael and Wells Fargo Twilight criteriums, as well as a runner-up finish in the USA CRITS Speed Week Series.
Daniel Holt (USA) continued to display his versatility by being a dependable teammate on the road while also earning podium finishes on the track. The fourth-year professional has been with Team Type 1 since its inaugural year (2008) and scored his best finish (fourth) in the second race of the inaugural Tour of America’s Dairyland.
Aldo Ino Ilesic (SLO) established himself as one of the top criterium riders on the domestic circuit with victories at the Hanes Park Classic, the Ricola Twilight Criterium and the Mocksville and Cabarrus Creamery Criteriums of the Giordana Crossroads Classic. The 25-year-old also had a number of impressive runner-up finishes, including at the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium, Wells Fargo Twilight Criterium and the BikeJam/Kelly Cup.
Chris Jones (USA) registered his third straight top 10 finish at the USA Cycling road national championships with seventh place in Greenville, S.C., adding to his impressive fourth place overall at the Tour de Beauce. An accomplished climber, Jones soloed to victory on Stage 4 of the Joe Martin Stage Race.
Valeriy Kobzarenko (UKR) played a pivotal role in nearly every stage race in 2009 and was one of three Team Type 1 riders to finish the Amgen Tour of California. The 32-year-old Ukrainian Olympian is one of five riders still with the team from its first professional season.
New Signings:
Martijn Verschoor (NED) is a 24-year-old, second-year professional who rode for Slenema & Co. Belastingadviseur, a Dutch continental team in 2009. He won the Wim Hendriks Trofee road race in Holland and was runner-up in the Omloop van de Veenkolonien.
Thomas Soladay (USA) turned heads in 2009 by winning the sprint classification at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. In addition to his four victories, the 26-year-old was fifth overall in the USA CRITS Speedweek series. Team Mountain Khakis Director Pat Raines said, “Tom represents all that we are about as a development program and seeing him graduate to a program like Team Type 1 is a great success for us and our program.”
Davide Frattini (ITA) is the first Italian to join Team Type 1. An accomplished road racer whose strengths include climbing, the 31-year-old also excels at cyclecross. Frattini comes to the team after five seasons with the Colavita-Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light squad. He is a past winner of the “Baby” Giro d’Italia (2001) before turning professional in 2002.
Javier Megias (ESP) arrives from the ProTour ranks, having competed the past six seasons for Fuji-Servetto (2009), Scott-American Beef (2008) and the Saunier Duval (2005-2008) squads. Best known as a sprinter and accomplished stage racer, the 26-year-old has scored victories at the Vuelta a Chihuahua (2007), Vuelta a Goierri (2005) and second overall at the Vuelta Ciclista a Valladolid in 2005.
Thomas Rabou (NED) is a 25-year-old who has spent the past three seasons with Rabobank’s continental team. Among his eight victories over the past four years is a win at the Spar Arden Challenge stage race in Belgium in 2006.
Alexey Shmidt (RUS) raced in 2009 for the Russian Junost Moscow team after riding for Katusha’s continental squad in 2008. The 26-year-old excels on both the road and track, having won the European Championship in the points race as a junior in 2001. He was also part of Russia’s bronze medal team pursuit squad at the junior world championships that same year and competed in the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Scott Stewart (USA) brings a wealth of experience to the team despite being only 22 years old. The Oxford, Mich., native was runner-up in the Under 23 men’s road race at the USA Cycling Elite national road championships (riding for Team Waste Management) and competed in the 2008 Amgen Tour of California as part of the USA Development Squad. He also was part of the highly successful Lees-McRae College program, finishing second in the 2008 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals Division I men’s omnium.