Former Spanish national champion and twice Vuelta a España podium finisher Francisco "Paco" Mancebo will join up with another strong climber, the Colombian Cesar Grajales, in leading the new RealCyclist.com team in 2011.
Mancebo finished sixth and fourth in the Tour de France in 2004 and 2005, but his career headed in a different direction after he was implicated in Operación Puerto in 2006. He wasn’t banned, but competed in smaller teams such Relax-Gam, Frecase-Rota dos Moveis, the controversial Rock Racing squad and Heraklion Kastro-Murcia.
In that time, he has picked up some good victories, including stage one of the Tour of California, the Vuelta a Asturias and the Tour of Utah in 2009.
He’s aiming to ride well on US soil in 2011, and appears to be motivated. “I’m very excited by this new project. I’m very attracted to the idea of racing in the USA, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” said the 34 year old Spaniard. “I hope to have good results in 2011, especially in California and Utah, to repay the team for placing confidence in me. The team is a mix of youth and experience and will make up a solid group.”
Grajales was a team-mate of Mancebo at Rock Racing, and was also left sidelined when things started going belly-up there. He is best known for beating Lance Armstrong and others to win the Brasstown Bald stage of the 2004 Tour of Georgia, and also won the King of the Mountains classification in the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Classic.
The two veterans will share their experience with the team’s young riders, according to team director Gord Fraser. "We have many young riders set to dip their feet in full-time in UCI races for the first time. I look forward to helping our talented riders and to have a cohesive team as quickly as possible.”
The other eleven riders on the team are 2010 Tour of California King of the Mountains Thomas Rabou, Matt Crane, Frank Travieso, Evan Hyde, Ian Burnett, Oscar Clar, Josh Berry, Mike Midlarsky, Yosvany Falcon, Cole House and Tommy Nankervis.