Targeting a range of US-based races including the Redlands Classic and the TD Bank Philadelphia International Championship, the Wonderful Pistachios team has just concluded an early-season training camp in Santa Rosa. Now in its second year at Continental level, the US team will feature 11 riders this season, including the 2010 Trek-Livestrong U23 team rider Iggy Silva and the Englishman Tom Faiers, who competed with the ProTour Footon Servetto squad last year.
“We want to be an exciting team to watch this year and I chose the riders based on that criteria," team owner and director Josh Horowitz explained. “These are strong, powerful and aggressive riders who will bring some personality to any race they do. We want spectators to have fun watching us race and then walk away with a story to tell their friends – and a pocket full of pistachios.
“We're suited to do well in multiple types of races. The Redlands Bicycle Classic should showcase the talent of our riders right out of the gate. We are also focused on the Dana Point and Manhattan Beach Grand Prix races, as well as the TD Bank Philadelphia International Championship.”
The California-based squad has been renamed, having competed last year as the Adageo Energy Pro Cycling Team. It had its camp this weekend in Santa Rosa, and while a serious storm was forecast, conditions ended up being perfect and some good training was done.
The riders are focussed on performing well in their first big target of the season, the Redlands Classic. It begins March 31, giving them one month to further hone form and get ready.
Aside from Redlands and the other events mentioned, the calendar will also see the riders line out in criteriums and circuit races in various locations in the US.
The team’s 2011 equipment includes Orbea bicycles and Edge Design wheels and components. The full lineup comprises Faiers, Silva, the Californians Tayor Bertrade-Barrett, Menso de Jong, Sterling Magnell, Alexi Martinez and Collin Samaan, Colorado riders Neil Coleman and Eric Bennett, and Victor Riquelme (Middlebury, Vt.) plus Tim Farnham (San Francisco).