Following on from a successful first summer season on the road, and helping to raise the profile of women’s cycling, the Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International Women’s Cycling Team has strengthened its squad for 2015 with the addition of Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European Champion Joanna Rowsell MBE.
Joanna has signed for two years with a squad that has dominated much of the UK domestic racing and is one of a few teams to support its riders across Road, Track and Time Trial events. Riding to raise awareness of the work of Boot Out Breast Cancer, the team also targets key UCI professional races to find the right balance of racing for a team which boasts no fewer than six National Team riders.
Already an ambassador for Sports Tours International and Club La Santa, Joanna Rowsell is looking forward to working with the other sponsors of the team and riding the Ridley bikes that Madison will continue to supply to the squad.
Speaking of her new contract Joanna said, “I am delighted to be signing for the Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International squad for the next two years and having the security of knowing what my race schedule will look like as I aim to gain selection for Team GB in Rio 2016.”
She continued, “The team has had incredible success since it started earlier this year and is known to be incredibly well organised both at races and with rider communications, which made it an attractive team for me to join. I am keen to help continue the collective success of the team as I work on my own ambitions on the road and track.”
Barney Storey, the Team Director also commented on the first new signing for the team. “Having a rider of Joanna’s calibre join us is an exciting time; her experience and success in cycling speaks for itself. We are very much looking forward to working with her and supporting her as she builds towards selection for Rio 2016.”
Club La Santa and Sports Tours International are hosting the team’s first training camp from 8-18 December in Lanzarote, Spain, and this will be the first occasion at which Joanna will officially join up with the 2015 line up.
Chris Bird, Chief Executive of Sports Tours International said “Sports Tours International are delighted to secure both Joanna and Dame Sarah Storey as ambassadors to help promote women’s cycling and take the profile of women’s cycling to the next level.”
He added, “We are also thrilled to have secured Joanna on the Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International team. Joanna and Dame Sarah are not only two of the greatest British women’s cyclists, but also part of one of the most exciting women’s cycling teams to compete at the highest level.”
During 2014, Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International has collected 21 race victories, including a stage win at the UCI Tour de Bretagne Feminin, and also supported five riders on teams at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
