South African Champion catches team's eye.
By Nick Adams

A national champions jersey is one of the most prestigious to be worn, as it stands you out from your compatriots as one of the best from your country. A symbol of national pride, it is an honour for anyone to wear the jersey of their country - it's also great to help you stand out in the peleton, and for Cyclevox, one champion stands out somewhat.

South African sprinter, Daryl Impey. Though currently signed to Yamaha - Greenpeace, now renamed Emu Export, the team management have stated they'd be willing to sell him, as their attention shifts to to the mountains.



Impey is a powerful sprinter, who isn't afraid of the hills, either. This talent ensures that he'd be one of the team's lead sprinters, as well as the leader in some hilly one-day races. The team also ensure that he will have a stylish jersey to ride throughout the season.



As of yet, and to comply with rules, there has been no discussion between the managers of Cyclevox and Emu Export, and Adam Freeman, team manager, was unwilling to comment on just how much he'd be willing to part with in order for Impey's talent.

However, with the transfer season approaching, the team are hopeful that it will go smoothly, and they'll have at least one champion's jersey in their midst.

Team announce upcoming goals for the season.
By Nick Adams

With the season beginning to become set in motion, and the 2012 race calendar officially announced, Cyclevox are proud to announce their targets for the coming year of racing.

The first goal, and perhaps the most obvious, is to put in a strong performance at the Tour of Britain. Namely, nothing less than a Top 10 would be considered a success. With 3 other British teams, this goal won't be easy; and the Tour of Britain tends to be an unpredictable race.



The next goal, also based in Britain is to win the Manx International. A highly ambitious goal, perhaps, and the race profile does seem to lend itself to a rather unpredictable race; with a large climb coming in the latter half of the race, it is unclear whether it will be a matter of climbing first and escaping, or simply getting sprinter's over the top in as good shape as possible.

Australia is also a focus for the team, with one of their goals to put in a very strong performance in what looks to be their season opener, and first ever race: the Down Under Classic. The team hope to achieve nothing less than a top 5, to announce their name in the world of cycling in style.



Finally, the next two goals span the entire season, as the team hope to rack up no less than 15 wins throughout the season, and to make it inside the Top 15 of the Team's Rankings by the end of the year.

It will be difficult, but management at Cyclevox feel that all these goals are achievable; and with Transfers coming up, they have a keen eye on those riders who will make the goals a reality.

With the transfer season fast approaching, Cyclevox have been incredibly vocal about the riders who they intend to sign, and to fly their team name in their debut season. We caught up with the team manager to discuss some of his plans and hopes for 2012.

So, you definitely haven't been shy to make it publicly known which riders you are aiming for. Why is that?
Well, it's a matter of opportunity, and chances. If we don't make the possibility of a signing known, then the rider and his contracted team might never consider a move until the transfer season is in full swing. By then, it might be too late to make any kind of deal.

Aren't you concerned that your publicity towards certain riders will attract other teams to them, though?
Not at all, no. The simple fact is, regardless of whether or not we express interest in a rider, they are riders of such a caliber that many teams will be considering them anyway, most likely. Since we openly state it, their teams will hopefully come to us first looking for a deal. Though, of course I know it's about the best offers, and the best money - not first come first serve.

Previously you stated that you'd be looking for a strong sprint team. Is this still the plan?
It is, yes. Though, not the whole plan. Of course, we've expressed interest in Oliphant, Impey and Vantomme, as well as looking to Argentina at the lesser known of the Haedo brothers. Yet, success isn't only earned by being a top sprint team. We also hope to contend in the mountains and stage races, since some solid wins in these types of races drastically helps a team's chance of promoting.

Are there any riders you've considered as targets to lead the team in Stage Races?
One target whom we're somewhat hopeful is Dutch rider, Ricardo Van De Velde. Perhaps not the first name who springs to mind when considering a stage racer, but he has great talent, and him being under rated may play to our hands during the transfers. Francis De Greef and Peter Velits have also made our short list, though Velits in particular will be very eagerly sought after by other teams.

And, what about one day classics, and cobbled races?
Of course, we'd like to be strong in this area, too; though it is difficult to find one of the true stars of cobbled races, given that many of the PT teams have secured their services. Vantomme would be fairly strong in these races, we feel, which is why he's such a big target, and many of the British riders we've looked at are also capable. Frederiek Nolf is another rider we've considered for this role, but it's unclear whether or not Festina will give him up.

At the moment, Kevin Pauwles is looking to be a potential leader for the cobbled sprint stages, though we'd need someone who can climb well enough, too.

Also, Van De Velde and De Greef are both strong riders on the cobbles, who could help out should we sign them; making them even more invaluable to us.

What about British riders? Have you considered any of them as a team leader? Wiggins, for instance?
No, we haven't. The majority of british riders already ride for british teams, and so there's no incentive for them to ride for a new, unproven team. That doesn't mean we don't have british talent on the team's shortlist, though. Oliphant of course could lead the time in some smaller sprint stages, whilst Tom Southam could prove massively useful in TTs and TTTs. We've also got a few others in mind, including young welshman Rhys Lloyd to give him a chance and see what he's capable of.

Thank you very much, and best of luck in 2012.

Heine wrote:
I really enjoy your press releases Hope you will keep them up over the entire season

Mountain helpers a must for team.
By Nick Adams

In a recent interview, the Cyclevox team announced their wishes to be a strong Stage Racing team, and to support those desires, they have also expressed a need in strong climbers to assist their team leaders in the mountains. A few of the names on their shortlist have been announced.

The first of the names comes from Venezuela, having rode for the YouTube - Twitter team last season, and now looking for a team: Richard Ochoa Quintero. A talented climber, he finished 71st in the Continental Individual rankings, and just managed a top 20 in the Tour of America. The team are unsure as of yet whether the they will ride the CT's only Grand Tour, but Ochoa certainly brings a wealth of experience for such an event.



The next target is an Australian, and would likely be part of a strong Australian contingent within the Cyclevox team, should his talents be acquired. Jai Crawford, a free agent for the last season and looking for a team; Cyclevox are willing to provide him a team for the year, as his climbing talent would be of great help to the team.



Finally, the team look to Portugal, to one of their most prominent riders, and a superb climbing talent, Tiago Machado. Another rider left without a team in the aftermath of the 2011 season. Well capable of climbing mountains, but also a fast accelerator, he could prove to be a strong helper, and maybe even take some wins himself.



However, the team do insist that this list is not exhaustive by any means, as they can not be guaranteed to sign all of them, citing talent from South Africa, Italy and elsewhere as being potential candidates for the team.

In other, related news, the team have suggested that Jurgen Van De Broeck may again be at the top of their candidates for a stage racer, his 15th place overall last year proving that he is worth the money. However, they have also suggested that there may in fact be another candidate: though all that they are willing to confess so far is that he is Italian, and rode for a now disbanded ProTour team last season.

CountArach wrote:
I'd just like to say that I too am enjoying all these media reports. Keep them up!

Inside source leaks possible shortlist information.

Given how vocal the team have been about their wish list for their debut season, an inside source at Cyclevox - ITV managed to get a quick snap of some of the team manager's scribblings about, regarding shortlisted riders.



Whilst some of the information jotted down doesn't reveal anything new, such as interest in Impey, and homegrown riders, Southam and Scottish champion Oliphant, there are some newer, interesting pieces of info, should they prove reliable. This is the first time any sign of interest Renshaw or Docker has been shown by the team, and is perhaps a great sign that the team still have interest in a strong sprint department. Both rode for ProTour teams last season, however, and will no doubt attract attention from other teams in the highest division of the sport.

Another interesting thing found amidst the scribbles is a note next to belgian Sprinter, Maximme Vantomme's name, stating that he is "Too Expensive." It seems the small British-based newcomers have backed off of the young sprint superstar, as bigger teams have begun to show their interest.

Finally, a small scribbling on the side listing Van Der Velde and Van Der Broeck, both with question marks beside them, seems to show that the team still can not decide on a prime target for their stage racer. Van Der Broeck proved more successful in the previous season, scoring admirably on the CT rankings; and that may attract some larger targets than Cyclevox will be able to handle.

Levi4life wrote:
You can't have docker. Sorry

ANFreeman wrote:


Was worth a long shot Plus, I wasn't entirely certain of his/ his team's situation for 2012.

Kami wrote:


He'll be a free agent, so i don't see why not.

Team set to achieve sponsor goals.
With the allocation of HC races officially anounced, Cyclevox are pleased to announce that everything is in place for them to target their sponsor's main goals. These include the Tour of Britain and the Down Under Classic, both of which the team recieved entry to.
The teams other HC races will see them travelling the globe quite a lot, with races in Germany, the USA and Argentina, for a start.
The full list of HC races is available on the Calendar, on the main page.