Hello all and welcome to the media thread of new, or should I say old team - ANC - Halfords! The team will be operating under the original name, as was used back in 1987, when this team was last part of the peloton!
The team is proud to say we've opted to use the original design of the jersey, and we hope to do it proud once again. Our official unveiling will be in a few days time, but for now enjoy the teaser above.
The Team Ethos
Every team has a target, a goal in life, something to which they aspire... For us obviously promotion is key to the sponsors, but their first and foremost target is stage wins! They want to see the Blue+Red stripes with there arms raised this season, to show the world that ANC mean business!
We'll be out to collect sprinters, fighters, daring riders who dont want to finish anonymously inside the peloton, and we'll be out there fighting on all fronts right from the seasons beginnings!
ANC were a british logistics firm, who recently became a part of the major corporate brand "FedEx." None the less, we will be sponsored by the ANC directors for the first season, trying to recreate the brilliant cycling that the team used to provide, back in there heydey, becoming the first UK team to race the TdFrance.
Our second sponsor, is the UK based company Halfords, who specialise in Car and Bicycle parts, as well as performing services, MOT's and other work on motor vehicles. They will be our key source of income for this year, and their cycling outlet "Bikehut" will also provide Bikes and Mechanics for the coming season.
Helmet
Boardman is the name to look for once more when looking at our helmet design. An internal Carbon shell will make sure that our riders avoid injury should they be involved with a crash, a factor of utmost importance to those in charge here at ANC - Halfords.
The Jersey
For the first season, no changes will be made to the jersey the team last rode in, the only difference will be the up-to-date clothing materials we put to use, and the producing company, namely Rapha. The retro feel of the jersey is something we're particularly proud of, as we are attempting to re-create that sides riding style, and the image they were proud to be a part of.
Edited by baggieboys32 on 08-11-2012 18:23
ANC-Halfords would like to present unto you, the fans and competition our 2013 season, race goals. The team will focus heavily on the Europe Tour, with the target of a top 10 overall finish.
In order to do this we will focus on various races, mostly shorter stage races and classics, all over Europe. Further talks with the sponsors led to us picking out some individual races which we will target this season. Due to our roots as the only UK Conti. Team, we will focus on getting the image of UK Cycling to the fans in our home countries of UK and Ireland, we hope to get a wildcard for the Tour of Britain, as well as aiming high in the FBD Ras.
We had a real fight in order to get Ricki to join ANC-Halfords, but we're really pleased that it's a battle we won. He's the teams absolute leader, and our number one sprinter, one of the fastest men in the CT. He's the only Australian rider in the team, but as a squad which is entirely English speaking, that shouldn't prove to be a problem for him.
Chris Barton
Wage: €50,000 Transfer Cost: €280,000
Chris was the teams final signing during the transfer window, and really strengthens the GC side of our squad. He's a strong climber, but his real power is on a TT bike. He backs these qualities up with the ability to keep going day after day, making his Transfer from Wikipedia look like a great one for the ANC team.
Kevin Barclay
Wage: €100,000
Kevin is the teams second sprinter, though he will be looking to be one of the more aggressive riders within the team, hoping to score plenty of wins from the break and in reduced size groups. He's also the teams only native leader, making him more important to the sponsors. He will be very important when it comes to securing funding for the coming season and we will try and support him regularly in his attempts for victory.
Protected Riders
Tom Danielson
Wage: €70,000
Technically the best climber on the team, Tom will get many opportunities for both stage wins and his own races. He will try and support our stronger GC man Barton during the bigger stage races we enter as a team, and will probably look to get into breakaways on mountain stages later in races.
Dale Appleby
Wage: €50,000 Transfer: €200,000
Dale is the teams strongest puncher. He'll lead in the hilly classics we enter, and look for stage wins when we're on the road in longer tours. He signed with us after a move from Vesuvio-Accumulax, stating his wish to ride in a more leading role as his reason for dropping divisions. We hope he can perform successfully over the season, and become one of our highest points scorers.
Rahsaan Bahati
Wage: €50,000
Rahsaan is the teams second fastest sprinter. He struggles a bit when it comes to matching flat pace, but with good protection we're convinced we can get him into position, and he has a great turn of speed which should be good for a few wins this year.
Ed Clancy
Wage: €100,000
Ed is a fantastic track cyclist, and after Olympic gold at London 2012, he became one of the teams top priorities for the coming year. He combines being able to TT with a strong Sprint, making him on of the teams stonrg all round riders. Ed will be one of our key leadout men, and we hope he will help set up many victories in the coming year.
Reports from a press conference held today, suggest that the new ANC - Halfords team will be comprised entirely of British + Irish riders, with the biggest focus being upon Sprinters and Fighters.
The team is keen to develop riders from the sponsors home nations, and grow with this ethos. Key targets were bandied about during the Q&A session which followed and a few names were mentioned. Kevin Barclay, Peter Hawkins and Tobyn Horton were named as the 3 big sprinters who the team were interested in, whilst Sean Gallagher, Daniel Fleeman and Ronan Mclaughlin are thought to be on the shortlist as lead rider.
Today we release the final versions of our equipment ahead of the 2013 season. The equipment itself, will be a Boardman Air 9.8, but we set a graphics artist on it, to create ANC-Halfords bicycles for the coming season. Ladies and Gentleman I'm proud to present to you, the Road and TT frames upon which we hope to create history in 2013!
Major Thanks to Fintas for both of these great designs!
The team are proud to say that following talks with sponsors, we have confirmed our season goals, they are visible in the "Race Targets" section of the team thread
The team had a very busy start to the transfer window, picking up 9 free agents after just one weekend of action! The riders are a mixture of US and UK nationals, and include the majority of our domestiques for the season, along with a few riders who will be named sprinters in the 2013 season.
The Riders
Robby Squire
Robby is one of the teams best climbers, he'll get opportunities when the riders turn the noses uphill, he will also get chances in the breakaways, looking for stage wins where he can find them.
Kevin Barclay
Kevin is a powerful british sprinter, mostly he'll be working as a leadout man, but will also get his own opportunities throughout the year, especially in longer races.
Gavin Mannion
One of the teams most exciting talents. Gavin is just 22, but looks to have a lot of potential on climbs and against the clock. We will do everything to support his development as a rider, and will help to push his career forwards
Rahsaan Bahati
Rahsaan is looking for stages this year, he has a rapid sprint and the team will look to give him as many opportunities as possible during the year, especially in the American Tour.
John Devine
John provides climbing support, and will enjoy a free role from time to time in one day hilly classics. Mostly however he will be looking after his leaders, to set up stage wins and GC attacks.
David Millar
David Millar will be a key domeastique throughout the year, he provides a decent TT, and will find himself regularly a part of the ANC leadout train.
Tom Danielson
Tom is the teams absolute leader in the mountains, he backs his climbing up with a reasonable TT and will be the turn-to man when the team are hunting a GC.
Olympic gold medallist on the Track, Ed is now turning his attention to the road, with ANC-Halfords, he's a useful sprinter, though he'll find he spends most time in leadout roles. Ed packs the added bonus of being a strong TTist, so he makes a fantastic domestique in the flat stages.
After a very busy opening period in the transfer window, the team has had a slightly calmer period, however we can now announce that a group deal has passed between ANC-Halfords and Wiggle Professional Cycling Team. The deal has seen 2 riders make a permanent switch, whilst a third rider will spend a year in the CT with ANC on loan.
The Riders
Russell Hampton
Russell is a useful time-triallist, he'll be working for the team throughout the year, looking to contest TT stages, and work as an early member of the leadout train for our sprinters. He'll be a valuable asset to the team and we wish him a warm welcome.
Richard Tanguy
Richards' Bike handling make him a useful asset over cobbled terrain. He'll probably get the odd leading role this year over rough terrain, and will be a key man when we're controlling the peloton, or reeling in breakaways.
Scott Thwaites
Scott Thwaites is an exciting prospect for british cycling, he'll become a star man on the cobbles later in life and his main team Wiggle have sent him to us for the year on loan. He'll get many opportunities throughout the year, and we're looking to help mold him into the star rider he has the potential to become.
It seems as though ANC-Halfords have all but completed their next 3 transfer deals. Their are rumours of a potential loan for the season which may be revealed later, but for now all we can give you are the 3 concrete deals which have gone ahead during the days.
Some say, he's the only man on earth able to finish a bike race before he starts. Some say, that when the big bang occurred, It was just because he was bored of controlling the universe. All we know, is he's called Pate. Danny Pate.
Ricki Nelson
The only Australian in the team, and the highest earner to boot! Ricki is a fantastic sprinter, and will be the teams turn-to man on the flat. He'll be looking to score big points in the Continental Tour this year, as the side look to place well in teh rankings. Expect to see an ANC leadout train setting up races for this man, on a regular basis.
Looking forward to racing against him.
