@fernando & sutty: oh it is most definitely real the successful applicant should have a pm waiting for them, and the announcement will be made tomorrow!
After two weeks of applications, Rapha - Rouleur ProCycling have today called a Press Conference to announce their latest recruit to the team.
The press conference will take place at 16:00 GMT, and will run in a similar fashion to the previous one when the Jaguar Academy of Sport opportunity was announced.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Press Conference today here in Manchester. Thank you all for coming again.
Like the first press conference, I will do updates every 15 / 30 minutes, in order to give the conference the feeling of being 'live'.
If, between updates, you have any questions you would like to ask about the breaking news, or any other questions you have able the team, then please PM me and I will try and answer.
Without any further delay, we will begin...
***** 16:15 GMT *****
Well we all know the reason why I have invited you all here: To announce the winning applicant of the Jaguar Academy of Sport scholarship.
Firstly, the whole management team, both here at Rapha - Rouleur and at Jaguar, would like to thank everyone for their applications over the last two weeks. All the riders submitted are superb talents, who no doubt will make outstanding riders in years to come, but sadly there is only room on Rapha - Rouleur for just one at this time.
The man who has been chosen is someone who the entire team is keen to develop. He showed a great passion in his application, and is keen to fill an area of the team in which we are lacking.
And so... without any further delay, let me introduce to you: Pieter de Vries!
***** 16:30 GMT *****
It is great to have Pieter on board with the team. He is an 18 year old Northern Classics / Time Trial rider from the Netherlands, who will be coached and managed on the team by Selwink.
Pieter discovered cycling from an early age, and has grown up watching his idol, Fabian Cancellara, on tv. From that day, he was hooked on the sport, and wanted to be the next Spartacus. With hard work and training around his family home in Friesland, Pieter fine tuned his skills, and feels that now is the time to take his development to the next stage.
***** 16:45 GMT *****
So, I will now pass you onto Pieter, who has a few words to say:
I am delighted to have joined such a great team like Rapha - Rouleur, and would like to thank the team and also Jaguar for giving to me this opportunity.
I have based my cycling on my hero, Fabian Cancellara, and I really think that one day I can reach the same level as him, and Rapha - Rouleur is the ideal place to start my career and help me develop.
Thank you
Thank you Pieter for those kind words. We have big hopes for you here at Rapha - Rouleur.
Well that concludes the press conference, so I will open it up to the floor, and ask if they have any questions that they would like to ask.
Baia: Hey Pieter, congrats for getting in the team... which will be your first race? I can answer that on behalf of Pieter. There has been no talk on the team's race calendar, but in order to maximise all the riders' development, we will sit down with them individually and discuss which races they would like to participate in and plan their seasons
With just the one question asked from Baia, I would like to bring the press conference to a close, and hope that everyone will join me in congratulating Pieter and Selwink on joining the team.
Edited by the_hoyle on 18-08-2013 20:17
New British team Rapha - Rouleur ProCycling have today had their application to become a Pro-Continental team refused by the Union Cycliste Internationale, cycling's World Governing Body.
'The news is disappointing.' stated team manager Phil Hoyle, 'We were hopefully of a place in the Pro Continental division for the 2013 season, but that will not be the case. I have been told it was between us, Accent Jobs and RusVelo, and the UCI went for the other two.'
'Of course it will make the applications for some races a little more difficult,' continued Hoyle, 'but we have a strong team, and you have to confident of promotion if we can produce the results we are aiming for.'
Management at Rapha - Rouleur have previously stated that they will target the British and European Calendar in the 2013, and will have to place highly in order to fight for those promotion places come the end of the year.
I bet it was frikkin Pat McQuaid who denied that request.
baseballlover312, 06-03-14 : "Nuke Moscow...Don't worry Russia, we've got plenty of love to go around your cities"
Sarah Palin, 08-03-14 (CPAC, on Russian aggression) : "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke"
Big thanks to jdog for making this AMAZING userbar!
Cycling Weekly has this week learnt that Rapha-Rouleur could be in the market for a few new faces in the team before the season gets underway.
Details of secret meetings between Rapha-Rouleur GM Phil Hoyle, Rapha Clothing CEO Simon Mottram and Jaguar Academy directors have been leaked into the British cycling press, with each man apparently putting their cards on the table.
None of them were available to comment on the rumours, however it is believed that Hoyle wants to increase the size of the squad, demanding an improved budget from Rapha and putting the team in a stronger position to climb up the cycling ladder, whilst the Jaguar chiefs have supposedly lined up another starlet who is ready to follow in the footsteps of Pieter de Vries and try his hand at professional cycling with Rapha-Rouleur.
Whatever the rumours, Cycling News will be here to break the news as it happens!
Edited by the_hoyle on 15-09-2013 00:08
