|
NEW YORK, NY (March 5, 2002)- Serotta Bicycles and NYC-based XGIRLSPORT
announced plans to sponsor the youngest women's professional
cycling team in the US.
Ashley Kimmet PA, Rebecca
McClintock FL, Grace Taylor, NC
and Sarah Ulmer of New Zealand, comprise the most
promising group of young riders this season.
Promoting
the sport of cycling to the next generation is key for both Serotta
and XGIRLSPORT.
In
addition to competing in
national and international events in the US and Canada during 2002,
the team will
be presenting a series of cycling seminars and workshops for girls
and young women.
Says
Lori Hoefer, Serotta's Director of Marketing: "All too often,
women's teams either don't have the resources or the interest in
developing up-and-coming racers. And the sport has suffered as a
result. That's why we at Serotta are so pleased to be involved with
this, in helping to create a positive environment in which promising
young women can flourish."
It's
a sentiment shared by Serotta's co-sponsor, XGIRLSPORT.com
- the source for girls in action sports.
"Young athletes are the strength and future of sport"
, says XGIRLSPORT
publisher Ursula Day,
"We are excited to have such a talented group of young role
models defining cycling at its best"
The
Serotta / XGIRLSPORT
Cycling Team's
credentials
are impressive:
Ashley Kimmet, a Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania native who is coached by former World Champion Gil
Hatton and Sydney Olympic gold medalist Marty Nothstein, placed
second in the 2000 Junior World Championships Points Race, and last
year represented the US at the Goodwill Games.
Rebecca McClintock, a pre-med
student at the University of Florida, won National titles in 1999
and 2000; were it not for a crash that left her with a broken jaw
last May, she might well have made it three years in a row that
she had the honor of wearing the stars-and-stripes US Championship
jersey.
Grace
Taylor, a student
teacher from North Carolina, entered her first bicycle race just
one year ago; however, she has already won three State Championships,
and has emerged as an outstanding climber and multi-day race prospect.
Sarah Ulmer, of New Zealand
has both a wealth of international experience on
road and track
and a resume few can match: she is a two-time world champion, placed
4th at the Sydney Olympics, and has won stages or placed top-three
overall in some of the world's most difficult multi-day events.
The
Serotta / XGIRLSPORT
Cycling Team
will be competing in National Racing 2002 Calendar events in the
eastern US including: the First Union Liberty Classic, Saturn-Timex
Women's Classic, Tour de 'Toona, and Univest Grand Prix.
|
