Rivals help Oscar Sevilla (Rock Racing) celebrate his overall win. (Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Rock Racing is registered to compete in the Vuelta Mexico Telmex as an amateur Mexican-based team, listing a roster of eight riders including Oscar Sevilla. However the Spaniard says he will not be competing with his former team and hopes to find an alternate squad for the eight-staged race.
The Vuelta Mexico Telmex is set to kick off on April 18 in Veracruz and conclude on April 25 in Reforma.
“For Mexico, I’m enrolled with Rock Racing but I don’t believe that I will race with them,” Sevilla told Cyclingnews. “I believe that Rock Racing does not exist anymore. I’m hoping to race but with another team there.”
Rock Racing registered eight riders with Sevilla, Francesco Mancebo from Spain, Glenn Chadwick from New Zealand and Víctor Hugo Peña from Colombia. The four riders renewed their previously existing contracts with the team for 2010 before it was denied a professional license from the International Cycling Union (UCI)
The roster also includes Carlos Alzate from Colombia and three Mexican riders Ignacio Sarabia, Luis Fernando Macias and Juan Pablo Magallanes
Rock Racing was a US-based Continental team during 2007-2009. Team owner Michael Ball made several attempts to upgrade the squad to Professional Continental status however, his request was denied by UCI for the final time last month. The team was also denied a Continental license.
Ball announced the squad would continue at an amateur level and hoped to compete in as many events as the down-graded status would allow. Since then, Sevilla has sought after a new team to race with but has not found a contract yet.
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“I’m doing very well, training hard and I have really good physical condition right now,” he said. “Now I hope to find a new team for this season in Europe or in the USA. I hope to race many more years because cycling is my life.”
The 20 participating teams are ISD-Neri, Amore y Vita, Boyaca Orgullo de America, Team Type 1, SpiderTech, Kuota Indeland, CKT Temit Champion System, Concordia and Raleigh. Mexican-based teams include Arenas Tlaxcala, Canel’s Turbo, Prodeg-Cedaj Guanajuato, Orven, Empacadora San Marcos, Tequilla Afamado and Vera Cruz and National teams from Venezuela, Cuba and Guatemala.
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
