Specialized adds second women’s team in Tibco

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Two major North American women’s teams will ride Specialized bicycles in 2011, after the manufacturer announced a new partnership with Tibco-To the Top. Specialized will supply Linda Jackson’s team with shoes, helmets and saddles in addition to bikes for the coming two seasons.

The announcement comes weeks after Specialized announced a new partnership with Bob Stapleton’s HTC-Highroad – which covers both the outfit’s men’s and women’s teams. Like the HTC-Highroad women’s team, Tibco will use the Amira road bike and the company’s Shiv time trial bike.

Specialized women’s product and marketing manager Rachael Lambert said the alliance will help the company further the innovation of its women’s lines. “Specialized is proud of our continuing support for women’s racing,” Lambert said. “We believe that performance drives innovation. The aim of our women's line has always been to deliver a full, uncompromising range of products designed for women.

“We create bikes and equipment that are focused and driven by real needs of female athletes, whether it's frame tubing that is tuned specifically for each size of bike, lighter frame weights or tuned suspension,” she said. “Our products are 100-percent inspired and built for the women we are, and the women we meet every day.”

The announcement comes on the same day that fellow USA women’s team Peanut Butter Co./2012 revealed it would expand its relationship with SRAM. The team’s riders will continue to use SRAM’s Red and Force groupsets in 2011 but will also ride the company’s Zipp wheels and componentry.

After riding Edge wheels this season the team will use Zipp’s 404 FirecrestTM and 808 Firecrest, as well as the company’s Service Course SL aluminum drop bars, stems, seatposts, Tangente tires and Vuka aero bars.