NRS team also renews with Crawley, Jones adds Ed White from Forza
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Andrew Crawley (Bikebug.com) from Sydney takes out stage five into Deloraine from fellow breakaway partner Trent Morey (Lawson Homes) from Victoria.(Image credit: Shane Goss/licoricegallery.com)
Stage five spray (l-r): Trent Morey (2nd,Lawson Homes), Andrew Crawley (1st,Bikebug.com) and Philip Grenfell (3rd,Bikebug.com).(Image credit: Shane Goss/licoricegallery.com)
Champion System has extended its existing deal with Wilson Racing through to the end of 2013. Already providing gear to the developing NRS team the company has also upgraded its financial commitment, rewarding the team for a strong showing this year on the domestic circuit.
Trent Wilson, team manager and owner of Wilson Racing, explained to Cyclingnews that with a two-year-deal signed there was one less thing to worry about this time next year.
"Champion System have increased their support from their 2011 commitment and they have been and continue to be a great supporter of our team. I think it’s a relationship that both parties would like to continue for many more years and this announcement is a testament to that.
"They see the team as a team that’s growing, over the last 12 months especially, and they want to be a part of that."
Wilson also announced that Andrew Crawley and Caleb Jones have both resigned with the team, while Forza Capital rider Ed White has done enough to earn himself a contract.
"Andy Crawley had a bit of a breakthrough win this year [at the Tour of Tasmania], and was one of the initial riders to be part of the team back in 2009.
"Even without that win he’d still be on the team though. He’s a great workhorse and domestique and massive asset to the team. He’s come a long way in the last year and we’re happy to have him on board again next season."
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White's arrival meanwhile came after a consistent year with sister team Forza Capital, which also rides many of the NRS races.
"I signed Ed because he’s an absolute animal on the bike. [Grenfell] had wanted me to try and sign him last year, but I hadn’t heard that much about him at the time. I’ve seen his work ethic and how far he’s come this year with Forza Capital, and I know he’ll fit in really well with the team in 2012. On and off the bike Ed is a great addition to the team."
Wilson plans to announce the team's full roster in the coming weeks as well as new financial backers which he hopes will help the team's growing ambitions.
Alex Hinds is a graduate of Economics and Political Science from Sydney University. Growing up in the metropolitan area of the city he quickly became a bike junkie, dabbling in mountain and road riding. Alex raced on the road in his late teens, but with the time demands of work and university proving too much, decided not to further pursue full-time riding.
If he was going to be involved in cycling in another way the media seemed the next best bet and jumped at the opportunity to work in the Sydney office of Cyclingnews when an offer arose in early 2011.
Though the WorldTour is of course a huge point of focus throughout the year, Alex also takes a keen interest in the domestic racing scene with a view to helping foster the careers of the next generation of cycling.
When not writing for Cyclingnews Alex is a strong proponent of the awareness of cyclists on the road in Sydney having had a few close run-ins with city traffic in the past.
