Alex Wrubleski (Webcor) happy (Image credit: Jon Devich)
Canadian Alex Wrubleski will lead an eight-women roster under the Webcor Builders Professional Cycling Team banner in 2010. Wrubleski returns to the California-based squad following a season of ill-health while racing with Columbia-HTC last year.
"We have a lot of Canadians next year," said team owner Karen Brems. "Alex went to High Road last year and had some health issues and it was hard for her to live in Europe. We spoke and it all kinda happened around the time of Las Vegas. We talked to her, we really like her and she's always liked our team. We're happy to have her back. It will be good for her to stay more North America. She will do some international racing with the [Canadian] National Team. She's a good rider."
Wrubleski is a two-time Canadian National Road Champion and competed with Webcor Builders in 2008 before moving to Columbia-HTC in 2009. Her resume includes fourth places at both the Flèche Wallonne World Cup in Belgium and the Bern World Cup in Switzerland. Other notable results include a sixth place in the Drenthse World Cup in Holland along with two top ten finishes at the World Championships in 2007 and 2008.
Wrubleski will join three additional Canadians including Olympians Gina Grain and Erinne Willock along with Pan American Champion Joelle Numainville. Former US National Road Champion and World Cup winner Katheryn Mattis will lead new recruits Austrian Andrea Graus from Team Bigla and young American talents Lindsay Myers and Ally Stacher.
"I think it's a good group," Brems said. "Erinne and Katheryn are good climbers. The good thing about having multiple strong riders is that they can come on to fitness at different points during the season. Alex will be focused on the races where time bonuses are important like Redlands because she can climb but also sprint. Andrea is a really strong rider and a good back up where anything can happen in a race. Joelle has a really strong motor and we have Gina for sprints. Lindsay and Ally are up-coming talents and they are ready to work for the team."
Webcor Builders has been a top ranked National Racing Calendar (NRC) team for more than five years, winning the overall team competition in 2007. The squad will open the season with a training camp held at combined locations in the San Francisco Bay area and San Louis Obispo in mid-March. The camp will prepare the team for the start of the 2010 NRC series at the Redlands Bicycle Classic on March 25-28 in California.
"We are targeting all stage races and road events on NRC and the Montreal World Cup and Grand Tour," Brems said. "We are still a stage race team and that's our priority. Our goal is to do well in all the stage races and have a strong GC team."
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Webcor Builders, a general contracting company, returns as the squad's title sponsor for the sixth season along with Speedplay pedals, Fizik saddles and Lake shoes. New sponsors include Ritchey Design wheels and components, Maxxis tires and Australian bike manufacturer Teschner Technologies Group.
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.
