The team continues it march toward its desired Pro-Continental status with a new class of recruits coming aboard to join returning veterans, creating the next generation for the Kenda/5-Hour Energy Pro Cycling presented by Geargrinder program. While losing GC leader Ben Day to United Healthcare in the off-season, the team gained more than it could have imagined in speed, GC talent and experience, resulting in its deepest and most talented roster ever. Here is a closer look at the entire cast:
Andy Jacques-Maynes (33, USA) is no stranger to the U.S. Peloton, or any of its major events. Andy and his twin brother (Ben Jacques- Maynes of Bissell) are touted as two of the best GC men the U.S. has to offer. In fact, team GM, Chad Thompson stated that he thinks the biggest untapped story of 2012 will be the twin brothers facing off at U.S. events for the first time in many years. Andy’s departure from Bissell brings more excitement to the peloton with his versatile and aggressive racing style. “Andy is crazy strong.”, says Frankie Andreu. ”It will be fun to use his talents to shake up the field on a regular basis.” Hailing from Berkley, CA and now residing in Santa Cruz, CA, Jacques-Maynes comes to the team as a captain and veteran of major racing. This should bode well for the team that has generated a totally new type of roster for 2012 and beyond. With 42 wins and counting, AJM has 3 national championships under his belt and is considered one of the most aggressive available. His favorite race? Andy says, “Without question, the Amgen Tour of California is where any credible rider or team needs to be. I aim to be there with this team in 2012!” Jacques-Maynes sites Andreu as his draw to the team and a need for change in his team dynamic and racing style. AJM will don his new team colors with his team for the program’s first stage race defense of the year at San Dimas Stage Race in March.
Bobby Sweeting (24, USA) is returning to the team for his second consecutive year, coming off the most successful season of his career. The funny thing is, this will be Bobby’s first year trying it full-time. Sweeting won two NRC races and a UCI race in 2011, despite recovering from the rarest form of skin cancer known during the pre-season. Bobby chose to tell no one and have his hand at his new found racing style . . . . and it worked! Sweeting won the queen stage of the Cascade Cycling Classic and the road race of the Tour of Elk Grove, where he also scored second overall by mere seconds in the most exciting race of the year, where he and Amaran (Jamis) exchanged leader on the road several times before a crash nixed Sweeting chances of the overall win. While hailing from Florida, Bobby and his wife now live in Connecticut, where he was a promising engineer for Cannondale. Satisfied his job will wait for him, he is giving a shot at a full schedule in 2012 and we expect big, big things from this time trial specialist in 2012. Both Andreu and Thompson rated Bobby as their top target to keep during 2012 contract negotiations and were fortunate enough to prevail with many teams seeking his talents for the coming year. Sweeting says Fabian Cancellara is his cycling idol, and it shows in his riding style! Bobby lists the Amgen Tour of California as his top priority for 2012 and points out he has never had the opportunity to test his metal in the U.S.’s grand event as of yet. Sweeting is yet another arrow in the Classic and Stage Race GC quiver for KPC.
Chad Hartley (30, USA) came to the team in 2010 and continues to captain the team, as well as become more involved in the team’s operations. Not only a major talent, Hartley is a top-notch mechanic and hails from a family of cyclists and shop owners. As well as being a top rider for the team, Hartley is also the team’s new service course manager and assistant sponsorship coordinator. Chad is relied upon by most of his teammates as true horse power for lead-outs and chases. Team sprint ace and go-to-guy, Luca Damiani simply will not race without him. ”I need Chad in any race, he is good for me and me for him.”, says Damiani. Hartley has ridden for many top teams, including BMC before landing here, where he has vested himself in the program and its vision. Chad currently resides in Fox Point, WI and is the proud father of a new baby girl. A sprinter in his own right, Chad can show versatility when needed most, as shown during the late Tour de Georgia, where he was the only domestic rider keeping pace on the major climbs of the event. Hartley overcame a major iliac surgery to find his way back to the top of U.S. racing and seems to be gaining additional strength with each passing year. Harltey says he is excited most for returning to racing with Damiani and the new found criterium super-team that will accompany them. He, like most others on our program point to the Amgen Tour of California as his most desired race to participate in during 2012.
Curtis Winsor (23, USA) hails from Harrisonburg, VA and is entering his first season with KPC as a neo-pro. With impressive results and a successful graphic design company, Winsor also has a promising career in cycling. Showing most of his talent in criteriums and short “punchy” efforts, Winsor says his favorite event is the Rutas de Amercia stage race in South America. Curtis is most excited about learning from his director, Frankie Andreu and racing with Luca Damiani in 2012. Winsor aspires to someday race the Amgen Tour of California.
Gregg Brandt (25, USA) is entering his second year as a pro and his second year with KPC. Gregg resides in Minnesota and has proven to be a versatile all-arounder who seems to be finding his place in big game criteriums. His first taste of big crit life was 2011′s Athens Terrapin Twilight Criterium, where he and the lads rode Luca Damiani to an amazing victory over the mighty 8-man United Healthcare team for the program’s second Athens victory to date. Gregg went on to play major support roles in many races, including ToAD and Gateway Cup. Greggs most desired race entries in 2012 are the Cascade Cycling Classic and National Pro Road Race Championships.
Isaac Howe (25, USA), winner of the 2010 USA Crits overall, best young rider and team competitions returns as one of the teams primary finishers with a speed few can match. Despite many glitches and injuries in 2011, Howe is back to 100% and determined to notch up NRCC wins in the inaugural year of the national calendar category. Born in Burlington, VT, he still calls New England home, where he now resides in New Hampshire. ”Isaac has proven he can beat the best, beating Cantwell more than once and being oh-so-slose to Keough as well.”, says Thompson. Andreu also has faith in Howe’s speed and knows it is just a matter of time before he scores the big win he has been waiting for. You may recognize Isaac from the larger than life graphics that adorn the sides of the team’s trailer, and many Road Bike Action ads. A 2010 US Pro Crit Championship podium finisher who desires the stars and stripes, sites his favorite race as Terrapin Athens Twilight Criterium and aspires to one day ride the grand daddy of them all, the Tour de France. Isaac says proudly that he looks forward to working with everyone on the team, but also says he cannot wait to see the amazing lead-out engine with the addition of John Murphy from BMC. The program hopes Isaacs fourth professional season will prove the most fruitful for he and the team alike.
Jim Stemper (26, USA) returns for his third year with KPC and for his third year as a pro as well. The Wisonsin native and winner of the 2010 Tour of America’s Dairyland overall title has developed into a dependable all-arounder early in his career, and highlights his 2011 stage 3 ToC breakaway with then world champion, Thor Hushovd, as a day to remember. Jim will be located in Northern California, along with four of his teammates in 2012. And, like many others, has his sites set on an Amgen Tour of California selection should the team find itself with an invitation to the event. Stemper has a big motor and is most comfortable in long break-away attempts, which he hopes to show off in the coming season.
John Murphy (27, USA), AKA JMurph, returns to the U.S. with massive accolades and Pro Tour experience. The 2008 U.S. Pro Crtierium National Champion spent the last three years with the mighty BMC team racing a heavy european racing campaign that earned him a coveted spot on the 2011 U.S. men’s professional world championship team. While approached by many top-tear teams, Murphy opted to contact the team’s DS, Frankie Andreu, early in the season in order to secure a spot on a team with growth and a solid U.S. calendar. While John does want to race in europe more, he wanted to base himself and race in the states for a bit before diving back into the european calendar. Reuniting with fellow teammates Kilun and Milne seemed the perfect platform to take a team to Pro-Continental status and beyond, which he has done on the past. Murph’s huge engine and uncanny ability to read a race will no doubt pay dividends and grab major results. John enters the team as a captain and desires a berth to the Amgen Tour of California and the U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge above all other races in 2012. John is most excited to ride under Frankie’s direction in 2012 and points to Andreu as the reason for contacting KPC first. He lists his favorite one day target as Philly and will no doubt have a huge impact on all of these events.
Luca Damiani (27, ITA) is the team’s only foreign rider and comes back for his third year with KPC. Transferring from Colavita (now Jamis) in 2010, Luca came to the team as a winner of the grueling CSC invitational and a solo victor of the Iron Hill Twilight. Luca’s most notable win, however, came in 2011 with a masterful victory at the Athens Terrapin Twilight Criterium against the mighty United Healthcare team. What made the victory sweeter for Luca and his six teammates was that it is Luca’s favorite race and one he had put in his most desired sights again, along with the Tour of the Battenkill, where he was fourth in 2010. ”Luca is the go-to guy in any situation.”, said team GM, Chad Thompson. ”He is the smartest and most dependable rider I know. He relishes the break away and can handle his bike like it is a part of his body. Damiani is simply the most exciting bike racer to watch and is respected by every single one of his peers. We are glad he loves racing in the U.S. and that he is ours.” The cagey veteran yet again sets his sites on Athens Terrapin Twilight and the Tour of the Battenkill as his most wanted races for 2012.
Max Korus (23, USA) is a neo-pro for the 2011 season and earned his right of passage with a convincing win at the 2011 U.S. Elite National Championship Road Race win. A win at this event is traditionally an earned contract to the professional ranks and it the very case with Max and his contract at KPC. At only 23 and a solid climber and finisher, Max will aim to hone his skills under the tutelage of Gaimon, Jacques-Maynes, Mach and Sweeting. Max says he is most excited to race with Phil Gaimon, his mentor and biggest advocate for his team selection. While Korus dreams of a ToC selection, he has set his ambitions on the Tour of the Battenkill and adding a professional road race championship to his resume. It should be noted, too, that Max was born in the city of Cleveland, Ohio, where the team’s management company is based.
Nathan English (27, USA), a Berkley, CA resident and neo-pro for 2012 was Frankie Andreu’s first pick during the early season as a rider to watch. Nate impressed Andreu with consistently placing in national caliber stage races, and grabbing a GC win at Mt. Hood, to boot. English’s ability lies in the race against the clock and climbing ability, making him an eventual stage race threat on the national level. With the team’s strong GC presence, it should not be long before Nathan is winning many overall titles in the U.S. Being a California resident, English focuses solely on racing his home state race, the Amgen Tour of California.
Pat Lemieux (24, USA) is a second year pro hailing from Minnesota. Entering 2011 as a a neo-pro and completing college proved a bit tough in
in the early months for Pat. But time proved Lemieux was up to the task. Pat got his first taste of the big leagues at the Philadelphia International Champinship, replacing an injured rider for the event. He rode well and completed every task asked of him. He would later prove a great asset at the U.S. Pro Criterium Championship, keeping Isaac safe and being a constant aggressor and chaser for the team. Lemieux is in his early years of bike racing and is eager to progress. Pat sees Chad Hartley as the person he can learn from most on the team and desires to race Philly again, above any other event.
Paul Mach (29, USA) is one of the U.S.’s top GC threats, winning Mt. Hood overall and being a top-10 contender at the brutal Tour of Utah on more than one occasion. Mach has been a long-time Bissell Pro Cycling rider and transfers to KPC with the hopes of completing his Masters Degree and competing at the highest level simultaneously. We have seen it done before. Mach was an easy decision for Andreu and Thompson alike, as he is a formidable time trialist and climber, and his addition brings increased fire power to our growing stage race roster. Paul, being a California resident aspires to again race the Amgen Tour of California, as well as the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah in 2012 and sites working with Andreu and Gaimon as his draw to the program.
Phil Gaimon (25, USA). At 25, Phil still has a lot of growing room. With an already quick learning curve, Gaimon is proving to be the U.S.’s next biggest GC contender and has shown this at many major events in and out of the states. In 2010, Gaimon was second overall by only eight seconds at the Tour de Taiwan, claimed the Redland’s Stage Race KOM Jersey for two days and was the KPC rider with the most break-away time at the Tour of California and many other races. ”We hired Gaimon from Jelly Belly in 2010 knowing he would be the best GC guy in the U.S.” states Chad Thompon, the team’s GM. ”We still believe this and he only lacks a pure time trial ability. He has everything else. But, he proved at the Tour de Beuace, with a fourth in the ITT, that he is quickly patching up that hole. He was only beaten by Pro Tour riders. Phil will win a stage race this year, mark my words.” While Phil is still the teams GC man, he has a lot of pressure off of his shoulders with Sweeting racing full-time and the addition of Jacques-Maynes, Mach, and English. The quintet are all GC favorites and can play off of each other to keep the peloton guessing and chasing. Gaimon has talents off the bike, too, running three companies (including Podium Legs) and writing an extremely informative and humorous column for VeloNews. He looks most forward to racing along side of Bobby Sweeting and being yelled at by Frankie Andreu. While he is no doubt heading to Europe in the near future, Gaimon claims his strongest desire is to be chosen for the Amgen Tour of California, along with his favorite classic race, the Tour of the Battenkill.
Roman Kilun (30, USA) is a dual citizen and a barred attorney, in addition to being a professional cyclist. Born in Uzbekistan and now residing in Oakland, CA, Roman is a pursuit specialist on the track with multiple national championship titles. Despite his pursuit prowess, Roman can climb and sprint, making him one of the most well-rounded riders on the team. Kilun came to KPC after many years under the HealthNet/Ouch team colors and slid right into his role as a natural leader and strong domestique immediately. Off the bike, Roman plays a large role in team communications and rider advocacy, as well as mediation. Kilun says he loves working with everyone on the team, but is most excited to have the new arrivals of English and Mach to the team. As a Northern California resident, he repeatedly voices his excitement over his group of teammates also located in the California Bay Area (Mach, Jacques-Maynes, English and Stemper). Roman sees the Amgen Tour of California as his biggest goal, but also says it would be so great if the team would get a U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge berth in 2012.
Shawn Milne (30, USA) continues his co-captain role at KPC in 2012 and beyond. The sprint and stage race specialist has had massive experience on teams such as HealthNet, Navigators and TT1. The 2007 U.S. Pro Criterium National Champion grabbed a narrow second on a stage at the Tour de Beuace, two top-10 finishes at the Amgen Tour of California and in all reality won a stage at the SRAM Tour of the Gila prior to a major error on the officials’ behalf, seeing the results changed despite many objections. Milne is an optimistic and calm individual that often has most riders coming to him for advice during race time. Milne says he cannot wait to be back with Bobby Sweeting, Andreu and Thompson, but sees the reunion of himself and John Murphy as the highlight to the 2012 roster. ”Shawn is a natural leader and a great stage race sprinter.”, claims Thompson. ”Frankie wanted him right away when he became available, and I am so glad we made it happen. He was a major priority for us and it has paid dividends.” Shawn wants most to be back in the Amgen Tour of California to improve upon his 2011 performance and also sees the Tour of the Battenkill as a desired event in the coming season.
Stephen Housley (22, USA) resides and was born in Marietta, GA and is entering his first professional season as a neo-pro for 2012. Considered a rising time trial talent, Housley prefers long road races and lead-out duties. Perfect! He idolizes George Hincapie’s riding style and accomplishments and tries to emulate the same riding style. While Stephen (AKA Nick) is fairly new to racing at his level, his most desired race is the Tour of the Battenkill, where he thinks he can make a large contribution to the team.
