NEW ZEALAND'S ONLY INTERNATIONAL PRO CYCLING TEAM CHOMPS INTO THE TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND AND WORLD CUP
February 27, 2009

New Zealand's first and only international pro cycling team, JAZZ™ Apple Cycling, launched its 2009 season at The Viaduct in Auckland on February 20.

The team led and managed by former Olympian Susy Pryde, is represented by riders from New Zealand, U.S., Canada and Australia who have been in camp in Matakana prior to racing in the New Zealand Women’s Tour of New Zealand and the World Cup Road Race around Masterton February 25-28.

Pryde expected a strong showing in the Tour. Dotsie Bauer is a double national champion in the U.S., Steph Roorder is a Canadian national champion, Rosara Joseph and Pryde are both Olympians, and Lauren Ellis won her first world cup race this year. Ruth Corset dominated the North American scene in 2008 and with Malindi Maclean who recently won the New Zealand Criterium champs the team this year is even stronger on paper than the team that ran a very successful North American campaign in 2008.

JAZZ Apple Cycling took the opportunity February 20 to present the new riders and a redesigned uniform on its home turf. Pryde said it was the first time that the team had been able to gather its riders from around the world in New Zealand prior to the season and was a fantastic way to kick off the 2009 program.

ENZA International’s JAZZ™ apple brand manager Campbell Naish told those attending that all the JAZZ™ Apple Cycle team riders and Susy Pryde, who has pioneered this team from its inception, are fantastic ambassadors for ENZA's flagship apple JAZZ.

"Each rider is a world class athlete able to challenge the best riders in the world. They are multidimensional individuals who reflect the values represented by JAZZ apples. ENZA is thrilled to have been with the team since its inception."

Now in its fourth year, the JAZZ Apple cycling team has risen from a development team to a globally recognized force in pro cycling and has done it primarily with support from its New Zealand sponsors.

This year the team will ride in New Zealand, Australia, and Asia. The focus of the campaign will be North America where the team will take on the best professional riders over a four month season from April to August.

The team launch was attended by luminaries of the sport, such as Gavin Stevens and Ian Richards, both Commonwealth Games gold medallists on the bike. The announcer for the evening was John Harrison, another Kiwi who like Pryde built up a professional road cycling team from scratch in North America.

JAZZ Apple Cycle Team Roster

Susy Pryde – Founder, Manager, Rider
Dotsie Bausch – Team Captain
Ruth Corsett – Townsville, Australia
Rosara Joseph – Cambridge, UK (NZ)
Lauren Ellis – Ashburton, NZ
Malindi Maclean – Clevedon, Auckland
Steph Roorda – Vancouver, Canada

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