Sabbath Sponsor Team Zappi’s Plan to Develop Young Cycling T

[veloriders]

A new team of five young riders has been announced. Team Zappi’s will be headed up by former Italian professional Flavio Zappi, who will take on the role as rider/manager, after making his comeback to cycling in 2007. The team will ride Sabbath Bicycles’ renowned Monday’s Child model, equipped with SRAM Force, throughout the 2010 season. The team aims to promote development of young riders in the Oxford area. Zappi, now 49, raced three Giro d’Italia tours and was 12th in the 1984 Milan San Remo. Zappi is well-known in Oxford for his cyclist-friendly Zappi’s Cafe, and mentored two *CENSORED*-coming riders in the 2009 season. He now wants to go further: “It’s very difficult for young riders to gain experience and develop in the UK, as there’s not the culture of road racing as a youth sport here, unlike in France and Italy,” explained Zappi.

Greg Roche, MD of Sabbath Bicycles said: “We’ve had a strong commitment to cycle racing teams since we started business in 2007, and we get great satisfaction in helping cyclists who want to seriously develop and make a go of it on the continent. We like the ethos of Zappi’s and it’ll be interesting to see how the riders mature with high-level racing and advice.”

Team Zappi’s will give the opportunity for riders to take part in Belgium Interclubs and stage races in Italy, thanks to Flavio Zappi’s extensive cycling network back on the continent. Riders will also be targeting some of the UK Premier Calendar series. The team have the addition of senior rider Tom Kirk for extra advice and support, who takes the role as assistant manager/rider.

The confirmed team is as follows:
Dexter Gardias (U23)
Sam Parker (U23)
Tom Yeatman (U23)
Jack Kirk (U23)
Will Fox (U23)
Flavio Zappi (Senior, Rider/Manager)
Tom Kirk (Senior, Rider/Assistant Manager)

As part of Team Zappi’s commitment to the community, the race team will provide the platform for a cycling club, which already has regular group rides, social functions and training sessions. This is in addition to a youth and women’s squad, also advised by Zappi. The team had their first official get-together at Oxford’s popular Ashmolean Museum on Monday 14th December 2009, where the Sabbath team bikes were unveiled for the U23 team, along with riders and the management staff.

Sponsors:

Sabbath Bicycles
Claytan Australia
KTP
Fuzzyducks
Accelerate
Continental
SRAM
One11
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