Team News: Corley Cycles Team More Focussed in 2014

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Boasting the same core group of riders who have been loyal to the team for a few years now, team patron Phil Corley proudly introduced the 2014 Team Corley Cycles line-up last Friday

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Corley Cycles Team More Focussed in 2014 – from Gordon Wiseman

Boasting the same core group of riders who have been loyal to the team for a few years now, team patron Phil Corley proudly introduced the 2014 Team Corley Cycles line-up last Friday evening at small gathering at their Stacey Bushes, Milton Keynes premises.

A mixture of old and new faces, younger and older riders, management and team sponsors all spoke positively of the season ahead and of their goals. As with 2013, the team’s focus for the coming season will be on local and National B events but “for those who want to compete in the bigger national races such as the new Elite series, our bonus system will reward those who get results in those events as well” explained Corley.

“We have to focus more on the local side of things nowadays but that doesn’t mean we won’t support the guys where we can at bigger races. But locally, there’s going to be some great racing in and around Milton Keynes in the coming months.”

Roy Chamberlain climbs the muddy steps

Roy Chamberlain racing cross in Milton Keynes at the National Trophy

“There’s a festival of cycling in the city in June that’ll include a four man team time trial so we hope to put in at least two teams for that. And there’s the nine man team time trial at Silverstone as well which we won in 2012. But our main efforts will still and always be on the road where we’ve ridden so strongly over the years”.

With a regular group ride now leaving Corley Cycles every Saturday morning, Phil took the opportunity whilst all the team’s riders were together to remind them about the Club Corley rides and that they were expected to take their part in leading those rides and encouraging others who were perhaps only just starting to enjoy riding their bikes over longer distances.

“These rides are doing so much to encourage riding in and around the city” he said later in the evening, “and our riders know that I want them to play a part in developing this sort of the sport as well”. With a win count of around 40 in 2013 – including Roy Chamberlain’s stunning win in the two day Toachim House GP in April – and, again for Corley Cycles, the divisional championships, 2014 will give all the riders plenty to aim for.

None more so than 17 year old Ben Chapman, the youngest rider on the squad. Now studying sports science at the Milton Keynes Campus, Chapman plans on moving up the racing ladder in 2014. “I still ride as a junior but move up next year so this year my main aim is to score enough points so I start the 2015 season as an Elite rider. And to help achieve that goal I really want to win the junior Tour of Wales where I rode well last year. I really enjoy those sort of hard hills”.

2014_CorleyCyclesTeam

But Ben also wants to make his name and face known in the rough and tumble of continental racing, particularly in Belgium where he’ll be heading this weekend. “I’ll be going with a group of riders with John Barclay” – who has nurtured young British talent including Ian Stannard with regular forays into Belgium – for this weekend’s opening early season Classics starting with Sunday’s Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne.”

“I love that sort of racing and as well as moving up the British ranks I’d love to get some results abroad as well”.

For the new season, Team Corley Cycles will again be using Kuota frames, Vitesse clothing, High5 energy products and a whole selection of accessories from one of its main sponsors Mavic. Mavic’s Sean Dines took the team through the strong points of the wheels, tyres, helmets, shoes and socks that the Corley Cycles boys will again be using, reminding them that they will be the only riders in the British scene using all the French manufacturer’s products.

Mark Booth of BL Transitions was also on hand and will again be working closely with Corley Cycles in a number of different ways. Located next door to Corley Cycles, Booth encouraged the riders to work with the BLT triathletes and unashamedly plugged the coffee and cake that was available from the BL Transitions café after a solid morning’s training.

During the rider introductions, they each underlined their aim of adding to the 2014 Team Corley Cycles win total – even if some seemed to be more focussed on beating Newport Pagnell’s “Mr Roy” Chamberlain who promised to make his goal of the season “to be less grumpy!”

Bedford’s Ian Knight summed up the ethos of the team; “I’ve got my own goals for the year, and they involve my aiming for title honours in the British Cycling Masters and LVRC National championships, but as a team we can all help each other, help the younger riders develop and at the same time, repay Phil for his investment in us as riders but most of all, for us all to have fun racing and riding our bikes”.

Rider line-up
Roy Chamberlain
Ben Chapman
Matt Gee
Will Goulbourne
Matt Jones
Ian Knight
Tom Neale
Ed Palfreeman
Don Parry
Jonny Shuster
Mike Smith

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