2008/2009 JAZZ" Apple Cycling team announced

The 2008-2009 season could be the best yet for the JAZZ™ Apple Cycling Team, with the squad announced this week for next summer’s assault on the North American women’s racing circuit.

Team Manager Susy Pryde has recruited an exciting line up to build on the strong 2007-2008 results.

The team will include two Olympians, two Commonwealth Games medalists and six national champions from New Zealand, Australia, the US and Canada.

Pryde says four of the team’s seven women riders are returning this year, and two North American athletes are welcomed into the fold.

“This adds extra depth to the team and increases the promotional opportunities for the JAZZ™ Apple Cycling Team and of course tangy-sweet JAZZ™ apples,” says Pryde.

The JAZZ™ Apple Cycling Team, sponsored by ENZA International (New Zealand), the world’s premiere apple brand, has been competing in New Zealand, North America and Asia since 2006. Formed as a development team, it has quickly emerged as a force on the North American cycling scene, consistently appearing on the victory dais.

The riders are selected for both their athletic ability and for their personal values which reflect the JAZZ™ attitude. The women riding for JAZZ™ are not only world class cyclists but parents, students, scholars and fine ambassadors for ENZA, JAZZ™ apples, cycling and their nations.

The North American schedule will be released shortly for 2009. Plans are in place for JAZZ™ riders to be competing in the following races in the Australasian season:

UCI Track World Cup, Melbourne Australia - Lauren and Malindi
UCI Golden Bike Event, Lake Taupo NZ
NZ Criterium Nationals, Christchurch NZ
Christmas Criterium - Tauranga NZ
Australian & NZ Elite Road Nationals

Introducing the 2008/2009 team:

Susy Pryde, Team Manager- Rider, 34, Auckland, New Zealand
Pryde fulfills the unique role of directing and mentoring the Jazz Apple squad with a ‘hands on’ approach; she races alongside her protégées and provides in depth feedback and analysis. Pryde also motivates, tutors, encourages and oversees academic pursuits of the younger athletes during the Jazz Apple campaign. In 2009, Susy will be entering her final year at the Law School at the University of Auckland to complete her LLB.

Formerly, Pryde was a professional cyclist for 10 years and achieved over 300 podium placings during that time across New Zealand, North America and Europe, as well as medaling in two Commonwealth Games and competing at two Olympics in both road cycling and mountain biking.

Ruth Corset, 31, Townsville, Australia
Corset had a fantastic 2008, leading the Jazz Apple Cycling Team in podium finishes across the US and Canada. She is rapidly developing from a hill climbing specialist into an excellent all round rider, having claimed time trials, sprints, hill climbs and multi-day tour races. Corset is a qualified sports massage therapist and juggles motherhood of her two very active daughters with her cycling career. Some of Corset’s stand-out performances in 2008 include winner of the Tour de Whiterock; winner of the Tour de Delta; winner of the Overall Omnium during B.C. Superweek; winner of the Tour de Delta prologue; and winner of the Leesville Gap Road Race.

Dotsie Bausch, 35, Irvine, California, United States
Bausch is one of the best climbers and time trialists in the women’s peloton. Bausch started racing after enjoying riding the 1998 California AIDS Ride, a nearly 600-mile bicycling fundraising adventure. Since joining the Colavita/Sutter Home Women’s Cycling Team in 2005, Bausch has added to her list of podium appearances, including a bronze medal in the time trial at the 2007 Pan American Championships and a berth on the US National Team where she won two national titles on the velodrome. Off the bike, Bausch is an advocate for women with eating disorders and makes speeches and appearances all over the world to help raise awareness and identify solutions.

Lauren Ellis, 19, Ashburton, New Zealand
Ellis is a trusted and reliable all-rounder and shows real potential to develop into a world-class time trial specialist and solid road racer for the future. She is currently completing a sports and fitness degree at the University of Canterbury. With an impressive junior career behind her that includes medaling at the Junior World Cycling Championships 2006 and 2007, Ellis was an integral JAZZ™ Team member in 2008 — performing spectacularly as a lead-out person for Ruth Corset. She also had two victories on the North American circuit in 2008.

Malindi Maclean, 19, Auckland, New Zealand
Maclean is a sprint specialist and will be joining the JAZZ™ Apple Team for a third consecutive year. Maclean struggled to find top form in 2008, and in 2009 her sole focus will be to deliver as many wins as possible for JAZZ™ Apples. Maclean has an indispensable strength as a confident and intelligent conversationalist, engaging with fans and supporters willingly and enthusiastically.
Highlights of her 2008 season include the titles New Zealand Elite National Criterium Champion and winner of the Festival of Cycling Criterium in Christchurch.

Rosara Joseph, 26, Oxford, United Kingdom (Kiwi)
Joseph rode for Jazz Apple in 2006 and is keen to return to the fold for the major part of the road-racing programme for 2009. Alongside her physical gifts on mountain and road biking, Joseph has a sharp mind and is a current Rhodes Scholar, completing post-graduate studies in public law. A popular team member, she has risen quickly through the cycling ranks from her beginnings in Christchurch and was featured at national, Commonwealth and Olympic levels on both road and mountain biking.

Steph Roorda, 21, Calgary, Canada
Roorda is a developing all-rounder with an even-tempered approach to her racing. Her raw talent and brute strength have delivered significant results in the last 12 months. She became a double Canadian national champion in the scratch race and team pursuits and finished an impressive ninth place at the Philadelphia Liberty Classic in 2008, being first in the under 23 category.