Team Meeting - Enschede
Last week all the riders and staff for next years team met up at the head quarters in Enschede, Holland. It was the first time I got to meet the team staff in person. The team is run out of Jan's big bike shop, which had more Cannondale's in one space then I've almost ever seen before and an impressive work shop for 9 mechanics! I meet GJ, our new mechanic, and Harry, who is responsible for all equipment.

As I have been off Cannondale's for a few years, I was keen to get the measurements right early. Also, I will start riding Cannondale's production sizes to make it easier to change bikes. Everyone on our team will ride M, so that will make life a lot easier! The weather was absolute crap, but I needed to test the bike size out. So I got GJ motivated and we hit the local trail... with just a few degrees and rain, it was a fast ride just to keep warm!

The next day was for Vredestein, our major sponsor, and tire provider. We made a factory tour.. once again coming out feeling extremely satisfied with the job's we have! Afterwards we had a four our conference on the 2 new tires they have just released, and the development of next years tires. They were extremely open to our suggestions, so we'll see what they come up with.

Dinner was at a nice Chinese restaurant, where Rory from Cannondale revealed the new design for our clothing, always a big moment! There were some big eyes, and not everyone was too happy. The general opinion is we need a very simple design, but this was not the case. So we'll see, maybe they still change it a little.

Photo: from left... Jan, Jocob, Fredric, Me, Peter Riis and Ruud.

The final day was in Cannondale, seeing the European distribution centre. There they order all the different parts, and assemble 150 bikes per day. We also discussed our race bikes and what our priorities are for future bikes. All very productive. Next year we will ride mostly on the Scalpel, but also a hardtail or Rush if it suits.

The last evening we had a dinner with the 'business club'. This is a group of business people who all ride MTB's. Together they help to fund the team, meet for rides, come to the races, and do business together. It's a great idea! At the end of the night we were all pretty dead.. but it didn't bother Peter Riis and Jacob, who then hit the streets until 3 in the morning. Ok, I guess its winter still :)

Finally I am allowed to tell about my new team for next year... the return to Cannondale! Below is the official press release.

I would like to take this chance to thank Bianchi and Agos for a great 2 years together. They have been like a family to me and I have learnt a lot from the team. Most importantly I have made some great friends who I hope to still see a lot of in the future.

Returning to Cannondale now gives me a renewed motivation. Not only does Cannondale offer some of the most innovative equipment any rider could dream off, they also have a great attitude towards racing and supporting the sport. In 2006 we will see the return of a big development team, as well as a new U23 program to help bridge the gap between amateurs and pros. I hope to be very involved with these programmes, as I know first hand how much they can help.

The new Cannondale team will be sponsored by Vredestein tires, well known for quality tires on the road, but a relative new comer to the world of MTB. We will be helping them develop new treads, so it will be something to watch out for!

Here is the official press release...


Cannondale Announces Formation of New Mountain Bike Racing Team


Cannondale today announced the formation of a new powerhouse cross country racing team which will contend for the top spot on the World Cup circuit. This multi-year partnership with global tire manufacturer Vredestein blends established winners with young rising stars for a program that will find itself on podiums well into the future.

This cross country team is a fundamental part of Cannondale's commitment to mountain bike racing and development which aims to support all disciplines of the sport from the top level pros to the aspiring young athlete, from cross country to gravity events.

Jeff McGuane, President of Cannondale Europe: "With the continued diversification in the sport of mountain biking, we felt it necessary to communicate our cross country product story with a team focused on cross country racing. In addition, we recognize that the gravity disciplines and riders are best served through a program focused on those races and events and not contained within a classic cross country-based team structure."

The team also announced its roster which contains two faces familiar to Cannondale, plus two young hopefuls. With three riders in the UCI top twenty, this young and focused team will target World Cup events, the World Championships, and the 2008 Olympic Games to be held in Peking.

Swedish rising star Fredrik Kessiakoff remains aboard a Cannondale and will continue his rise to the top levels of the sport with the new team. Fredrik finished fourth overall in the UCI Cross Country World Cup rankings in 2005 and eighth in the Marathon World Cup after winning his home round of Falun, Sweden.

Kiwi Kashi Leuchs will return to the Cannondale family in 2006, joining Fredrik as a formidable pairing for the World Cup season. In addition, Kashi is targeting the 2006 World Championships which will be held in his native New Zealand. "I'm excited to return to the Cannondale family and also to be able to contribute to a racer support program like the one I started with," stated Kashi, referring to Cannondale Europe's plans to launch a grassroots program in 2006.

Peter Riis Anderson also joins the team from Denmark. Peter is currently ranked 12th in the UCI world rankings, and finished fourth at the Marathon World Championships.

Completing the team is another Danish Dynamite, Jakob Fuglsang, the 2005 Under 23 World Cup Champion and currently the top ranked rider in the UCI U23 ranking. Jakob comes from the Heijdens-Ten Tusscher Team, also sponsored by Cannondale and Vredestein in 2005.

The team is managed by Jan ten Tusscher and Ruud Poels and is linked with the Heijdens ten Tusscher development team, which gives promising young riders like Jakob a chance to compete at the highest level of the sport and ultimately paves their way to a professional racing career.

The team will race aboard the Cannondale Scalpel equipped with Lefty fork. The Scalpel has won more World Cup cross country races than any other full suspension bike. In addition, the team version weighs less than most hardtails on the circuit.

Vredestein, known and recognized in the ProTour for its road race tires, is committing to the cross country sport as well with the development of a new line-up of mountain bike tires in addition to its commitment to the team.

In addition to the new products announced at Eurobike, a number of new tires will be a developed together with the riders of the team. Henk Kranenberg, Vredestein Manager of Bicycle Tires, states "we are really excited about working with these top riders. We believe in a close and lasting cooperation with the team to develop a tire line-up that gives the riders a winning edge."