January 5, 2005 — The Subway team returns this year as a US Continental Team with a mix of young talent and veteran racers. The team will kick off its season with a camp in Merced, California, February 25 – March 7, which will be open to additional guests from March 1-7. The camp will also overlap the first NRC race of the year McLane Pacific, which will serve as the team’s first official race outing.

Although managed by Express Racing and associated with the Express Racing Club, the team will shorten its moniker to Subway from last year’s Subway-Express. Team Subway will again be aboard Fuji bicycles, riding the same new carbon framesets as Judith Arndt did in her 2004 World Championship ride. New for Subway this year is a women’s team, taking the total team numbers to 12 men and eight women.

Seven riders will return from 2004 to the men’s team, with the five new additions all under age 26. With only three riders over age 30, Subway will function as a development team, focusing on UCI races and top National Racing Calendar races in the U.S. “I’m looking forward to taking this group of riders to the biggest races in the US and teaching these guys to race and present themselves as pros,” said returning Manager/Director René Wenzel. “We have some great young talent and some older guys who are really committed to the team. I think we’ll surprise a lot of people this year.”

Returning to the Subway team is veteran Cameron Hughes of Scotts Head, Australia, on the second year of his comeback with top 25 finishes at the 2004 Cascade Classic and San Francisco Grand Prix. Also returning is 2001 Elite US Champion Remi McManus of Boise, ID. David Richter of Seattle, WA returns as one of the teams sprinters, building on his time trial win at the Bermuda Grand Prix. As the team’s virtual “Jared”, youngster Omer Kem of Salem, OR returns slimmed down from 162 to 145 pounds for 2005, making the 2003 Oregon Pro Mountain Bike Series Champion a threat in the hills. New to the team is road convert Ryan McKenzie, a seven-time Canadian National Champion on the track from Calgary, Alberta. The team also ads Joshua Carter of Fairview Heights, IL, winner of the sprint jersey at the 2004 Tour of Ohio and Illinois State Road Race and Criterium Champion. Rounding out the team are returning members Nathaniel Cornelius (sprinter, Lexington, KY), Todd Cornelius (all-arounder, Indianapolis, IN), and Robbie Yost (Murfreesboro, TN), and new members Peter Femal (all-arounder, Appleton, WI), Kevin Vanes (all-arounder, Indianapolis, IN), and Scott Walters (all-arounder, Oak Brook, IL).

On the women’s side, the team is packed with strong riders from the Northwest and Rocky Mountain states. Winner of the 2004 Tour of Somerville and American Criterium Series Champion Melissa Sanborn of McKenzie Bridge, Oregon comes on board as the team’s top sprinter. Bringing climbing prowess to the team is Suz Weldon of Briar, Washington, winner of the state’s Best All-round Rider competition in both 2003 and 2004 and the owner of five new course records in Northwest time trials and hill climbs in 2004. Also joining are 2004 Masters 30-35 Time Trial Champion Sima Trapp of Boise, Idaho and three-time Division II National Collegiate Champion Nichole Wangsgard of Longmont, Colorado. Bringing a mix of time trialing and climbing strength are members Liza Rachetto (Boise, ID), Emily Westbrook (Seattle, WA), and Crystal Yap (Logan, UT).

Like the men, the women’s team will also go after a strong NRC showing. “Our women’s team has a particularly good mix of sprinting, time trialing and climbing talent. With strong direction, we expect this team to win a lot of races,” said Wenzel. That direction will come from Wenzel himself, along with assistant directors Erin Hartwell (two-time Olympic medalist) and former racer Kendra Wenzel (team Saeco-Timex).

Also strengthening Express Racing and the Subway team in 2005 and beyond is the addition of new partner and business manager Daniel Byrne of Seattle, WA. A cycling enthusiast since 1984, Byrne is the founder and owner of Byrne Specialty Gases, bringing a strong business background to Express Racing. Combined with Wenzel’s experience in pro cycling management, the two partners are approaching the development and promotion of cycling with a fresh look.

The Subway team will convene February 25th for its spring training camp in Merced, California. This camp is open for additional guests to ride, learn and race along with the team. For more information on the camp and the team, go to www.expressracing.net or call Express Racing at 541-822-9845.

2005 Subway team

Men:

-Joshua Carter – 26 – Fairview Heights, Illinois – USA
-Nathaniel Cornelius – 27 – Lexington, Kentucky – USA
-Todd C. Cornelius – 26 – Indianapolis, Indiana – USA
-Cameron Hughes – 33 – Scotts Head – AUS
-Omer Kem – 23 – Salem, Oregon – USA
-Ryan Mckenzie – 22 – Calgary, Alberta – CAN
-Remi McManus – 30 – Boise, Idaho – USA
-David Richter – 35 – Seattle, Washington – USA
-Kevin Vanes – 25 – Indianapolis, Indiana – USA
-Scott Walters – 23 – Oak Brook, Illinois – USA
-Robbie Yost – 23 – Murfreesboro, Tennessee – USA

Women:

-Liza Rachetto – 31 – Boise, Idaho – USA
-Melissa Sanborn – 33 – McKenzie Bridge, Oregon – USA
-Sima Trapp – 32 – Boise, Idaho – USA
-Nichole Wangsgard – 33 – Longmont, Colorado – USA
-Suz Weldon – 37 – Briar, Washington – USA
-Emily Westbrook – 33 – Seattle, Washington
-Crystal Yap – 32 – Logan, Utah — USA


Manager/Director: René Wenzel
Express Racing Business Director: Daniel Byrne
Assistant Director: Erin Hartwell
Assistant Director: Kendra Wenzel