February 4, 2011 (Toronto, ON) – Team SpiderTech presented by C10, Canada’s first UCI Professional Continental team – one level below the Tour de France – unveiled its 19-strong roster at a press conference today in Toronto at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Founded by Canada’s most acclaimed cyclist, Steve Bauer, Olympic silver medalist and fourth at the 1988 Tour de France, Bauer wore the yellow jersey for a total of 14 days during his career.

C10 is the moniker for an alliance of 10 potential corporate partners to provide the funding and support required to field a competitive team on the world’s cycling stage. Currently six companies, SpiderTech, BlackBerry (Research in Motion), NRS Brakes, Planet Energy, Saputo and Pinetree Capital are members of the alliance and the team is actively recruiting to find four more to join.

Team SpiderTech presented by C10 includes Svein Tuft, ITT silver medalist at the 2009 World Cycling Championships, Zach Bell, current World Cup Track Omnium leader and silver medalist at the UCI Track World Cup, and Will Routley, the 2010 Canadian Road Champion. Returning to the team are Guillaume Boivin, U23 bronze winner from the 2010 World Championships, Martin Gilbert with four UCI wins in 2010, and Keven Lacombe, with three UCI wins last year, just to name a few. There are 16 Canadians, two Americans and one rider from Mexico on this year’s squad…

“Each year since 2008, we have climbed successively to the next level of professional cycling in our pursuit of the Tour,” said Bauer. “For the first time in Canadian sports history, a Canadian professional cycling team achieved Division 2 status, a Professional Continental license, which means we will race at events across Europe and in North America that will host many of the top professional cycling teams on the Tour. We will get experience, we will challenge and by 2013 we hope to reach World Tour status and be invited to race at the Tour de France,” he added.

More coverage, videos and photos to follow.