December 14, 2008 – As the 2007 season winds down, some riders will be wearing new colours in 2008. Here’s a look at some of Canada’s top movers and shakers new teams.

Canada’s top pro, Michael Barry, will be riding in the new colours of Team High Road as T-Mobile’s owner Deutsche Telekom recently announced it is pulling out of sponsoring professional cycling.

The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team has signed Dominique Rollin for 2008. Rollin, 25, was the 2006 Canadian national road champion. He won nine races as a first-year professional in 2007 and finished third overall at the inaugural Tour of Missouri.

Fast rising MTB star, Catharine Pendrel, is not with Norco for 2008 and is rumoured to be riding with the Luna MTB Women’s Team but nothing official has been announced. Also heard through the grapevine is that former national level XC mountain biker, Danelle Kabush, will also wear the blue and yellow kit as she contests the XTC circuit after recently giving birth to her first child.

Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast pro cycling team has added another Canuck with the addition of David Veilleux. Veilleux, 20, has been a member of the Canadian National team at the world championships for three years’ running and in 2006 was both time trial and road race U23 Canadian champion. The year before in 2005, he took first place overall GC at the Tour de l’Abitibi.

Quebec pro rider 28-year-old Charles Dionne is moving from Colavita-Sutter Home to Successful Living for the 2008 season. Successful Living has ambitions of becoming the largest American cycling team.

With expresscopy.com disbanding, 2007 Road Nationals champion Gina Grain has signed with Webcor. “I am excited to be a part of a solid program. They are very supportive of Olympic-aspiring athletes from Canada and are flexible in their program to support this,” said Grain. Former expresscopy.com teammate Alison Testroete has also had to find a new ride and rumours are that she’ll be racing for U.S.-based Aaron’s Cycling Team.

Meanwhile, 2007 Canadian time trial champion, Anne Samplonius, who was also with expresscopy.com, is happy to be riding for Cheerwine in 2008. Erinne Willock is back with Webcor, the team she was with prior to joining expresscopy.com in 2007. And Top Canadian roadie Alex Wrubleski is rumoured to be leaving Colavita-Sutter Home for another team not yet revealed.

Talented B.C. road racers Leah Guloien and Jenny Trew, formerly of the Giant Women’s Team, are moving to a brand new ladies team in the U.S. They will be joined by fellow Canuck, Moriah MacGregor, who placed third in the National Championship road race this year. An official announcement will be made soon.

Canada’s biggest UCI MTB Team, Rocky Mountain-Haywood, is experiencing some major upheavals after long-time Team Manager Lesley Tomlinson left the company at the end of the 2007 season. Two-time espoir women’s national champ Jean Ann McKirdy has renewed her contract with Rocky and she will maintain a national focus with the Canada Cup Series and a foray into the TransRockies. According to Max Plaxton, his future with the team is unsure: “There is some rearranging at Rocky these days, so things are a little uncertain.”

It’s rumoured that Seamus McGrath, who signed a two-year contract last year, will not be returning to the Rocky Mountain ranks. Matt Hadley, previously one of the team’s North American focused racers, will also be changing his team colours for 2008, joining former Rocky Mountain teammate Frederic Bussieres on the Quebec-based Xprezo team.

Three-time Canada Cup champion Mical Dyck does not anticipate a move from her long-time gig with Alberta’s Trek/Terrascape, but she plans to mix things up with some early season World Cup racing in Europe.

2004 Elite Men’s National Champion Ricky Federau’s racing future is also unsure. He raced on his own last year, because he couldn’t find a team gig, and as of yet, 2008 doesn’t look any more promising. No teams have stepped up to take the 26-year-old into their fold.

We just got word that Canadian national team veteran road racer Sue Palmer-Komar is leaving Colavita-Sutter Home for Advil-Chapstick.

Stay tune to Pedal for more updates on Canada’s top riders.