October 17, 2006 (Squamish, BC) – After exceeding expectations once again this season, Team Squamish has announced that the selection process for the 2007 version of the team is underway.

“We were thrilled with the riders’ performances once again this year,” said Team Squamish chair Armand Hurford, “and we’re looking forward to improving once again next year.”

This season Team Squamish boasts three national mountain bike champions. Neal Kindree won the XC title for Elite Jr. Men, Phil Cairns is the U17 Expert Men’s XC national champ, and Miranda Miller won the women’s U17 downhill championship.

“To have three national champs on one team is amazing,” said Hurford. “It speaks volumes about the dedication of our athletes and the quality mountain biking in Squamish.”

Team Squamish is a community based racing club established in the spring of 2005 and affiliated with SORCA (Squamish Off Road Cycling Association).

Building on the foundation that existed in the community, the Team Squamish concept developed into what is the first of its kind: a broad-based, community cycling team which promotes and supports the development of competitive riders in the three disciplines of XC, downhill and road.

The team has two main components: An “elite team” of riders who compete in categories for which there is a national championship; a “development team” whose members are between 13 and 18 years of age and who have had success and shown a commitment to racing.

“We’re looking for as many applicants as possible,” said Hurford. “We want next year’s team to be even better than this year’s .”

Application forms for the team are available at the local high schools and the bike shops. Deadlines for submitting the applications is November 4, 2006.