Node4 Giordana

Tough times call for tough measures at Node4-Giordana, who are feeling the pinch of a budget cut in 2013 and in the words of directeur sportif Malcolm Elliott, go into the season as the underdogs, at least on paper, of the top six teams.



Nine new riders come into the team that placed first in the British Cycling rankings to replace the likes of Marcin Bialoblocki, Pete Williams, Matt Cronshaw and Dave Clarke, and they have a distinctly Antipodean feel.

"They came largely on the recommendation of Mike Northey," Elliott explains, "and they were previous team-mates at [now defunct New Zealand team] Pure Black. They've raced crits in the US, which are similar to our crits in that they are super competitive, so Phil [Griffiths, team owner] sees them as a core of the Tour Series team."

Griffiths will be keeping his fingers crossed that his Kiwi imports are more Russell Crowe than Daniel Bedingfield when they touch down at the beginning of April, but they do at least bring cohesion and experience racing together which could work well with one of the team's more recognisable riders, Olympic gold medallist Steven Burke.

"I am nervous about it," admitted Elliott, "I haven't actually seen them race. I'm conscious not to place too much burden of expectation on them, it will be a big change for them. I'll let myself be pleasantly surprised when they do perform."

Who's new?

Apart from all-new Team Madison-Genesis, Node4 have the highest proportion of new signings in 2013; 75 per cent of the team are newcomers. But they're not the only team who have been busy over the winter. Madison-Genesis: 100 per cent Node4-Giordana: 75 per cent Raleigh: 71 per cent

IG-Sigma Sport: 67 per cent UK Youth: 50 per cent Rapha-Condor-JLT: 42 per cent

CW likes: Life after Endura

Endura Racing last year were an exception: an exciting bunch of highly talented riders who managed to ride extraordinarily well together, dominating in the UK and punching well above their weight overseas.

We liked watching them, and we liked reporting on them. At times though, it felt like the team had such a monopoly on British racing that coming up against them was a bit like rivals rolling the dice only to land on Mayfair and find someone had built an enormous lime-green themed Scottish hotel on it. But this year, with the super-team disappeared or dispersed, the field is wide open and the British racing scene arguably looks stronger than ever before.

It's a new challenge for teams and riders, who will be fighting each other right down to the wire, and we can't wait.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Damiel Barry (Nzl)25Benchmark Homes Cycling
Steven Burke25IG Sigma Sport
Lee Davis43Node4-Giordana
Nathan Edmondson23SC Cene Valle Seriana Elite
Richard Hepworth26CyclePremier Kovert
Steve Lampier29IG Sigma Sport
Andrew Magnier24Node4-Giordana
Michael Northey25Node4-Giordana
Shem Rodger (Nzl)24PureBlack Racing
Roman Van Uden (Nzl)24PureBlack Racinh
Christian Varley28B&L Bikes
James Williamson (Nzl)23PureBlack Racing

>>> Back to 2013 British Team Guide home page >>>

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.