RAPHA-CONDOR ADD CRONSHAW AND HOLOHAN

Rapha-Condor will add Matt Cronshaw of Kinesis and Liam Holohan of Pearl Izumi to their team for the 2009 season.

With Halfords Bikehut and CandiTv-Pinarello as well as Plowman Craven-Madison also adding to their line-ups for 2009, the domestic scene is starting to take shape.

Rapha-Condor have already signed Simon Richardson and Tom Southam as Cycling Weekly revealed a couple of weeks ago.

The additions of the two 19-year-olds Cronshaw and Holohan are the latest changes to the Rapha team. The squad has applied for UCI Continental status again.

Dale Appleby and Graham Briggs have both joined CandiTV-Pinarello, with Rob Partridge heading for Halfords Bikehut. And several of the younger riders have left too.

Manager John Herety explained: "With Dale, Rob and Graham, I was sorry to see them go. We are still waiting on an answer from a potential third sponsor [to replace Recycling] so I said to them that if they received a decent offer, they shouldn't wait out of loyalty. The sport is too small. I asked that if they got offered something they should take it, but give us the courtesy of a phone call first, which they did.

"They go with our thanks and best wishes and I am glad they are all sorted out with alternatives.

"With the younger riders, Luke Rowe has joined the British Cycling Academy. Matt Rowe is still deciding what to do. Simon Holt is going to try racing abroad for a year while he is still under-23. He's done two years with us and he knows how to handle himself so he can give it a good shot.

"Ryan Bonser is a good little bike rider but we didn't have the budget to keep him on. Adam Bonser and Tom Diggle are deciding whether riding full time is what they want to do. No one has let themselves or us down, they've had the opportunity to race with a team and they won't get looked after any better at this level, so they have had a chance to see what it's all about."

Herety added that there could still be further arrivals, with two Australian riders on his shopping list.

Rapha-Condor 2009 confirmed

Chris Newton

Dean Downing

Kristian House

Ben Greenwood

Simon Richardson (from Plowman Craven)

Tom Southam (from Halfords Bikehut)

Rhys Lloyd

Matt Cronshaw (from Kinesis)

Liam Holohan (from Pearl Izumi)

Departures

Dale Appleby (to CandiTV-Pinarello)

Rob Partridge (to Halfords Bikehut)

Luke Rowe (to British Cycling's Academy)

Graham Briggs (to CandiTV-Pinarello)

Adam Bonser

Ryan Bonser

Tom Diggle

Simon Holt

RELATED LINKS

Halfords Bikehut: 2009 team takes shape

Plowman Craven and Pearl Izumi join forces for 2009