RAPHA-CONDOR LOOKING FOR SUCCESS HOME AND AWAY

Rapha-Condor?s team manager John Herety has outlined his goals for the season and he wants to make a big impact far and wide.

The Tour of Qinghai Lake in China is one of his big goals but the team is set to compete in South Africa, North America and Japan, as well as closer to home in Europe and the UK.

The team launch was held in central London last Friday before the majority of the squad flew to Malaga for the first of two training camps in the south of Spain.

At the end of February six riders will head to South Africa to kick off the racing season. It is likely Tom Southam, Darren Lapthorne, Kristian House, Dan Craven, Simon Richardson and one other will ride the Tour de Boland and the Giro del Capo.

Australian rider Lapthorne rode for Sparkasse last year, and the Drapac-Porsche team before that. He has not yet come to Europe, as he is waiting on his visa. If it comes through in time, it will enable him to meet the rest of the team in South Africa.

The Namibian, Craven, is current African road race champion, having won his title in Morrocco in November.

Chris Newton is still training on the track and will continue his build-up to the Copenhagen World Cup in February and the World Championships in March, where he?s one of the favourites for the points race.

Chris Newton

Dean Downing

Kristian House

Simon Richardson (from Plowman Craven)

Ben Greewood

Tom Southam (from Halfords-Bikehut)

Darren Lapthorne (from Sparkasse)

Dan Craven (from FidiBC.com)

Rhys Lloyd

Matt Cronshaw (from Kinesis)

Liam Holohan (from Pearl Izumi)

Mike Rudling (from SP Systems Wightlink)

?From a racing perspective, I?d really like to do well at the Tour of Qinghai Lake,? said Herety (pictured).

The Chinese stage race is tough and hilly but Herety believes that if the team targets it, they can make an impact. One of the Rapha club?s new members has access to a facility which will allow the riders to acclimatise to the effects of riding at altitude in an indoor chamber.

?We?re going to do some work on that before we go,? said Herety. ?This isn?t about trying to raise haematocrit levels, though, it?s about exposing the riders to the effects on a regular basis to enable them to cope with the change at short notice. That way we don?t have to go over there ten days before the race to acclimatise.?

?The Tour of Britain is always a big objective, and the second half of the season will be about getting ready for that,? Herety added. ?I?d love to win the National Road Race Championship too, so we?ll target that.

?Then there is the televised criterium series, which is important to the sponsors. We?ve got Dean Downing, the national crit champ, and we know he?s already a very good crit rider, so we?ll be getting him into top shape for May and June when there?s that intensive period of races.He struggled with a back injury in the stage races he did last year, even though he got some great results, but he?ll be particularly targeting the crits this year.?

February

25-March 1 Tour de Boland South Africa

March

4-8 Giro del Capo South Africa

14-15 Bikeline Two-Day Premier Calendar

23-29 Tour of Normandy France

29 Tour of the Reservoir Premier Calendar

April

1-5 Cinturon Ciclista Tour Majorca

11-13 Girvan Stage Race Premier Calendar

19 Archer Grand Prix Premier Calendar

26 East Midlands CICLE Classic UK

May

2-3 Chas Messenger stage race Premier Calendar

10 Lincoln Grand Prix Premier Calendar

17 Hillingdon criterium National Circuit Race Series

17-24 FBD Insurance Ras Ireland

17-24 Tour of Japan Japan

21 Milton Keynes criterium Tour Series 1

23-24 Tour of Wessex Premier Calendar

28 Exeter criterium Tour Series 2

28-31 Tour of Kumano Japan

31 Regional Championships UK

June

2 Woking criterium Tour Series 3

4 Peterborough criterium Tour Series 4

6 Smithfield Nocturne London, Nocturne Series

7 Ryedale Classic Premier Calendar

9 Blackpool criterium Tour Series 5

11 Southport criterium Tour Series 6

14 Beaumont Trophy Premier Calendar

16 Stoke-on-Trent criterium Tour Series 7

16-21 Tour de Beauce Canada

17 Stone criterium National Circuit Race Series

18 Derby criterium Tour Series 8

20 Cheltenham or Brighton criterium Nocturne TBC

23 York criterium Tour Series 9

24 Otley criterium National Circuit Race Series

25 Darlington criterium Tour Series 10

28 National Championship Road Race Abergavenny, Wales

30 Southend-on-Sea criterium Tour Series 11

July

1 Rochdale criterium National Circuit Race Series

3 Blackpool criterium National Circuit Race Series

5 Tour of Blackpool Premier Calendar

7 Brighouse criterium National Circuit Race Series

14 Colne GP National Circuit Race Series

15-26 Tour of Qinghai Lake China

22 Blackburn GP National Circuit Race Series

24 National Criterium Championships

26 East Yorkshire Classic Premier Calendar

August

1 Canary Wharf Nocturne London, Nocturne Series

8-13 Tour de New York USA

9 Tour of Pendle Premier Calendar

19-23 Tour of Ireland

23 Richmond Grand Prix Premier Calendar

29 Salford Nocturne Nocturne Series

September

5 Newport Nocturne National Circuit Race Series

6 Travelwise Warwick GP National Circuit Race Series

12-19 Tour of Britain

20 Preston criterium National Circuit Race Series

RELATED LINKS

Tom Southam interview

2009 British racing calendar