Motorpoint's Ian Bibby has put his team's disappointing start to the Tour Series down to injuries and illness but expects the team to pick things up this week in Peterborough and Colchester.
"We've not had the best of luck in the first two round," he told Cycling Weekly. "Malcolm Elliot's been ill, Andrew Magnier broke his collar bone and I was off ill for a week so it was terrible for the first week.
"Some of the lads have started coming back now so we should get stronger and stronger. This Tour Series can only get better for us really - it hasn't been the best start."
Motorpoint won the series last year and at the moment lie third in the overall team standings, having finished fourth in both of the last rounds.
Peterborough is tonight's Tour Series event, the third of the calendar so far, and the series moves to Colchester for Thursday. Both are flat courses, with bunch sprint finishes a distinct possibility.
This week also sees the launch of the women's Johnson Health Tech series, a four race series, which will be attended by team Horizon Fitness and the Motorpoint women's team amongst others. The women's races will be run before the men's at the Peterborough, Stoke-on-Trent, Oldham and Woking rounds.
Bibby was talking to CW after winning the Rubis Town Criterium in Jersey on Sunday. He looked in good form as he rode away from breakaway companions Magnus Backstedt (Team UK Youth) and Blair Windsor (Wilier-goselfdrive.com) to take the hour-long crit.
However, neither Bibby nor Jonny McEvoy, who was also present in Jersey and who was the team's highest-placed rider in the last round, will be present at the Tour Series this week, as they head out to ride the Tour of Norway. Endura are also sending a team to the 2.2-ranked race, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday.
The Jersey criterium was part of a two-day crit and road race series organized by Velo Sport Jersey over the bank holiday weekend.
See next week's Cycling Weekly for more on the Jersey racing weekend.
Related Links
Cycling Weekly's 2011 Tour Series Coverage Index
Tour Series round one: Durham
Tour Series round two: Aberystwyth
Tech of the week: Van Rysel releases an aero bike (quelle surprise!) plus a superlight carbon crankset from FSA, a long top tube bag from Tailfin and tyre liners from Zefal
Tweets of the week: Tadej Pogačar's white shorts and the joys of new kit day
