Increased strength in depth 'should help' Madison Genesis in 2014

DS Roger Hammond looking to make improvement on debut 2013 season as team are launched at iceBike*

(Image credit: Nick Bull)

Greater strength in depth should help Madison Genesis improve on their debut season in 2014, team manager Roger Hammond believes.

The former Paris-Roubaix podium finisher was speaking at the team's launch at iceBike in Milton Keynes this afternoon.

Seven of the squad's 13 riders for this year are new recruits, and include Kiwis Tom Scully and Mike Northey, who were absent from today's proceedings.

And Hammond believes this roster should help them enjoy greater success compared to 2013.

"Last year was about development; we wanted to have a single race programme and to get the guys to be friends," he said. "The more time they spend together, the more they would work with each other.

"The British season is long, there are a lot of hard races, and as the season went on, I noticed guys were getting more tired.

"However, Madison approved plans to increase the strength in depth of the team. That is only three extra riders, but this will change the mentality of the team. Riders will have to fight to be in a race, and I think healthy rivalry in a team is good."

See next week's Cycling Weekly for more from the Madison Genesis team launch. And to win exclusive team prizes, send your questions to the squad's riders by using #AskMadisonGenesis on Twitter.

Madison Genesis 2014 line-up

Ian Bibby

Scott Davies

Pete Hawkins

Matt Holmes

Liam Holohan

Tobyn Horton

Dom Jelfs

Mike Northey

Alex Peters

Tom Scully

Chris Snook

Tom Stewart

Andy Tennant

British team Madison-Genesis launches its 2014 line-up at the iceBike show on Thursday, February 27

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Nick Bull is an NCTJ qualified journalist who has written for a range of titles, as well as being a freelance writer at Beat Media Group, which provides reports for the PA Media wire which is circulated to the likes of the BBC and Eurosport. His work at Cycling Weekly predominantly dealt with professional cycling, and he now holds a role as PR & Digital Manager at SweetSpot Group, which organises the Tour of Britain.