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UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team by Wesley Mallette
Published: 01/21/2012
San Luis, Argentina – The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team will kick off its 2012 season on Monday, January 23 in Argentina at the Tour de San Luis. The sixth edition of the race features what appears to be the strongest field the race has attracted in its slightly more than a half-decade history.
Team UnitedHealthcare will face off against five Pro Tour and five Pro Continental teams in the UCI 2.1-rated race. Set against a backdrop of the Andes Mountains, the Tour’s seven stages will cover 1051km from January 23 – 29.
The eight riders racing for the US-based Pro Continental squad include sprinting sensations Robert Förster and Jake Keough, Ben Day, Adrian Hegyvary, Jeff Louder, Jason McCartney, Jay Thomson, and Team captain Jonny Clarke.
General Manager and Director, Mike Tamayo, said, “This is our first test of the year and we are excited to get back to racing, especially against the quality field here at the Tour de San Luis. We had some success here last year and we’re looking forward to assessing where we are this early in the season and where we can go in 2012.”
Stage One of the 2012 Tour de San Luis starts on Monday, January 23 with an 189.3km stage from San Luis to Villa Mercedes. In a day that should favor the sprinters, the stage features only one KOM, which the riders will face early (at 41.3km) into the stage, and culminates in a 1.5km flat straightaway sprint.
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team roster for the 2012 Tour de San Luis:
Robert Förster (GER)
Jake Keough (USA)
Jonny Clarke (AUS)
Ben Day (AUS)
Adrian Hegyvary (USA)
Jeff Louder (USA)
Jason McCartney (USA)
Jay Thomson (RSA)
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Oakland, CA – The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team announced today, Friday, January 20, 2012, that Aegis Sports Testing Services, part of Aegis Sciences Corporation, located in Nashville, Tennessee, has become a significant corporate sponsor of the U.S.-based pro continental team. This sponsorship marks the first time that a pro cycling team and a sports drug-testing lab have partnered.
“Aegis is proud to sponsor the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team,” said Dr. David Black, founder, president and CEO of Aegis. “As partners, we have a unique opportunity to spread a message about the benefits of competing drug free and contribute to our nation’s conversation about lifelong wellness for athletes of all ages and abilities.”
Members of the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team are among the fittest and most competitive athletes in the world. In connection with its sponsorship of the Team, Aegis will provide drug testing for Team members above and beyond what is required by race officials and pro cycling’s governing bodies.
Team UnitedHealthcare’s General Manager and Director, Mike Tamayo said, “Competing in professional cycling means training long and training hard – without the aid of drugs or performance-enhancing substances. The additional drug testing our Team will receive from Aegis will help us provide an extra layer of protection for our athletes, ensuring their health and fitness and clean competition.”
For more than 20 years, Aegis has been committed to research, testing and consultation that promote the wellness benefits and integrity of sports free from performance-enhancing substances. The company provides comprehensive drug testing and consultation services to amateur and professional sports organizations worldwide. Aegis Sports Testing Services, the testing arm of Aegis, conducts sophisticated testing procedures for a variety of anabolic steroids, stimulants and other performance-enhancing substances, protecting athletes and their sports at all levels from substance abuse.
“This is an unprecedented partnership that we hope will set a great example for all professional cyclists and teams worldwide,” said Gregory Raifman, Chairman and CEO of Momentum Sports Group, the owner and operator of the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team. “Together, Aegis Sports Testing Services and the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team seek to enjoy the benefits of clean competition and share those benefits with others in the cycling community and beyond.”
Pro cycling is a fast-growing sport in the United States that reaches more than 70 million fans nationwide with stage races such as the Amgen Tour of California, the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado.
The Team heads to Argentina to kick off its 2012 campaign at the Tour de San Luis (January 23 – 29), before heading to Spain for the Volta ao Algarve (February 15 – 19), and then to Malaysia’s Tour of Langkawi (February 24 – March 4). The early season racing calendar will see the Team in Europe, South America and Asia before returning stateside for its first U.S. race, the Tampa Twilight Criterium (March 31).
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About Aegis Sports Testing Services
Aegis Sports Testing Services provides comprehensive drug testing and consultation to a diverse range of amateur and professional sports organizations in the United States and worldwide. The company is committed to protecting athletes at all levels from the harmful effects of drugs and other performance-enhancing substances. Aegis Sports Testing Services is part of Aegis Sciences Corporation, a leading forensic sciences company providing toxicology services to more than 1,500 clients including pain management physicians, professional sports associations, colleges and universities, medical examiner offices, state and local government agencies, courts of law, and Fortune 500 corporations. For more information about Aegis, visit www.aegislabs.com.
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