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Team UNO News |
Team UNO 2004Team UNO 2004 was arguably Australia's best domestic team, with five talented young riders, who together clocked up close to 90 years of racing experience at club, state, national and international levels. Each of them rode more than 30,000 km a year testing UNO clothing. They competed in every major road race in Australia including the Tour of Sunraysia, the Sun Tour, the Grafton to Inverall, and the Melbourne to Warrnambool, then the Jayco Bay Classic. Team UNO 2004 members were Damian Forster (aged 31) who had previously ridden with Selle Italia in Italy; Andy Graham (32) third in the 2003 Colorado State Road Championships; George Vallins (31) who was placed in every open in Victoria in 2003 including the Preston Mountain Classic which he won; Commonwealth Games candidate David Pell (24); and Adam Forster (27) who was a member of the 1992 Australian Under 16 record breaking pursuit team. Rhys Pollock (24) joined Team UNO in September after two years racing in Europe. To read about Team UNO 2004 riders, click on their names below: Team UNO was registered with Victorian Cycling on 11 June and the next day competed in the Preston Mountain Classic with Andy Graham finishing 9th. The following week, Adam finished second and Damian recorded the fastest time in the Wal Smith Casterton 50. At the Victorian Country Road Championships the following week, Adam was third across the line. Two weeks later, David Pell won the De Bortoli Yarra Valley Tour, picking up all four sprints en route. Through July and August, the team rode the five stages of the Tattersall's Cup, and in September competed in the four-day Tour of Sunraysia. Damian also competed in the Grafton to Inverall for the first time since he won it in 1996. In the 299 km Melbourne to Warrnambool, the longest road race in the world, on 9 October, with 123 starters, Team UNO finished 3rd (David Pell), 8th (Andy Graham), 18th (Damian Forster) and 23rd (George Vallins), and won 3 of the sprints. Team UNO competed in the 1100 km 11-day prestigious Herald Sun Tour 14-24 October, with new team member Rhys Pollock replacing Adam. In stage 4 (the Portarlington kermesse 16 Oct) Damian finished 10th; in stage 5 (the Geelong kermesse 17 Oct) Andy finished 10th and Damian 12th; in stage 8 (the Bendigo kermesse 20 Oct) Damian finished 5th and Andy 19th; and in stage 9 (151km from Nagambie to Mansfield 21 Oct) Rhys finished 12th. The team rode the Tour of Queensland 1-6 November. Click here to view the Team UNO 2004 Gallery Herald Sun Tour - news release 5 October 2004Team UNO, Australia's newest cycling team, will be the only all-Australian professional team competing in the Herald Sun Tour, which is regarded as the most prestigious road race in Australia and is being described as the strongest in its 52 year history, with some of the world's top riders competing.All five Team UNO riders have raced at international level, and collectively the five have ridden 14 Herald Sun Tours, making Team UNO a strong competitor in this year's event, which will cover more than 1100km in 11 days, 14-24 October. Team UNO is sponsored by the manufacturers of UNO, the new cycling clothing range that has already started to change the cycling apparel industry in Australia by offering quality clothing at affordable prices. UNO has created a niche in the Australian market, catering to not only the professional riders but also the thousands of recreational or leisure riders who until now were not prepared to pay the usually high prices for cycling clothing. Team UNO comprises three highly experienced riders - Damian Forster, Andy Graham, George Vallins - who have recently made come-backs, and two young riders - David Pell and Rhys Pollock . Together they have close to 90 years of racing experience at club, state, national and international level. The 2004 Herald Sun Tour marks a return to form for team leader Damian Forster who retired seven years ago at the age of 23, after two seasons on the European circuit. After winning the Grafton-Inverall in 1996 and finishing 10th in the Melbourne to Warrnambool, Forster, formerly of Colac, decided to hang up his wheels. But seven years later the prospect of a well-run professional racing team in Australia drew him back onto the bike. This will be his sixth Herald Sun Tour. Similarly, Andy Graham (age 32) and George Vallins (31), have raced since their teens, and have competed internationally, but chose to remain in Australia. Graham was forced off the bike with injuries in 1992 but made a come-back in 2002 - after losing more than 50kg - and finished 4 th in the Hamilton Round of the Tattersall's Cup and 7 th overall in the Tour of Sunraysia, then rode in Henk Vogels' team in the Herald Sun Tour. Last year he spent three months riding in the USA and collected a third placing in the Colorado State Road Championships. For Graham, 32 from Warrnambool, this will be his third consecutive Herald Sun Tour. Like Forster, George Vallins started racing at the age of six with the Colac Cycling Club. Over the years he represented Australia at the Oceana Games in New Zealand, gained a 2 nd in the National Titles, was 3 rd in the Grafton- Inverall, 12 th in the Tour of Sunraysia, and last year won the Preston Mountain Classic, was 5 th in the Victorian Road Championships, and rode the Herald Sun Tour. The two youngest team members, David Pell (24 from Bendigo) and Rhys Pollock (24 from Albury), both have international experience and plan to return to the international circuit. Pell rode the junior world titles in Cuba, was a member of the Australian 2002 Under 23 squad that raced in Italy, competed in the 2002 Road World Titles in Belgium, and was in the Australian "shadow" Olympic squad. He has competed in four Herald Sun Tours, 1999-2002. Pollock returned to Australia in September after two years with Pedale d'Alsace in France where he gained 12 top-10 positions. In the 2002 Herald Sun Tour, he finished 10 in a stage and 18 th overall and the same year finished 6 th in the Melbourne-Warrnambool. In the 2003 Tour, he finished 10 th in a stage and 17 th overall. |
