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TEAM RELEASE - Phonak signs McCarty and Hesjedal

By Press Release
Published: Sep. 23, 2005

PRESS RELEASE - Phonak forges new talents
The Swiss UCI ProTour team signs on additional future hopefulsThe team's commitment towards the future couldn't be any clearer: After already having signed on two young pros for the new season, Florian Stalder (23 years old/SWI) and Fernandez Oliveira (25 years old/ESP), ARcycling AG is now giving three more young riders the opportunity to distinguish themselves on one of the world's best cycling teams. The latest recruits for the 2006 squad are David Vitoria (21 years old/SWI), Jonathan Patrick McCarty (23 years old/USA) and Ryder Hesjedal (25 years old/CAN).The direction being charted by General Team Manager John Lelangue is unmistakable. "We want to form one unit for the future. That means we're striving to have a mix of already successful riders and young talents hungry for success. We're getting very close to that goal with the team that we've assembled up till today." In the meantime, there are 24 riders from 11 countries under contract with the Phonak Cycling Team for the new season. Lelangue is still holding talks with other riders because the UCI ProTour requires that a team have at least 25 riders.Brief portraits of the new riders:

Name Age Country Status 2005 team Major achievements
David Vitoria 21 Swi Neo Pro - 2005:
1st place at GP Bern ARIF1st place at GP Caduti Nervianesi
Jonathan P. McCarty 23 USA Pro since 2004 Discovery 2003:
Stage and overall winner at Ronde de L'Isard Ariege7th place at U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Ryder Hesjedal 25 Can Pro since 2004 Discovery 7 medals at the MTB World Championships
2002 MTB World Cup champion
2005:
10th place in the TdR Prologue19th overall at the Tour of Germany3rd place in the Canada's national championships time trial4th place in Canada's national championships road racingCompeted in the World Championships in the road racingand time trial categories

The 2006 Phonak Cycling Team (as of 22 Sep 2005,listed by countries)
Aurélien Clerc (SUI)
Martin Elmiger (SWI)
Gregory Rast (SWI)
Johann Tschopp (SWI)
Alexandre Moos (SWI)
Sascha Urweider (SWI)
David Vitoria (SWI)
Steve Zampieri (SWI)
Florian Stalder (SWI)
Axel Merckx (BEL)
Koos Moerenhout (HOL)
Luis Fernandez Oliveira (ESP)
José Enrique Gutierrez (ESP)
Ignacio Gutierrez (ESP)
Miguel Martin Perdiguero (ESP)
Santiago Botero (COL)
Victor Hugo Peña (COL)
Floyd Landis (USA)
Jonathan Patrick McCarty (USA)
Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)
Bert Grabsch (GER)
Nicolas Jalabert (FRA)
Uros Murn (SLO)
Robert Hunter (RSA)