Team Aviawest
February 13, 2006
Team Aviawest is BC’s newest Provincial Trade Team, bringing together two of BC’s top teams and the Aviawest Cycling Club in 2006.
Select Team Kappa and TeenSpeed athletes will now be part of Team Aviawest, under the guidance of one of Canada’s top cycling coaches, Steve Lund. The team will be in good hands as Steve has extensive experience coaching both developing athletes and champions such as Olympic Triathlon Gold Medalist - Simon Whitfield, 2004 Master’s World Mountain Bike Champion - Sue Reid and 2004 US Pro Tour Cycling Champion - Gina Grain.
Team Kappa has been the premiere woman’s cycling team in Western Canada. It was formed in 2001 to provide opportunities for young women making their transition from junior to senior. The goal of the team was to grow with the riders, providing the support they need as their careers develop. Team Kappa had great success, with riders winning World and National Championship titles and representing Canada at the 2004 Paralympic Games.
TeenSpeed is a Victoria based youth cycling club that trains and competes year-round in Road Racing, Track Racing and Mountain Biking. TeenSpeed riders have consistently been among the top finishers in all levels of youth racing in BC. Many of them have competed as members of the BC Provincial Team at Western Canada and Canada Games. A number of TeenSpeed’s top riders are finishing their teen years and are now looking ahead to higher levels of competition.
Team Aviawest will compete primarily in BC, western Canada and the Pacific NW, but also in select races across Canada, in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, at major events such as the Canada Cup MTB series, TransRockies, National Championships, and World Championships. Top road riders Fraser Hayes and Ryan Anderson will start their seasons racing the in Volta Ciclistica, a 5 day UCI 2.2 stage race in Brazil March 8-12.
Team Aviawest will continue to be a leader in cycling development. Although Team Aviawest has a competitive focus, support of up and coming riders, local race organization and providing grass roots instruction and encouragement through an enhanced version of the successful TeenSpeed program for new racers will continue. The existing Aviawest Cycling club will continue to provide veteran racers and enthusiastic recreational racers with a great club and a wider range of deals and discounts from new sponsors.
Team Director, Steve Lund;
“I’m stoked that we’ve started this partnership with Aviawest as it provides us with the opportunity to really grow the teams. I’ve always been devoted to helping young and developing racers reach their full potential, and being able to provide a team that can supply equipment, financial and technical support to the top riders is a big part of making that happen. My goal is to keep the team growing with our core group of riders and to help get those riders on to bigger teams that can provide them with racing opportunities in the US and Europe, where that’s a logical step in their development.”
Title sponsor Aviawest Resorts was founded by the Pearson family of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Pearsons are the developers of Pacific Shores Resort & Spa, located in Parksville, BC. It was the success of this resort that prompted the creation of Aviawest Resort Club. Current Aviawest destinations include:
- The Rosewood Victoria Inn, a 17 suite English-style B&B Inn in Victoria, BC
- Aviawest at the Pacific Rim, a waterfront resort on the west coast of Vancouver Island
- Suites at the Rosedale on Robson in downtown Vancouver, BC.
- Pacific Shores Resort & Spa, an oceanfront luxury resort & spa in Parksville, BC
- Aviawest’s latest project, Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa, will be Victoria’s first urban fractional real estate project and is slated for completion March of 2007.
Aviawest Resort Spokesperson, Jim Pearson;
“With Team Aviawest, our mission is to help some of Canada’s best up and coming racers compete at their best. Many of us at Aviawest have athletic backgrounds, and we are very fortunate to now be in a position to give something back to the sport we love. We are very excited for the coming seasons and expect big things from our partnership with Mr. Lund and the team that he has put together.”
For more information, team roster and sponsors please visit www.teamaviawest.com. |
