Norwegian team stepping up with Emma Johansson in 2011
The Norwegian members of the Hitec Products UCK team were presented to the press in the Hitec Products headquarters in Stavanger, Norway. After being presented with their new Craft race kit and Scott bikes, the riders underwent a lactate test at Jæren SportMed; this was followed by a course with dietician Oddveig Drøpping, and finished the evening with a dinner.
The team will now depart for a two-week training camp in Spain.
The Hitec Products team has been in existence since 2009 but will take a step up in 2011 with the signing of Olympic and World medallist Emma Johansson. The Swedish champion will almost certainly be one of the strongest riders in one day races throughout the season, likely to challenge for the overall World Cup as usual, and the team will go up a level to support her in this.
As well as Johansson, the team also boasts Norwegian champion Lise Nøstvold and Swedish sprinter Sara Mustonen. So far these two have been the source of most of the team’s best results but with the acquisition of Johansson and the development of the team’s riders, most of which are in their early 20s or younger, should see this change.
The three non-Norwegian members of the team were not present at the launch; German Lisa Brennauer was at a track training camp with her national federation, and Mustonen was at a road training camp.
Johansson was not present as she is currently on honeymoon; she was married to former Norwegian rider Martin Vestby on January 8th. Vestby will also be joining the team, as a race director, in 2011.
The team’s first race will be the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Gent, Belgium on February 26th, which was won by Johansson last year.
Hitec Products UCK team 2011:
Johanne Bergseth, Lisa Brennauer, Tone Hatteland, Cecilie Johansen, Emma Johansson, Emilie Moberg, Sara Mustonen, Lise Nøstvold, Kristine Saastad, Marie Voreland and Froydis Meen Waersted