New Zealand’s longest run cycling team, the NZ Cycling Project, is set to grow for the coming years after extending with main sponsor MitoQ.
The squad, founded by James Canny, has finished another successful year winning both at home and abroad with Ben Oliver’s win at Intelligentsia Cup in Chicago, USA proving a highlight.
“MitoQ has been the driving force behind the team’s success over the past four years,” said Canny. “It has been an incredibly symbiotic relationship for us, not only do we share the same values, but we are backed by a product that truly supports endurance athletes chasing their goals. Heading into our 16th season alongside MitoQ is very exciting.”
MitoQ is an advanced antioxidant molecule that supports the body. Their health-technology is scientifically shown to act as a bioavailable antioxidant and support the body’s natural reaction to oxidative stress.
The men’s team is once again registered as a UCI Continental squad and in positive news for New Zealand cycling, the team has added a Women’s squad which will be led by former New Zealand representative Sophie Williamson.
“It’s awesome to have a long-standing men’s team like MitoQ - NZ Cycling Project setting up a women’s team as well,” said Williamson. “These kinds of pathways are hard to come by in New Zealand and they are invaluable for getting race experience and growing the sport in New Zealand. I’m super excited and proud to be part of it.”
Williamson will be joined in the first instance with five other talented kiwi riders to be announced in the coming weeks..
Chief Marketing Officer of MitoQ John Marshall said: “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the NZ Cycling Project, as it enters an exciting new chapter in its evolution. The team is the perfect embodiment of our core philosophy to ‘start small and dream big’ and we have been very proud to play a part in helping the team develop, compete and optimise for high-performance. Adding a women’s squad to the roster and enabling a cohort of talented Kiwi female cyclists to compete at the highest level is an initiative we wholeheartedly support.”
Canny is excited to add a women’s line-up in 2024.
“Starting the women’s squad has been a big goal for the last few years. I am really excited to give talented kiwi women another pathway into the pro ranks. It was well overdue, and our sponsors unreservedly support the initiative,” said Canny.
He has enlisted assistance from three-time New Zealand road champion and noted professional, Cath Cheatley as Manager/Mentor, to provide another layer of support to the women.
The new year will start with the men competing in the New Zealand Cycling Classic, New Zealand’s only UCI-sanctioned stage road race. Both the men and women will line up at Gravel and Tar UCI1.2 one-day race in Manawatu in January before taking on the National Road Championships in Timaru.
The focus will once again turn to a big stint of pro racing in North America, while Canny hopes to further grow the team in a sustainable manner and expand the international racing calendar in the process.