Wiggle Honda Women's Pro Cycling team launch

Wiggle Honda Women's Pro Cycling team launch

All-new women's team

The Wiggle Honda Women's Pro Cycling team stand alongside their Honda team car

Oli Woodman/Future Publishing

Oli Woodman

Published: January 25, 2013 at 4:38 pm
The Wiggle Honda Women's Pro Cycling team stand alongside their Honda team car Oli Woodman/Future Publishing
The Wiggle Honda Women's Pro Cycling Team with sponsors Oli Woodman/Future Publishing
Rochelle Gilmore's Colnago C59 team bike Oli Woodman/Future Publishing
Wiggle Honda Women's Pro Cycling team launch Oli Woodman/Future Publishing
Wiggle Honda Women's Pro Cycling team launch Oli Woodman/Future Publishing
Wiggle Honda Women's Pro Cycling team launch Oli Woodman/Future Publishing
Wiggle Honda Women's Pro Cycling team launch Oli Woodman/Future Publishing

An all-new female pro cycling team was launched today in London. The Wiggle Honda Women's Pro Cycling team is the brainchild Commonwealth Games gold medalist Rochelle Gilmore, and is the result of four years of tenacious effort.

Team Wiggle Honda will support 12 riders in total, with a host of female champions and future talent confirmed. As well as Gilmore herself, the group includes 2012 Olympic trio Laura Trott, Dani King and Joanna Rowsell. Three-time world champion Giorgia Bronzini is also in the lineup, as is seven-time Japanese national champion Mayuko Hagiwara.

As far as competition is concerned, direction for the team will mostly be focused on single-day classic events along with sprint races. Many of the riders will be making a transition from track to road cycling this year, with the ultimate goal being to win as many races as possible without putting too much pressure on the girls.

Rochelle and her teammates have set out to raise the professionalism and perception of women's cycling, and have received backing from both the Bradley Wiggins Foundation and British Cycling along the way. Rochelle's aim is to provide everything necessary for her fellow athletes to perform at their best, something that hasn't always been possible.

Headline sponsors Honda Motor Europe have provided the team with cars, indicating a positive direction for a company that's faced tough times in the recent UK market. Support also comes from a whole host of Wiggle-stocked brands, from Fizik and Muc-Off to Skins.

Rochelle Gilmore's Colnago C59 team bike
Rochelle gilmore's team bike: Oli Woodman/Future Publishing

Rochelle Gilmore's Colnago C59 team bike

The riders will use Colnago C59 bikes in Wiggle's black and orange team livery, while matching kit comes courtesy of Wiggle's in-house clothing brand DHB.

Rochelle will continue to receive support from British Cycling coaches Shane Sutton and Dave Brailsford in order to achieve her goals. In the meantime, BikeRadar will be taking a closer look at her pro bike in the next week, as well as following the progress of the Wiggle Honda team throughout the season.

Team riders

Oli Woodman

Audience Development Manager

Former BikeRadar staffer Oli is passionate about anything with wheels and/or an engine or motor. A keen eye for technical detail and a general curiosity for how things work often gives Oli a unique insight into products he's either testing or writing about. An unhealthy interest in older motor vehicles keeps him poor but happy.
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