Having only recently launched in mid-December, 2019 Black Spoke Pro Cycling Academy is packed with some of New Zealand’s top cycling talent and is supported by an array of experienced ex-professionals who are looking to give back to the sport of cycling.
Led by Scott Guyton, former professional rider and owner of one of Auckland’s most successful independent cycling stores, Black Spoke’s management bring a variety of resources and experience to the table. This high calibre talent includes the experience of Aussie rider and Giro d’Italia stage winner, Dave ‘Macca’ McKenzie, and high-performance coach Marc Prutton and this new outfit also has the backing of Cycling New Zealand.
At the recent launch of the team, General Manager Scott Guyton outlined the importance of pathways for aspiring riders, “We believe Black Spoke delivers a missing step in the pathway to the top of the sport. Providing this clear pathway helps New Zealand’s existing talent unlock their potential and hopefully inspires future generations of Kiwis to consider cycling as a realistic professional sporting career.”
Black Spoke Pro Cycling Academy is New Zealand’s only UCI Continental squad with a clear goal of supporting rider development and growth onto the Pro-Continental and WorldTour stage. Development road team’s such as Black Spoke are vital to the long term success and sustainability of road cycling and we warmly welcome them to our Tour in 2020.
The success of this team won’t be measured in podiums or prize money, rather it will be judged by the experience and exposure to world class racing it provides to the team’s riders.
This team has a great mix of young talent, and experienced riders to make up their squad. Hayden McCormick will bring a cool head and a wealth of knowledge to the race team. Racing at a continental level for a few years, he will be a natural leader on the road, and be able to provide leadership when needed.
For a lot of these riders, this will be their biggest race to date and we’re looking forward to seeing what will unfold in the Victorian hills.
RIDER LIST
Luke Mudgway – This energetic rider kicked off his 2019 season with a bang, taking out the illustrious NZ road race, Gravel & Tar. Coming from a strong track background, the 23-year-old had a long season last year, and after a well earned break, and then nationals we can’t wait to see his form at our Tour.
Hayden McCormick – Hailing from the North Island’s Cambridge, McCormick is a strong all rounder. 2019 saw him secure the Mountains classification at the Tour of Utah, and a third overall at the NZ National time trial championships. In 2019, he raced with Team BridgeLane and we’re looking forward to seeing this 26-year-old hit it out against his old teammates.
James Oram – Taking out the mountains classification at the Tour de Korea last year, we’ll be interested to see how he performs against the other whippets in the hills. Coming from Mitchelton – BikeExchange in 2019, he’ll be looking to make a splash with the newly formed Black Spoke Pro Cycling Academy.
Ethan Batt – A relative youngster on the team at just 21, Ethan will be using our Tour to gain valuable experience and possibly target the youth classification. Batt is known for going with the break and will be a valuable worker for the team.
Josh Kench – The 18 year old rider is the new kid on the block for Black Spoke Pro Cycling, 2019 was his first year racing at an international level on the road.
Alexander White – The 2019 edition of the Oceania Continental Championships was held in typical Tasmania conditions, this Kiwi rose to the occasion and finished in third in the individual time trial in the U19 men’s category.
Ari Scott – Hailing from Nelson, the U23 rider represented New Zealand at the 2019 UCI Yorkshire Road World Championships. Unfortunately, due to the horrible conditions he was a DNF, but we’re excited to see what he’ll bring with some (hopefully) fair-weather racing in Australia.
