Endura Racing has boosted its roster for next year by signing Dean Windsor, Jon Tiernan-Locke and Zak Dempster to its team. Australian Dempster has been riding as a stagiaire with HTC-Highroad since August and recently told VeloNation he was holding out for a contract with a ProTeam. However, with the demise of HTC-Highroad and the amalgamation of RadioShack and Leopard Trek, the transfer market has been a tough one for new riders.
In a statement released by the team today, Dempster (pictured) spoke of his satisfaction with the deal. “I'm really happy to be joining such a successful and ambitious team. I've obviously raced Endura a lot over the last two seasons and I see it as a good step towards racing more in Europe and continuing the progression I've shown.
“I'm aiming for another strong start to the season at UCI level in Europe. The goal of the season is pretty basic, win as many races and contribute to as many team victories as possible January through October.”
Tiernan-Locke will join the team after a solid two years with Rapha Condor Sharp. This season he won a stage in the Vuelta a Leon and placed second overall. He also finished an impressive fifth in the Tour of Britain, racing against a number of WorldTour teams.
He too is looking forward to being with Endura Racing next season. “After a solid 2011 season I'm really excited to be joining Endura Racing and looking forward to taking on a more challenging race programme.
“Naturally I want to continue my development as a cyclist, and see Endura Racing as an ideal environment to do this in. I aim to hit the ground running in 2012, and contribute to the teams already impressive palmares, especially in the tougher stage races,” Tiernan-Locke said.
Also coming on board are 2011 British Premier Calendar winner Ian Bibby, Jonny McEvoy and Erick Rowsell. They were confirmed for the lineup on Monday.
The team will retain the services of key riders such as Alexander Wetterhall, Paul Voss and Iker Camano while Jack Bauer will be leaving with Garmin-Cervélo as the likely destination.
Endura Racing 2012 rider line-up:
Alexander Wetterhall (Sweden)
Alexandre Blain (France)
Dean Windsor (Australia)
Erick Rowsell (UK)
Ian Bibby (UK)
Ian Wikinson (UK)
Iker Camano (Spain)
Jack Anderson (Australia)
Jonny McEvoy (UK)
Jon Tiernan-Locke (UK)
Paul Voss (Germany)
Rene Mandri (Estonia)
Rob Partridge (UK)
Scott Thwaites (UK)
Zak Dempster (Australia)