Skil-Koga is a new women's cycling team that is set to start in 2011. The men's Skil-Shimano team will offer strong support for the women's squad. In light of the teams that have been folding on both men's and women's side in the last couple of years, the emergence of this new project is welcome news for professional cycling.
Several riders have already been signed up, including Regina Bruins, Suzanne de Goede, Amy Pieters, Roxane Knetemann, Hannah Welter, Marte Lenferink, and Christina Becker. Former cyclist Sharon van Essen is directeur sportif. Many of the riders are from the Netherlands and despite being a trade team, two of the main goals are the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2012 road cycling championships in the Netherlands.
The team will wear a similar outfit as the men's side and operate on the same core values: investments in rider development, team spirit, ethics and health, innovation and sustainability. Skil-Shimano’s commercial manager Sissy van Alebeek, a former Dutch road champion, has been appointed team manager.
"This is a fantastic, special project, with a wonderful sporting focus, the road to the London Olympics in 2012" says Skil-Shimano's general manager Iwan Spekenbrink. "It is managed by a driven, knowledgeable colleague, Sissy van Alebeek, who has worked out a new concept for a women's team. Our coach Merijn Zeeman will map out the optimal training schedule in the run up to London. With this project, Skil and Koga connect men's and women's cycling in terms of marketing and communication."
Sissy van Alebeek won the 2001 Dutch road title and retired in 2009. Her new job puts her in charge of the project. "We will endeavor to map out the optimal road to the Olympic Games for one or more of our cyclists, based on an optimal combination of a specially tailored race program and very professional, intensive training. There are obviously various other challenges on the schedule in this period, such as the Dutch championships and of course the world championships in Copenhagen [2011] and Limburg [Netherlands, 2012]," says Van Alebeek.
Bruins is a former skating racer who switched over to cycling in 2007. She won the Dutch national time trial title in 2009. So far she has been with the Cervélo TestTeam and received multiple offers from other teams. "I can work towards a number of major goals in this team on the basis of a tailored program," says Bruins. "I come into a team with some talented, dedicated girls, who are all very similar. I was especially looking for far-reaching, intensive guidance, in terms of coaching, equipment and aerodynamics, mental guidance and so on. I am confident this is the way to get the best out of myself over the next few years."
Skil-Koga's two title sponsors are also backing the Skil-Shimano team. Skil is an electronic tool producer, Koga a Dutch high-end bike manufacturer.
The riders will use Koga bicycles, says Wouter Jager, General Manager of Koga. "The team's cyclists will be equipped with the high-quality Kimera carbon framesets and Regina Bruins will prepare for the Olympic time trial on our revolutionary Di2 carbon TeeTee time trial bike."