'We want to start with a bang': Mitchelton-Scott shooting for the stars in 2020 | Kieran Pender
16 January 2020 01:00
Ten years since their creation, the Australian cycling team is intent on becoming a World Tour forceAs origin stories go, it is elegant for its simplicity. In July 2010, Gerry Ryan was at the Tour de France. A cycling fan since childhood, the wealthy businessman had a long history of supporting the sport – at the time he sponsored Australia’s Olympic cyclists. But as Ryan watched team cars pass him bearing flags from around the world, he had a realisation: his own nation’s symbol was absent. “We had 12 Australians riding the Tour that year,” Ryan says. “I thought, surely we should be able to put our own team together.”He did. In the subsequent decade, Ryan, general manager Shayne Bannan and chief sports director Matt White would build one of the best cycling teams in the world. From an Australian-dominated starting point when Mitchelton-Scott debuted in Geelong in January 2012, the team has globalised, adding international riders, staff and wins. But the Australian flag remains etched on team cars. “We are a global team, with Australian DNA,” is a common Mitchelton-Scott mantra. Related: Australian sensation Sarah Gigante primed for first year as pro cyclist | Simone Giuliani Continue readingread full article
