Ryan Roth and U23 champion Edward Walsh headline UCI Continental X-Speed United team
William Elliot, Nicholas Diniz, Martin Rupes and Evan Burtnik make up the Canadian contingent on the 2019 team
Ed Walsh was junior champion in 2014 and added the U23 title in 2018 in Saguenay.
Ryan Roth celebrates his victory at the 2018 Tour of Whiterock. Photo: Scott Robarts
William Elliot on the podium at the 2017 Tour of Namur.
In October, National Cycling Centre Hamilton announced they had launched a new UCI Continental Team in partnership with groups in Hong Kong and Australia. The X-Speed United team intends to focus on providing opportunities for young athletes from all three countries to race across the world. On Wednesday, NCCH announced the Canadian cyclists who will ride for the project in 2019.
The team is headlined by veteran Ryan Roth who comes over to the team from Silber Pro Cycling which will no longer exist in its current form in 2019. Under-23 Canadian road champion Edward Walsh, who also won the Canadian junior title in 2014, joins X-Speed United after two seasons over in Europe riding for T.Palm – Pole Continental Wallon. William Elliot, Nicholas Diniz, Martin Rupes and Evan Burtnik are the other Canadians on the X-Speed team. Elliot won the Tour de Namur overall in 2017 and the Tour de Flandre-Orientale in 2016. He was teammates with Walsh at T.Palm – Pole Continental Wallon.
The team is a joint collaboration between X-Speed Hong Kong, X-Speed Australia and NCCH. The team is licensed in Hong Kong and is managed by Australian Amanda O’Connor. The X-Speed United will also have a regional women’s team based in Hong Kong.
“We sent our manager/head coach to Belgium, Switzerland, and China this year to seek out other development and racing opportunities for our riders, and this is a sensational outcome,” explained NCCH president Ward Black back when the team was announced. “2019 will see Canada accept riders from Hong Kong and Australia and these alliance members will join us at our new base in Belgium. The formation of a Continental Team will give a clear pathway for our riders, from development to trade team and up to Continental Team.”
The roster will consist of riders and staff from the three countries with race targets in Canada and Asia.
