CyclingQuotes.com Arredondo leads Trek in Beijing

Having struggled to find his best form in the second part of the season, Julian Arredondo is now feeling better and he will be going for one final result when he leads Trek in the Tour of Beijing. The Colombian will join forces with Robert Kiserlovski and Riccardo Zoidl in the mountainous stages while the Van Poppel brothers will focus on the sprints.

Giro d’Italia King of the Mountain and stage winner Julian Arredondo will lead a strong Trek Factory Racing squad to take on the fourth and final edition of the Tour of Beijing, beginning Friday 10th October.

The Columbian climber soloed to victory on the ascent of the Rifugio Panarotta to win stage 18 of this year’s Giro, having escaped from the breakaway at the ascent of the final climb. Having already claimed the maximum King of the Mountain points from the day, the victory was the finest of the 26-year-old’s career.

No stranger to winning in Asia, Arredondo was the 2012-2013 Asia Tour champion and has previously ridden to victory at the 2013 editions of the Tour of Kumano and Tour de Langkawi

With the Tour of Beijing parcours again toughened up, the Trek Factory Racing squad includes three climbers more than capable of making an impact on the general classification.

Arredondo will be joined by Croatian Robert Kiserlovski who has ridden solidly all season, netting top-10s at the Giro d’Italia and Tirreno-Adriatico. Austrian champion Riccardo Zoidlhas also impressed, riding to a strong third place on the queen stage of the tour of Utah in August.

Firepower won’t be in short supply, with young former Herald Sun Tour winner Calvin Watson providing support on the climbs and the experienced New Zealander Hayden Roulston also on hand. Brothers Boy and Danny Van Poppel should ensure Trek is well represented on the flatter stages. Former Portuguese Under 23 road and time trial championFabio Silvestre could be the team’s wildcard. Roulston already has a classification jersey in hand from last year’s Tour of Beijing, taking out the inaugural Panda of the Mountain prize at Panda Corner in 2013.

Trek Factory racing general manager Luca Guercilena said the team was keen to finish off 2014 on a high but also to continue to promote the team in important markets like China.

“The Tour of Beijing is an important race for our team. Not only because it's the last chapter of the WorldTour but also because it's a great showcase for cycling in general and our team in particular in Asia. Trek is a global player in the bike industry and we are committed to racing hard all over the world,” Guercilena said.

“Our team for Beijing is strong and we hope to do well. The course looks very challenging, especially for someone like Julian Arredondo, so we hope he will deliver.”

The 2014 Tour of Beijing will be held from the Friday 10th to Tuesday 14th October as the last event on the UCI WorldTour calendar. The five day, 764.5 kilometre route provides for opportunistic racing and takes in breathtaking views of the Great Wall, Beijing’s mountain terrain and embraces key tourism attractions such as Tiananmen Square and the Bird’s Nest.

Trek Factory Racing – 2014 Tour of Beijing
Julian ARREDONDO (COL, 26)	Yet another outstanding Colombian climber, Arrendondo made the most of his move to the WorldTour this year with Trek by winning a stage and earning a podium on another to claim the king of the mountains classification at the Giro d'Italia. In 2014 he also won two stages of the Tour de San Luis. Is twice 2nd overall at the Tour of Japan and can also claim victory at the 2013 Tour de Kumano and 2013 Tour de Langkawi on his palmares.
Robert KISERLOVSKI (CRO, 28)	Finished 10th overall for the second time in his career at the Giro d'Italia this season. Kiserlovski has also had top-10s at Paris-Nice, La Flèche Wallonne Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (2012) and at Tirreno-Adriatico this year. Will join Tinkoff-Saxo from 2015.
Hayden ROULSTON (NZL, 33)	Won his fourth NZ road championship at the start of the year. 2008 Olympic silver medalist on the track in the individual pursuit and bronze medalist from the team pursuit. Raced to a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the men's road race.
Fabio SILVESTRE (POR, 24)	Latecomer to cycling who progressed from the Leopard Trek continental team to the top ranks. Former Portuguese Under 23 road and time trial champion he won a stage of the Tour of Normandy last year. A punchuer, who can sprinter but also excel in the time trial.
Boy VAN POPPEL (NED, 26)	A graduate of the Rabobank development program, van Poppel is an impressive sprinter on the rise. A win over Mark Cavendish at the Tour of Missouri in 2008 helped garner attention. Since, he's gone on to claim a points classification victory at the 2012 Tour of Britain and more recently, claim a podium at Nokere-Koerse and finish in the top-10 at Vattenfall Cyclassics.
Danny VAN POPPEL (NED, 21)	Rode into the history books in 2013, when as a 19-year-old he became the youngest rider since WWII to start the Tour de France. Has enjoyed a solid first year with Trek, finishing on the podium at the Scheldeprijs, and winning the opening stage of the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen.
Calvin WATSON (AUS, 21)	Captured the attention of WorldTour teams with his victory at the 2013 Herald Sun Tour on his 20th birthday. An aggressive showing at the Tour Down Under which followed was enough to land Watson a deal with Trek. Has enjoyed a tough calendar of racing in his neo pro season including Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour of Romandie, along with the Tour of Utah and USA Pro Challenge.
Riccardo ZOIDL (AUT, 26)	Winner of the UCI Europe Tour in 2013, Zoidl has also won the last two Austrian Road Championships. An all-rounder, Zoidl finished third overall at this year's Tour Méditerranéen.

MORE NEWS: