Madison Genesis announce roster for 2013 season

Madison Genesis have announced their roster for 2013, with the headline signings being former National Champion Dean Downing and World Track Champion and Premier Calendar winner Andy Tennant, backed up by a mix of established names and upcoming talent.

"To start with a blank sheet of paper and go talent spotting to find some incredible U23 riders and to be given the opportunity to sign well known British names has been great," said team manager Roger Hammond. "When Madison Genesis was announced, we were contacted by many young British riders looking for a chance to shine and I have enjoyed finding out what a depth of talent we have in this country. This team is a well-considered selection and we can't wait to get racing."

The result of Hammond's scouting is a roster with five U23 riders balanced by some experienced heads. The newly formed team will be keeping it real on steel, riding Reynolds 953-framed Genesis bikes next season; it'll be interesting to see how they stack up against the tide of carbon. Downing and Tennant are backed up by a roster of names some of whom will be familiar (Ian Bibby and Liam Holohan, for example) and some that won't.

"2013 is looking like an exciting year for me," Downing said of the move. "It's definitely going to be a busy one! I'm looking forward to bringing my knowledge and experience to the Madison Genesis team and helping the younger riders to progress further. I'm also looking forward to getting my hands in the air again after a frustrating 2012."

Andy Tennant was waxing lyrical about next year too. "The move to Madison Genesis was the perfect one for me, with the team outlook and ethos reflecting my own," he said. "I feel that the coming season with Madison Genesis will be an exciting one which will help me to continue improving and claiming some great results."

Here at road.cc we're particularly happy to see the name of Chris Snook on the roster; he's managed to juggle a full-time job as Madison's press officer (being at the beck and call of whiny journalists such as ourselves) with the rigours of attaining a Cat 1 racing licence without any real team support. Chapeau to him.

The full 2013 Madison Genesis roster is:

Dean Downing
Andy Tennant
Ian Bibby
Sebastian Baylis
Alex Peters
Brennan Townshend
Dominic Jelfs
Jack Pullar
Liam Holohan
Chris Snook