Atlanta — Team Type 1 is bolstering its strength in the field sprints for 2009 with the addition of Argentinian speedster Ricardo Escuela while re-signing Mexican Moises Aldape, who enjoyed a breakout season of his own.Aldape and Escuela are the first two signings announced by the second-year professional squad that was founded to inspire people living with Type 1 diabetes to better manage their health and overcome obstacles often associated with the condition.
Aldape, 27, represented Mexico at the Summer Olympics in Beijing after winning the King of the Mountains classification and one stage of the Bend Memorial Cascade Cycling Classic, as well as the sprint classification at the Tour de Beauce.
Escuela, 25, established himself as one of the top sprinters on the domestic circuit in 2008 by winning stages at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and the Cascade Classic while racing for Successfulliving.com presented by ParkPre.
It was Aldape’s impressive performance that helped Team Type 1 to a third-place finish in the team classification during the Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T. On the race’s most decisive stage, the climb up Brasstown Bald Mountain, Aldape’s sixth place led four riders from Team Type 1 in the top 17 on the day.
“Moises has been a go-to guy all year for us, whether sprinting to a top 10 finish in Philadelphia, winning mountain-top stages at Cascade, or being the stalwart lieutenant in defense of another team leader in races like the Tour de Langkawi, the Tour of Ireland and the Vuelta Mexico,” Team Type 1 Sport Director Ed Beamon said.
“I expect we will see him take on more of a leadership role next year. He has a better understanding of what to expect on the American racing scene and has already established his adeptness in international competition, so I anticipate a strong season from him. Without the distraction of Olympic preparation, we should be able to start him in more events next year as well.”
Beamon said he is excited to be able to provide Escuela with a strong team that will be committed to leading him out in field sprints.
“It's no secret that a weakness of ours this year was not having any depth in the sprint finishes,” Beamon said. “We are making moves to fill that void and Ricardo is a key addition. He has shown that he is capable of winning the bunch kick in criteriums, as well as hard selection-type races. He can also put himself in the breakaways where his finishing speed becomes that much more dangerous.”
In its first season as a professional team, Team Type 1 won 43 races and recorded 95 podium finishes. As one of the top stage racing teams in North America, Team Type 1 earned overall victories at the Vuelta Mexico and the Tour of Arkansas and team titles at the Vuelta Mexico and the Tour de Beauce.
“Although they do not have diabetes themselves, Moises and Ricardo not only give us two powerful competitive weapons as we enter 2009, but they also increase our ability to communicate this message to the Hispanic and Spanish speaking community in America that struggles with an increasing population affected by diabetes,” Beamon said.
Team Type 1 was created in 2004 by two racers with Type 1 diabetes, Phil Southerland and Joe Eldridge. The pair led the squad to back-to-back victories in the Race Across America (RAAM) in 2006 and 2007 before joining Fabio Calabria and Timothy Hargrave as the team’s four professional riders with Type 1 diabetes on the roster in 2008.
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