Rock Racing Roster Confirmed: New Venom for 2009

Rock Racing announced their 2009 roster this week, and the controversial American team has added significant firepower for the new season. Team owner Michael Ball has managed to poach several top riders from the now defunct Toyota-United team, including fast man Ivan "Cuban Missile" Dominguez and time trial specialist Chris Baldwin. Also joining the team will be Australian sprinter Baden Cooke. Cooke is an interesting rider, despite a down last two seasons. In joining the American squad, Cooke will look to jump start his career again, with strong support from his new teammates.

Returning to Rock for another season are reigning US pro champ Tyler Hamilton, every man Mike Creed, US crit champ Rahsaan Bahati, Oscar Sevilla, Victor Hugo Pena, and Fred Rodriguez. Also coming aboard are tow powerful Spaniards, Francesco Mancebo, and Jose Gutierrez. Mancebo and Gutierrez, both embroiled in the Operacion Puerto affair a few years back, will hope to regain the form they had before being forced out of European cycling the last two years.

The 2009 Rock roster will be among the most powerful in America, and in some cases, the world. They'll have strong time trialists (Hamilton, Baldwin), GC threats (Hamilton, Mancebo, Gutierrez, Sevilla), climbers (Hamilton, Gutierrez, Mancebo, Sevilla, Grajales) and a big stable of fast finishers (Bahati, Rodriguez, Dominguez, Cooke). In fact, at the upcoming Tour of California, the venom green clad squad will be among the most dangerous entered, with legitimate threats in all disciplines.

If 2008 was the coming out party for Rock racing, 2009 promises to be the coronation for Michael Ball's squad. 30+ wins on the season is very likely, and they'll be considered among the best teams at the Tours of California, Utah, Missouri, and Philly Week. With a bit of luck, Rock Racing could be the top NRC team for 2009, and also will be able to once again threaten at the US crit, time trial, and road race championships.

Increasingly, Rock Racing really are living up to their motto, "Here to Stay." Michael Ball continues to gamble on controversial riders, and it seems as though most of his gambles pay off. Sure, Kayle Leogrande was an experiment gone wrong, but Mancebo, and to a lesser extent Gutierrez, seem ready to break out in 2009. If Cooke stays healthy, Rock will be among the most feared teams of 2009.