From Tom Zirbel

2008 is going to be a fun year for racing on the Bissell Pro Cycling Team! I’m excited about my teammates, about my management and staff, and about my sponsors. It’s going to be great to have Bissell as the title sponsor of our team in 2008 because Mark Bissell has been an integral part of the growth of this team the last 3 years while being a “secondary” sponsor in terms of logo advertising and team name. He seemed to be more concerned with the “big picture” growth of the team rather than the short term gains that he could have made by demanding a larger advertising presence in team name, jersey space, etc. He is a huge cycling enthusiast and has really shown an interest in the results in not just the team from year to year but the riders from race to race. Having sponsors such as Mark Bissell and Bob Hughes (Advantage Benefits Group) who are genuinely interested in our results on the bike and our lives off the bike only strengthens our resolve to achieve success in this insanely difficult sport. It gives a family feel to a sport/profession that can seem so business-like as to take the pleasure and romance out of riding your bike. I believe this family like atmosphere on the Bissell team is going to lead to a high level of success in 2008. On a team like this, the pressure to perform comes not from the management but from within the racer. The desire to achieve your best is amplified by the closeness to your teammates and the knowledge of all the hard work and sacrifices that have been made by your management, staff, and sponsors to give you the opportunities that you have. With the additions made to the roster and staff for the 2008 season, we have all the tools necessary to make an additional step up and further our quest to become the best cycling team in the nation. We’ve added depth, strength, and experience to a team that was just starting to realize its potential in 2007. We now have the talent and experience necessary to be the best team in the nation. All we need now is the confidence to do so, a little luck scattered here and there, and ton of hard work and dedication to the cause. Let’s get started already!!!

-Tom Zirbel