Press & Reviews

Here is the Jazz Apple story as told by Susy Pryde ...

The Story of Jazz Apple Women's Cycling

The team came about from the inspiration of a lot of supportive and enthusiastic people. Our sponsor, Jazz Apple, responded to an invitation I'd published about racing in the USA on a development template. 

The template was about developing and extending cycling skills in a new and different environment. I had asked for all interested athletes to apply and shortly thereafter I received an email from a family friend, David Nelley who is based in Vancouver with Jazz Apple, keen to discuss the opportunity of sponsorship. 

Since that day over four years ago, it has been a thoroughly successful collaboration. We really represent all the hard working Jazz Apple growers throughout New Zealand and the USA. And we get to work alongside those very growers when we are in States by handing out Jazz Apple slices in supermarkets and promoting the product. It is a really unique and rewarding for our athletes to have direct contact with those growers.

Team goals - it's not just about racing ...

Two of the original and sustaining goals of the team have been self management and the responsibility of representing a sponsor. 

1.  Learning how to manage oneself away from home, financially, emotionally and athletically is large part of being a successful athlete. 

2.  Understanding that from a sponsor's perspective there are obligations to promote and create awareness of a brand in line with a sponsor's expectations. That means understanding the product or service, being able to speak confidently about it and presenting oneself in a way that is conducive to promoting the brand. 

Part of the reason why these have been part of the foundation of the team's goals is because cycling is expensive and sponsorship support is crucial to an international athlete's pathway. Once that support is earned in a sponsorship agreement, it is definitely a two way street - and successfully nurturing of that relationship goes a long way to keeping an athlete, and a team, in the business of bike racing.

When it is about racing ...

In the race context, we try to impart the importance of timing; timing of attacks and counter attacks, knowing when to react and chase an attack and timing of a lead out to name some examples. Also we focus on a wide variety of team related aspects. Intuition of keying of one another and other riders in the pack. And trying all types of different moves without fear of being dropped. Just having the freedom to try new and varied tactics.

I think the biggest success is that six very tenacious kiwis, Brei Gudsell, Rosara Joseph, Sarah Ulmer, Michelle Hyland, Lauren Koedyk and Serena Sheridan lead by example and carved the identity of a kiwi based team into the US and international cycling scene four years ago. 

There were many individual athletes before who've had great success but this group did something new for women's cycling. We now have a Canadian, American and Australian in the mix but we still have an overwhelming kiwi presence, especially in the spirit of the group. I think every athlete we've had on the team have been excellent ambassadors for themselves and our sponsors, and to me that is really important. 

The Jazz Apple Cycling Team

Most of the group are in their early 20's and have only been in elite road cycling for two or three road seasons. It takes time to develop the strength required to consistently perform for a season of stage racing and individual events, especially in light of the large scale travel involved in the US. It takes a systematic and methodical approach season by season, and that is also what the Jazz Apple template is about.

Lastly, our team has had tremendous support from the New Zealand cycling community, which we are so grateful for. It is that support that has continued to inspire and motivate our girls to reach the heights of their contemporary cycling greats, Jo Kiesanowski, Sarah Ulmer and Cath Cheatley.

Team roster 

• Rosara Joseph
• Dotsie Bausch (USA)
• Lauren Ellis
• Steph Roorda (CAN)
• Malindi Maclean
• Marina Duvnjak
• Ruth Corset (AUS)