Emma Johansson, Lizzie Armitstead and Others Move Their Cycling KIt

Swedish general classification star Emma Johansson has switched allegiance from the Norwegian Hi-tec team to the Australian Orica-AIS group, essentially as a replacement for retired German leader Judith Arndt. Although Arndt may have been more effective in the time trials than Johansson, Emma has been a very effective rider in both one-day and stage races and is always a podium threat, even after breaking both collarbones in a head-on collision with a car during training on the Canary Islands earlier this year.  In spite of this physical setback, she returned to the peloton later in the season, winning the Swedish national road race and time trial championships, finishing fifth overall in the Giro Donne and 6th in the Olympic women's road race.



Twenty-three year old British track and road racing threat Lizzie Armitstead has moved from the now-disbanded Netherlands team, AA Drink-Leontien,, to another Dutch assembly, Dolmens-Boels, after winning the silver medal in the 2012 London games road race.  In 2011 she was the British national champion on the track in the both the points race and the scratch race and the national road champion as well.



Personable Aussie sprinter Chloe Hosking was once considered to have professional potential.  That potential has been realized with successful American and European campaigns in the kit of HTC and its successor Specialized-Lululemon.  Chloe has joined the Scandinavian Hitec Products UCK team, along with  other young budding stars Rachel Neylan, Rossella Ratto and Emilia Fahlin.





 The Optum Pro Cycling powered by Kelly Benefit Strategies women's team was led by Durango, CO native Carmen Small in 2012 as she brought home the NRC individual championship.  Next year she'll join Evelyn Stevens, Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, Trixi Worrack, Loren Rowney and others on the Specialized-Lululemon roster.



The aggressive style of popular African-born rider Sharon Laws will make her a favorite of followers of her new home in the Lotto Belisol line-up.







PastaZara-Cogeas-Manhattan will be the new home of Olympian and 2008 world time trial champion and 2003 US national road racing champ Amber Neben.


Megan Guarnier, Emilia Fahlin and Amber Neben will all be wearing different kit in the year to come.