Last night Canary Wharf was transformed into an arena for a high-energy Italian Team Pursuit cycling race – Royal Bank of Canada V Series. A total of 20 corporate teams, each made up of eight riders and representing 38 companies, competed against each other around a 1km circuit on closed roads, providing a fantastic spectacle in a truly unique venue. Team Royal Bikers of Canada (a team from Royal Bank of Canada) triumphed over Pure Sports Medicine in wet and windy conditions. At the finals teams competed against each other in heats. Each race involved two teams competing head-to-head on the course with the fastest four teams qualifying for the finals.
Throughout the three months leading up to race day, coaches led by Royal Bank of Canada V Series Performance Advisor Shane Sutton OBE, Technical Director at British Cycling, provided riders with strategic help and expert advice on building a competitive squad. A mixture of videos, seminars, tips, articles, and a training day at the Lee Valley VeloPark, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park helped teams understand the technical, tactical and physical demands of the Italian Team Pursuit format, and how to bring all of these elements together to create the ultimate team performance.
Title partner, Royal Bank of Canada, had four teams competing in the qualifiers. Dave Thomas, CEO, RBC Capital Markets, Europe, said: “Royal Bank of Canada has a long-standing history of supporting sports events and the athletes who compete in them. We are proud to be the title sponsor of this event, which has attracted an impressive list of participants. This commitment to sports and the recognition of team work is also illustrated by our recent announcement that Royal Bank of Canada is sponsoring 50 young athletes through the UK national charity SportsAid.”
In addition to Royal Bank of Canada, teams participating included Allen & Overy, Canary Wharf Group, Clifford Chance, Invesco Perpetual, J.P. Morgan, LCH.Clearnet, Pure Sports Medicine, Sky, S&P Capital IQ and Thomson Reuters. Plans are well advanced to expand the event to other major cities around the world.
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For more information contact:
Ania Szewczyk, Senior Marketing Manager, Limelight Sports
0207 299 4165 ania.szewczyk@limelightsports.com
www.RBCVLondon.com