Team Type 1 Sanofi quotations from a few of the riders coming to New Zealand in January.

Rubens Bertogliati - SUI 

"I've never raced in New Zealand before, but I'm looking forward to seeing such a beautiful country so far away from home. For us coming from Europe, January is a really early start to the season. But race calendars are now longer and longer every year, and so I'm hoping to be in good form and to give my best at the Tour of Manawatu.

"My last race was the Chrono des Nations time trial in the middle of October, and since then I had two extra good weeks of training on the road, as the weather was exceptional in Lugano in the fall. Then I stopped completely for three weeks and didn't start training again until Nov 20. Mostly since then I have been getting out on my new 29-inch MTB, and doing some long road rides, and also spent some time in the gym, hiking and doing yoga."
 

Joey Rosskopf - USA

"Until this November when I raced in Rwanda I had never even been to the southern hemisphere. I'm really looking forward to racing in New Zealand. I'm not sure what the climate will be like, but I'm hoping to experience some warmer temperatures than at home in Atlanta."

"I have no idea what to expect out of my legs at the Tour of Manawatu for two reasons. One, I have never raced this early in the year before. And two, I just finished last season at the end of November, and still haven't quite figured out if that will help or hurt my early-season form. I expect there to be some really tough competition from the New Zealanders and Australians who are in the middle of their season. If nothing else, I think that doing a stage race in January will be a good kick-start for my year."

"My entire off-season lasted all of two weeks, so I didn't have a lot of time to kill. I spent those two glorious weeks mostly catching up with neglected friends, making sure my dog knows I still love him, and cleaning and organizing the house a bit. I also squeezed in a couple of hikes, which always hurts way more than I expect."
 

Fabio Calabria (T1D) - AUS

"I raced in New Zealand twice before. Once with the Australian national team in 2005, where we did a few races, including the NZ national U19 championships. I won that race and my teammate came in third. I also raced the Tour of Wellington in 2006 on a composite team from Australia."

"At the Tour of Manawatu I know that all the locals and Australians will be going very well, coming off the summer season. But I think that with Kiel and Joey having raced in Rwanda we should be going well, too. We'll be racing at the front as much as we can."

"In the off-season I enjoy staying at home and not travelling. Spending time with friends and family and doing all the chores I put off for the season. When I'm not racing I do a lot of hiking up in the mountains to keep fit, and I try to get into the gym to work towards rebuilding myself for the coming season."

"The key to good diabetes management is to control the condition, not to let it control you. Constant monitoring and a healthy lifestyle is key. Like Phil Southerland always says, you need to be CEO of your own body."
 

Kiel Reijnen - USA

"I grew up in a small town in the northwest of the United States, where I spent plenty of time riding in the rain and wind. So for that reason and from what friends have told me, I am really looking forward to racing in New Zealand. From a stage race in January I usually expect rain and cold wind, but that's what makes bike racing fun."

"In the off season I did a lot of hiking, a lot of trail running, a lot of yoga and I ate a lot of cookies. Lots of cookie eating."
 

Phil Southerland - Chief Executive Officer, Founder

"Team Type 1-SANOFI is honoured to kick off our 2012 campaign in Palmerston North, New Zealand, and to work with the great promoters of the race, and our partner SANOFI to bring our message of hope and inspiration to New Zealand. We are excited to work with the diabetes community there, and help all to realize the great power of the bike."