Djamolidine Abdoujaparov has announced that he is to launch a new Pro Continental team in 2016. The former professional from Uzbekistan has said that the team will aim to promote love and peace, and he will own the team.
The Tashkent Terror was renowned for his ferocious sprint, but he could be quite erratic as he veered all over the place, resulting in a number of big crashes during his career.
Abdoujaparov is particularly remembered for his spectacular crash in the 1991 Tour de France. He won the green jersey competition despite colliding with the barriers 100 m before the finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, and somersaulted into the air. Despite still holding enough points to win the sprinters’ jersey, he had to cross the line unaided. Members of his team picked him up, put him back on the bike, and he rode slowly over the last few metres, medical staff walking alongside him.
The name of the new team has not yet been announced. Regarding the aim of the team, Abdoujaparov said, “I would like to promote and support Love & Peace because in this world there is a lack of love and peace. Cycling for love and peace” is the main goal, as are race results and entertainment. Add romanticism and the cycling way of life, mix with passion and fashion and then you can see the style of our team clearly.”
He continued, “All people, institutions, companies, associations, fans, etc. who would like to support Love & Peace are invited to be a part of our team. We went public now because we would like to involve this people as soon as possible – we would like to take into account all their special criterias, opinions, ideas, requests and, of course, their dreams. By this means we could empower all cycling scene followers and bring them already on board during the development phase.”
Based on what Abdou has said so far, we’re looking forward to the launch of what sounds like an interesting team.
