Knickman leaves Mercury for Prime Alliance
The Prime Alliance cycling team continued its whirlwind winter dealing on Friday, announcing that it had added Roy Knickman to the team's management group. "He just saw it as an opportunity to come into a rapidly expanding program," said team director Kirk Willett, Knickman's former teammate on the Mercury cycling team. "It gives him a position where he can be really pivotal in the team's development." Knickman, who was named general manager, was unavailable for comment, but in the team press release he stated: "I am very excited to be involved with the Prime Alliance Cycling
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By Bryan Jew , VeloNews senior writer
Photo: Bryan Jew
The Prime Alliance cycling team continued its whirlwind winter dealing on Friday, announcing that it had added Roy Knickman to the team’s management group. “He just saw it as an opportunity to come into a rapidly expanding program,” said team director Kirk Willett, Knickman’s former teammate on the Mercury cycling team. “It gives him a position where he can be really pivotal in the team’s development.”
Knickman, who was named general manager, was unavailable for comment, but in the team press release he stated: “I am very excited to be involved with the Prime Alliance Cycling Team. I have great confidence in all members of the Prime Alliance organization and plan to work hard to shape a team of the highest professional standard.”
Knickman had been working as the operations director for Mercury-Viatel and the AutoTrader.com women’s team up until the announcement. “I just found out about it at the end of training camp,” said Mercury-Viatel director John Wordin. “Apparently he got an offer he couldn’t refuse. He always told me that he wanted to run his own team, and now he has the chance. On our side, it’s disappointing because we wanted him to stay, but on the other side, he wanted to run his own team. It’s what he wanted.”
Willett was excited by the addition of his former teammate: “I have the utmost respect professionally and personally for Roy. I thought Roy was a necessary cog for moving this team forward.
“He was excited to have the opportunity,” said Willett. “Maybe on Mercury he was working more within an established program, but he’s one of the kingpins here.”