Marco Polo Cycling Team Project

"My name is Remko Kramer from the Netherlands, rider and manager from the Marco Polo Cycling Club and Team. I want to tell you something about the history of our international cycling projects and the partnership and support from Cyclists for Cultural Exchange from Santa Cruz.

"It is now 10 years ago that I first visited Santa Cruz. I was traveling through California with a cycling teammate to cycling races all over the state. We joined a US pro team and came over to Santa Cruz to participate in the Hill Climb Classic, and I won the race. So my first impression of Santa Cruz was good!

"A few weeks later, not so far from here in Monterey the history of the Marco Polo Cycling Club started. We met former Tour de France professional and Adventurer Nathan Dahlberg from New Zealand at the Laguna Seca circuit at the Sea Otter Classic stage race. We became friends and traveled all over the world to cycling races.

"And what we discovered during our travels was that cycling is a truly global sports and that you find talented cyclists in any corner of the world.

"My brother Gudo and my girlfriend Francis Cerny also became involved and at the end of 2000 we decided to start our own cycling club and team. Our goal was, and still is, to promote cycling as a sport worldwide and to give chances to talented cyclists from, as we call it, “non-traditional cycling countries”.

"We choose the name of the most famous traveler in history, Marco Polo. And Francis designed the blue uniforms with the Chinese/Japanese character Pi Sheng, a powerful character which means “fight with the strong conviction to win”…. Which we did. The Marco Polo Cycling Team won international stage races in China, Malaysia, Korea, Sri Lanka and even Afrika.

"In 2002 we thought it was time to go back to the USA. But how to organize a tour to several races on another continent with a zero budget team without sponsors? We got in contact with the Cyclist for Cultural Exchange and with their support and the involvement from club members from California it was possible and we raced in Visalia, Redlands and the Sea Otter Classic with an 8 rider team of 8 different nationalities!

"The relationship between CCE and Marco Polo Cycling continued with support for our international cycling projects. We also run projects in development countries, for example Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia. And the team came back to Santa Cruz some times the past years with riders from all over the world, for example Oggi from Mongolia or Kam Po Wong from Hong Kong, last year World Champion points race at the track.

"The team has developed to a 3rd division professional cycling team. From 2005 the team is registered in China and we are still the only commercial sports project in China run by foreigners.

"In 2007 we became the Discovery Channel Marco Polo Team, the Asian development team for the famous Protour team from Lance Armstrong. After they stopped their sponsorship in cycling it was Trek bicycles who saved the team. But our main sponsor is still vacant. If somebody gives us a lead to a new main sponsor, he will receive a bicycle as a gift.

"Some highlights from the Marco Polo Cycling Team are many victories in about 20 countries all over the world.

National Champions in almost 10 countries.
A second place at the World Championships for countries B.
The first victories of Asian cyclist in Germany and France.
The first Chinese victory in an international stage race and in Europe.
And our Chinese Fuyu Li did what seemed impossible, he went to the highest level of cycling, joined the Protour team from Discovery Channel and won 7 Protour points which secured a starting spot for China in the Beijing Olympics road race!"

	CYCLISTS for CULTURAL EXCHANGE Marco Polo Cycling Team Project

	CCE has been proud to support the Marco Polo Cycling Club and Team. Below the photo is a letter from Remko Kramer, team manager, detailing the history of the project.


	"My name is Remko Kramer from the Netherlands, rider and manager from the Marco Polo Cycling Club and Team. I want to tell you something about the history of our international cycling projects and the partnership and support from Cyclists for Cultural Exchange from Santa Cruz. "It is now 10 years ago that I first visited Santa Cruz. I was traveling through California with a cycling teammate to cycling races all over the state. We joined a US pro team and came over to Santa Cruz to participate in the Hill Climb Classic, and I won the race. So my first impression of Santa Cruz was good! "A few weeks later, not so far from here in Monterey the history of the Marco Polo Cycling Club started. We met former Tour de France professional and Adventurer Nathan Dahlberg from New Zealand at the Laguna Seca circuit at the Sea Otter Classic stage race. We became friends and traveled all over the world to cycling races. "And what we discovered during our travels was that cycling is a truly global sports and that you find talented cyclists in any corner of the world. "My brother Gudo and my girlfriend Francis Cerny also became involved and at the end of 2000 we decided to start our own cycling club and team. Our goal was, and still is, to promote cycling as a sport worldwide and to give chances to talented cyclists from, as we call it, “non-traditional cycling countries”. "We choose the name of the most famous traveler in history, Marco Polo. And Francis designed the blue uniforms with the Chinese/Japanese character Pi Sheng, a powerful character which means “fight with the strong conviction to win”…. Which we did. The Marco Polo Cycling Team won international stage races in China, Malaysia, Korea, Sri Lanka and even Afrika. "In 2002 we thought it was time to go back to the USA. But how to organize a tour to several races on another continent with a zero budget team without sponsors? We got in contact with the Cyclist for Cultural Exchange and with their support and the involvement from club members from California it was possible and we raced in Visalia, Redlands and the Sea Otter Classic with an 8 rider team of 8 different nationalities! "The relationship between CCE and Marco Polo Cycling continued with support for our international cycling projects. We also run projects in development countries, for example Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia. And the team came back to Santa Cruz some times the past years with riders from all over the world, for example Oggi from Mongolia or Kam Po Wong from Hong Kong, last year World Champion points race at the track. "The team has developed to a 3rd division professional cycling team. From 2005 the team is registered in China and we are still the only commercial sports project in China run by foreigners. "In 2007 we became the Discovery Channel Marco Polo Team, the Asian development team for the famous Protour team from Lance Armstrong. After they stopped their sponsorship in cycling it was Trek bicycles who saved the team. But our main sponsor is still vacant. If somebody gives us a lead to a new main sponsor, he will receive a bicycle as a gift. "Some highlights from the Marco Polo Cycling Team are many victories in about 20 countries all over the world. National Champions in almost 10 countries. A second place at the World Championships for countries B. The first victories of Asian cyclist in Germany and France. The first Chinese victory in an international stage race and in Europe. And our Chinese Fuyu Li did what seemed impossible, he went to the highest level of cycling, joined the Protour team from Discovery Channel and won 7 Protour points which secured a starting spot for China in the Beijing Olympics road race!"