Team Southaustralia.com / AIS

The team started 2008 with impressive performances at the Australian Open Road Championships where Simon Clarke took out the U23 road race title ahead of new team recruit Matt King. In the U23 time trial it was a clean sweep for SouthAustralia.com-AIS with Matt King's victory ahead of Ben King and Travis Meyer.

The talent of the team was also recognised with the selection of Simon Clarke and 2007 World Championship silver medallist, Wes Sulzberger, in an all-star Australian team for the Tour Down Under in January.

In their first international start as a team first year U23 Travis Meyer was unstoppable claiming overall honours and two stage wins in the Trust House Classic in New Zealand. The 18 year old West Australian also won the under-23 title, finished third in the sprint classification and led SouthAustralia.com-AIS to victory in the teams title.

Meyer, who as a junior won five World Championship titles on the track, became the youngest ever winner of the event. "It's unbelievable to have won a great, hard tour and to beat some of these guys in my first major one is just fantastic," he said.

Also in February the team was invited to line up in Malaysia's Tour de Langkawi where Johnnie Walker collected third place in the sixth stage and Zakkari Dempster finished the 1377 kilometre nine stage event ranked 14th overall.

"The team has already shown they will be a force to be reckoned with in 2008 and we're looking forward to seeing what they can achieve in Europe," said Team Director, Brian Stephens. "There is a great depth of talent in the line up and we're covered for everything from sprinting to climbing and we've obviously got a few who can ride a handy time trial as well."

SouthAustralia.com-AIS is registered as a UCI Continental Team in the Oceania Region and integrates the U23 road development program and the talent of Australia's track endurance riders with major sponsorship support from the Australian Institute of Sport and the South Australian Tourism Commission.

"South Australia.com - AIS provides support, coaching, life skills and race experience within a structured environment so the riders are well equipped when they eventually make the transition to the ProTour ranks," said Brian Stephens, Team Director. "In 2006 Matt Goss and Matt Lloyd had the opportunity to develop to a point where both are now riding with ProTour teams, Goss with CSC and Lloyd with Silence-Lotto."

This season the team will compete in two groups with one, primarily involving the U23 road riders, based in Italy from March to October and competing in Europe while the second group of mainly track endurance riders will be based in Australia and contest events in Asia, Australia and Europe.

For more information on the team and the calendar of events for 2008 please visit http://www.southaustralia-ais.com/