YOUNG CHAMPION: Local mountain bike rider Cal Britten is part of the TORQ team, which features 10 top riders from across the country.

Britten selected to join elite TORQ mountain bike team

LOCAL mountain bike riders Tory Thomas and Cal Britten will make up the 10 rider TORQ team which was launched on Friday.

The team includes Australia’s Beijing Olympian, Daniel McConnell from Gippsland, and winner of multiple national mountain bike championships Tory Thomas from Mt Beauty.

It also boasts two women, Jo Wall and Katherine O’Shea from Bendigo, who are both in the national program aimed at preparing riders for the 2012 London Olympics.

The program is known as "Dirt Roads to London".

The launch of the TORQ team has been set up with the support of the Victorian Institute of Sport and a number of well know sponsors including SRAM, Monza Imports (Avid, Truvativ, rock shox, LG etc), Rudy Project, Continental, Polar and Joe’s no Flats.

TORQ Australia’s Genevieve Clark said the company has developed a highly visible and well-organised team made up of some of Australia’s top riders.

"Our plan is to focus on the national mountain bike events with some of our riders also crossing over for some of the major road races," she said.

"Our priority is the riders and our aim is to help develop the sport of cycling.