GIANT-AIS
| UCI code | GIA |
|---|---|
| Registered | Australia |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Disbanded | 1998 |
| Discipline | Road |
| Bicycles | Giant |
| General manager | Heiko Salzwedel |
| Team manager(s) | Jiri Zenisek |
The Giant–Australian Institute of Sport Cycling Team (UCI team code: GIA) was an Australian professional cycling team sponsored by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and bicycle manufacturer Giant. Heiko Salzwedel and Brian Stephens were early directeur sportifs. The fusion of the Giant-AIS and the Czech Husquarna team in 1997 extended its International profile, allowing to include foreign riders, such as Jens Voigt, Jan Hruška, Tomáš Konečný. Consequently, the name of the team was changed to ZVVZ-Giant-AIS Cycling Team.
The Australian Institute of Sport is the high-performance arm of the Government founded Australian Sports Commission. In 1990, the AIS extended their commitment to Cycling and started the AIS Road Cycling programme in Canberra under AIS Head Coach and Australian National Road Coach Heiko Salzwedel. Initially, 12 cyclists have been offered scholarships, amongst them Patrick Jonker, Grant Rice, Darren Smith, Robert McLachlan, Robert Crowe, Jamie Kelly, Matt Bazzano and Jason Phillips. In 1993, the AIS programme in Canberra was expanding to include the MTB and the Women's Endurance programme. Cadel Evans was in the first group of mountain bikers and Olympic Gold medalist Kathy Watt being the most prominent riders of the Women's Endurance programme. Damian Grundy (MTB) and Andrew Logan (Women's Endurance) have been appointed as AIS and National Coaches.
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