Oakland, CA - Karl Menzies of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis doesn't generally need any motivation to race. So the fact that he returns to the International Tour de 'Toona, in and around Altoona, PA, with added motivation should make him one of the favorites for the race, which starts Monday, July 23 and continues through July 29.

"After last year, yeah, I'm pretty motivated," Menzies said.

What Menzies was referring to was a strange sequence of events that caused a Health Net Presented by Maxxis-led peloton to go off-course while chasing down a dangerous break in the second to last stage while Menzies was in the race lead. The misdirection cost him the lead, and likely a shot at the overall title. This year, he wants to put things to right.

Menzies will be part of one of the strongest teams in the North American peloton. Joining him will be eight-time Australian National Time Trial Champion Nathan O'Neill. One of the reasons O'Neill will be in Pennsylvania this year is that the race features a team time trial, unusual for stage races in the U.S.

"We're going to put him on the front and hope he doesn't ride everyone else off his wheel," quipped team directeur sportif Jeff Corbett. "In reality, we have a lot of strong time trialists for the race. On paper, we should be one of the top teams in the triple-T. But it's not something we practice often because you hardly ever see a team time trial at races here. So we'll see."

Along with Menzies' big engine, Rory Sutherland, the man who finished second to O'Neill at this year's Australian TT nats, will also be taking strong pulls, and is a threat for the overall title, as well. John Murphy, winner of the time trial stage at the Tri Peaks Challenge in May, is also a part of the squad. In a race that favors strong men, as evidenced by Menzies' performance last year, the team also brings two solid climbers and strong finishers in Frank Pipp and Shawn Milne to the start line.

"Frank has done well in the past at this race," Corbett said, "and Shawn was second in the prologue (to Menzies) last year, but had to drop out because of illness. But this race suits both of them well."

The squad will be rounded out by all-arounder Matt Crane, and invaluable team captain and super-domestique, Tim Johnson.

Notes

This will be the first race back with the team for Menzies following a three-week trip back to his native Tasmania to attend to family business. However, it won't be his first race back. After a solid two-week block of training at his home-base in Boulder, Menzies returned to racing in style at the International Superweek in and around Chicago and Milwaukee last week, winning the Alpine Valley Road Race. "This was my fourth year doing Superweek," he said. "It's good to go back and catch up with friends. We stay with the same family every year. It's just one of my favorite races."