Matt Prior co-founds UCI Continental team ONE Pro Cycling

England wicketkeeper Matt Prior, who took a break from international cricket earlier this year to recover from injury, has a huge passion for cycling. He has launched One Pro Cycling, which aims to compete at UCI Continental level, two tiers below Team Sky.

As reported by The Telegraph UK, Prior said that he would be involved with the team at a high level and is targeting the top spot in the event.

“We are hugely ambitious. Whatever sport you play, you always want to play at the highest level and in cycling that means the World Tour, it means the Tour de France, it means the Giro d’Italia,” he said.

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Prior is excited about the new Cervelo S5 bike, which will be official bike of ONE team.

“I know from my cricket how important it is to have the right equipment. We’re all sticklers for having the right stuff. And that is just cricket. With cycling it is absolutely vital to performance,” he said.

Prior, who is still recovering from Achilles tendon, is expecting a cricket return in February 2015.

“It ties in pretty well with my rehab. The reason I got into cycling in the first place was because of my Achilles.

Going forward I will be hugely involved. It’s the same with everything I do, I want to win, but I am aware of my limitations. There is nothing worse than a club cricketer on a Saturday claiming to know how to win a Test match. And it’s the same here. I’m a keen cyclist but I’m not claiming to know how to win bike races. That is why we have Matt Winston, Yanto Barker and all these guys,” said the 32-year old.

Prior, who has played 79 Tests, also hopes to rope in some of his English team-mates.

“I’m sure I’ll drag a few of the England lads along. I’m dying to see a few of the boys in Lycra. Basically I’ve been on my tod up until now but Joe Root is getting into it,” Prior further added.