The OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team is partnering Australian team search2retain for the remaining of the 2013 season in a bid to chalk up more competitive experience.

In the partnership, the Singapore side will reserve four spots on its permanent roster of 16 for search2retain riders to have a chance to compete on Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Asia Tour races. The Australian side will do the same to give the Singapore team a taste of races on the Cycling Australia National Road Series.

This comes after a successful trial collaboration in the first half of the season, where search2retain rider Eric Sheppard competed under OCBC colours, winning the Best Young Rider white jersey at the Tour de Kumano and podium finishes in the final two stages of the Tour de Korea.

Said OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team's team manager Justin Cheong: "This partnership gives us a better opportunity to succeed on the challenging UCI Asia Tour, while giving our young Singaporean riders another avenue to gain valuable race experience."

The Singapore side, in just its second year as a UCI-certified continental team, have had a good first half of the season, accumulating one overall race win (Jelajah Malaysia), two stage wins, eight podium finishes and three jerseys.