A number of high-profile athletes have confirmed they may line up April 13 in northern California for the one-day Growler occasion, which is a pro-level 139-mile race at Levi’s GranFondo. Lawrence Naesen, who retired final yr after six years on the WorldTour stage, added his identify to the boys’s begin record whereas former street bicycle owner and Gravel Locos winner Emily Newsom joins a rising subject for girls.
A major change within the prize purse has been made by organiser Levi Leipheimer, who instructed Cyclingnews “our prize record almost tripled”, because it has moved from $20,000 to $55,000. The pay day will likely be divided equally among the many high 5 males and high 5 ladies finishing The Growler, a trek throughout wine nation of Sonoma County that options tough roads and 13,500 ft of climbing .
“I feel it’s going to generate a variety of pleasure about street racing within the US. Our companions, as soon as they noticed our efforts and the curiosity that it has created, they had been simply very enthusiastic and all people pitched in to make it that a lot greater of a deal,” Leipheimer stated about how the purse has exploded. Two of the principle companions embody the Metropolis of Windsor and Specialised.
Cullen Easter, Griffin Easter, Caleb Classen and Zach Gregg have been added to the boys’s subject to compete towards WorldTour veterans turned off-road consultants such as Peter Stetina, Lachlan Morton and Petr Vakoč. On the ladies’s facet, Newsom joins Flávia Oliveira Parks in a battle that features Sarah Sturm, Heather Jackson and Peta Mullens.
Utah’s Truman Glasgow added to Life Time Grand Prix
Truman Glasgow, a 23-year-old from the US, has been added to the Life Time Grand Prix roster for 2024, filling a spot which was vacated by Australian Tasman Nankervis.
This yr would have been a second effort for Nankervis within the US for the Grand Prix, however was unable to commit for the prolonged journey when he was not in a position to safe monetary sponsorships.
“The previous couple of months I’ve been coping with looking for sponsors and principally nothing has come up,” Nankervis instructed Cyclingnews in mid-January. He deliberate to pursue new alternatives to race by the yr, which began with a victory on the inaugural RADL GRVL in South Australia.
Glasgow had victories on the Park Metropolis Level 2 Level mountain bike race and high-elevation Wasatch All Street gravel race, each in Utah the place he’s primarily based. He has expertise in Life Time occasions, ending thirteenth at Huge Sugar Gravel and twenty sixth in Leadville Path 100 MTB.
USA Velocity Week opens in April with new Greenville Biking Traditional
USA Velocity Week returns an 18th version with a group of eight criteriums throughout Georgia and South Carolina over 11 days. Every race presents a stand-alone prize purse for elite women and men, which totals $86,000. Groups registered to participate in Velocity Week and USA Crits, each operated by Swagger LLC, will qualify for a points-based rating and extra prize purse of $76,800.
A brand new race in downtown Greenville, South Carolina on Thursday, April 25 launches Velocity Week. The Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System Criterium follows on Friday night time, then a pair of Georgia races, the Athens Orthopedic Clinic Twilight Criterium on Saturday and Curiosity Lab Criterium on Sunday.
A midweek race takes place Tuesday, April 30, Spin the District: Union Metropolis, and the ultimate trio of Georgia races cowl the primary weekend of Might – Spin the District: Hapefille on Friday, LaGrange Biking Traditional on Saturday and Spin the District: School Park on Sunday.
Three of the Velocity Week races double as USA Crits occasions – Spartanburg Crit, Athens Twilight and LaGrange Traditional – with every of these offering $12,000 prize purses relatively than the $10,000 Velocity Week race occasion purse.
Final yr that regional collection was gained by Leah Kirchmann (Denver Disruptors) and Evan McQuirk (ButcherBox Biking p/b LOOK). Groups and rosters for Velocity Week will likely be confirmed nearer to March.
Reign Storm Racing merger of Texas Roadhouse and ACG
Texas Roadhouse Biking Workforce and American Biking Group (ACG) immediately introduced the formation of Reign Storm Racing for the 2024 racing season. The US duo of Michael Hernandez, the 2022 US beginner criterium champion, and Danny Summerhill, reigning US males’s Madison nationwide champion, will lead the roster of 12 riders.
Of the 2 home US males’s groups, Texas Roadhouse Biking has fielded groups for the previous 20 years, directed by Curtis Tolson since 2003. He’ll proceed within the function as crew supervisor, with Thomas Craven transferring from ACG in his function as director sportif.
“Biking is a sport that requires large vitality and excellence to excel, and our partnership with Reign Storm will place the crew to proceed excelling in competitors,” stated Craven, who led Hincapie Racing for a decade after which co-founded ACG final yr alongside Hernandez. “Via the help of our beneficiant sponsors, our cyclists are geared up with the means to deal with competitors and the crew’s mission of advocating for extra variety throughout the sport.”
The crew will experience BMC’s Teammachine SLR bikes for the 2024 season, which is able to start on the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama on April 13, which begins the six-race USA Crits collection. Different sponsors embody VQ Labs, HGR Building, Hincapie Sportswear, Thule, LUN Wheels, KASK Helmets, KOO Eyewear, End Line, Michelin and the Nationwide Biking League (NCL).
Reign Storm Racing may also compete within the NCL Cup, persevering with the invitation-only slot prolonged to Texas Roadhouse for 2024. Final yr Texas Roadhouse was a part of a co-ed partnership with Goldman Sachs ETFs Racing and the pairing completed third total within the three-event race collection.
Reign Storm Racing 2024 roster
- Fergus Arthur (USA)
- Aaron Beebe (USA)
- Zach Berend (USA)
- Jaime Castañeda (USA)
- Bryan Gomez (COL)
- Michael Hernandez (USA)
- Eli Home (USA)
- Jordan Parra (COL)
- Kyle Perry (USA)
- Alfredo Rodriguez (MEX)
- Tim Smith (USA)
- Danny Summerhill (USA)
Cynisca Biking begins 2024 with 16 riders
Cynisca Biking returns to the Continental stage for a second season, this yr with a 16-rider roster, led by US gravel nationwide champion and Pan-Am street race winner Lauren Stephens.
Stephens moved from the WorldTour stage at EF Training-TIBCO-SVB to proceed for a twelfth yr within the professional peloton, serving because the GC chief on the street for the younger squad. The yr started in February at Vuelta CV Feminas, the place the previous US Professional street race champion was thirteenth. Final yr she excelled throughout a number of surfaces, using to sixth total on the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships, a silver medal at US Professional ITT and 18th on the UCI Street World Championships.
The roster additionally consists of Chloe Patrick, the reigning U23 US nationwide criterium champion. She is amongst a trio of 19-year-olds on the squad this season alongside compatriot Katherine Sarkisov and Canadian Mara Roldan. Climber Allison Mrugal was added to the roster from the Spanish-based Sopela squad, the place she gained a stage at Lea-Artibai Txallengea final yr.
On the finish of January the crew unveiled their new equipment, created by Pearl Izumi. The recent look options orange sleeves with blue, white and black back and front panels, with a return of the swath of golden olive leaves throughout the entrance.
Cynisca Biking 2024 roster
- Pauline Allin (FRA)
- Tess Edwards (USA)
- Emilie Fortin (CAN)
- Chloé Fourmigué (FRA)
- Ashley Frye (USA)
- Gabrielle Lehnert (USA)
- Fiona Mangan (ITA)
- Allison Mrugal (USA)
- Cara O’Neill (USA)
- Chloe Patrick (USA)
- Greta Richioud (FRA)
- Mara Roldan (USA)
- Katherine Sarkisov (USA)
- Nicole Steinmetz (USA)
- Lauren Stephens (USA)
- Claire Windsor (USA)
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