Bring on 2023

This last year was one of growth for the team. It was the first time racing a season-long WorldTour calendar for all but two of our riders, while three of our riders would race their first professional full road seasons. Behind the scenes, the team’s staff and infrastructure expanded greatly with additional soigneurs, mechanics, sport directors, and staff members coming aboard. With so many changes, the team set focus on building a solid foundation and developing camaraderie, with the hopes of winning a race or two along the way.

In the end, we earned 13 wins in our WorldTour debut season. It was a banner year indeed, and we have no intentions to rest on our laurels.

With our 2023 roster complete with 15 riders, the upcoming year promises to be one of excitement and continued growth. Because the majority of our squad is returning, the team can continue to capitalize on last year’s momentum as we eagerly look ahead to the new season.

Linda Jackson, team founder and owner, says, “We had a lot of new riders on the team for 2022 and it always takes time for a ‘new’ roster to get to know one another and build the trust and cohesiveness that is needed for the team to win. I was amazed at how well and how quickly the team gelled this past season. The atmosphere and team chemistry at our December camp in California was amazing and I am excited to see what we can do together in 2023. We should realize substantial gains this year as our core of 13 returning riders have learned how to race together as a unit. The added experience and leadership from Alison Jackson and Georgia Williams will be invaluable on the road and will take us to the next level.”

Our 2023 lineup is undeniably strong, a tribute to the team’s lengthy commitment to fostering developing riders.

“Every team has its unique strengths and since our inception in 2004, our strength has been in finding emerging talent and bringing them onto the team early,” Linda says. “We don't have someone that travels around to races scouting for talent, we just keep our ear to the ground and invest in riders before other teams are willing to. This strategy has its risks, and it's harder to do as a WorldTour team, but it is definitely our unique competitive advantage. Historically though, our limited budget meant that these riders would get snapped up by bigger WorldTour teams as soon as they started producing results. What I am most proud of — and thanks to our partners EF Education, TIBCO Software and Silicon Valley Bank for all of their support over these past 18 years — is that we now have the resources to support these riders through all phases of their careers. The return of several riders to our team recently, including Krista Doebel-Hickok, Kathrin Hammes, and Alison Jackson, is evidence of this growth and is personally very satisfying.”

Linda has a clear vision when it comes to the team’s goals for the new season.

“Overall, we want to move up into being a top 10 UCI team this year and that's a big jump!” she says. “We have a couple of the world's best climbers on our team, so hilly stage races will always be a target for us, and we have added some classics depth as well. Specific goals include a top five overall result at one of the major WorldTour stage races, a podium in a one day WorldTour classic, and a stage win in a grand tour. Doing well at home in North America is always important to us as well, and we will target the Joe Martin Stage Race and the national championships.”

Our first race of the season takes us to Australia for the Tour Down Under in just a couple of weeks. We can’t wait to get started.

Meet our roster:
/ Zoe Bäckstedt
/ Lizzy Banks
/ Letizia Borghesi
/ Krista Doebel-Hickok
/ Veronica Ewers
/ Kathrin Hammes
/ Clara Honsinger
/ Alison Jackson
/ Emma Langley
/ Sara Poidevin
/ Omer Shapira
/ Abi Smith
/ Lauren Stephens
/ Magdeleine Vallieres Mill
/ Georgia Williams