Canadian champ Chaddock signs with Smartstop

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Canadian criterium champion Ben Chaddock has signed with Team Smartstop p/b Mountain Khakis. Chaddock was one of many riders from Team Exergy who were suddenly left jobless when the sponsor decided it would stop supporting the professional men's team.

The Smartstop team has been one of the dominant forces in the US criterium scene, winning the USA CRITS series team prize for five seasons in a row, and won the overall individual prize with Luke Keough this season, and were second to the Pro Continental team Unitedhealthcare in the USA Cycling National Criterium Calendar's inaugural year.

The team's co-owner Jamie Bennett was pleased to be able to pick up Chaddock. "Whether he's setting up the leadout, riding the break in a road race, or delivering the win with his strong-man sprint, we know that Ben is going to contribute to our team's success both on the road and in the community. And really, in the wake of all the negative publicity the sport has been getting lately, that's what we need right now."

Chaddock overcame a serious form of childhood asthma to excel in sports, first in downhill skiing and later in cycling, which he discovered while at college in Washington's Whitman College. He established the B.I.K.E.S foundation, which teaches children cycling skills and how to use fitness and positive goal-setting to help their performance in the classroom and in sports.

He intends to relocate to the team's base in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and extend his B.I.K.E.S project to his new community.