Ahead of their first season racing in the Women’s WorldTour as EF Education-TIBCO-SVB, Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank have finalised their roster and, after adding EF as a co-title sponsor, have been able to make a series of notable signings.
Kathrin Hammes and Krista Doebel-Hickok will both join the team, from Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling and Rally Cycling Women, respectively, bringing with them reams of experience.
In 2019, Hammes won the International Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour, while Doebel-Hickok finished fourth overall at the Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women’s Race in 2017.
"In putting the team together for next year, we put a big focus on identifying and developing the future stars," team director Rachel Hedderman said. "I'm really excited about the team we have assembled. We have some great young and new riders that I think we can expect to see some big surprises from, as well as some more experienced riders who can hit the ground running."
The team have also signed Lizzy Banks from Ceratizit-WNT Procycling. Before suffering a concussion at Strade Bianche in March, Banks was beginning to emerge as one of the key riders to watch, winning a stage of the Giro Rosa in 2019 and 2020.
Other promising young prospects, Veronica Ewers and Abi Smith, who was recently crowned Cycling Weekly’s British Domestic Rider of the Year, will begin their first full season at EF Education-Tibco-SVB.
"Abi and Veronica both joined the team mid-season last year and, despite being thrown in at the deep end, immediately stepped up," Hedderman said.
The team’s focus on identifying and developing young riders has also led to the signings of Sara Poidevin, Omer Shapira, 20-year-old Magdeleine Vallieres-Mills and 23-year-old Letizia Borghesi.
"In adding two more young riders in Magdeleine and Letizia, we've focused on finding the talent of the future. I'm really looking forward to developing these riders and seeing what they can achieve," Hedderman added.
This group of new signings will be balanced by a core of established riders remaining with the team through its transition to the WorldTour. Lauren Stephens, the current US national champion, will target both road and gravel races while Clara Honsinger will focus on the road after the cyclocross season.
Emily Newsom too will combine multiple disciplines, adding the LifeTime gravel/MTB series to her road commitments. Emma Langley and the experienced time-triallist Tanja Erath complete the 14-person team.
