Gravel becomes 'North America's Classics' for Project Echelon Racing's 2024 goals

Scott McGill (Human Powered Health) and Sam Boardman (L39ION of Los Angeles) are among an influx of five new North American riders on the 2024 roster for Project Echelon Racing. 

The US-based Continental squad will include a roster of 13 and change up racing goals to include events like Unbound Gravel and SBT GRVL among their growing calendar of European road races to develop fitness and reach new audiences.

Last season Project Echelon Racing notched 14 podiums on the road, with all six stage victories coming from Cade Bickmore and Tyler Stites. Both riders reprise roles as GC leaders for 2024 and continue alongside Trofeo Calvia KOM winner Matt Zimmer and five other returning teammates.

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“I think on paper, it's the best road team that a US continental program has put forth since the Hincapie-Holowesko days. That's the calibre that I see on the roster,” said Eric Hill, director for Project Echelon Racing. 

A novel approach for 2024 will be the inclusion of gravel races on the calendar along with select criteriums and stages races in North America and approximately 40 days of road racing in Europe, which he said was more than double last year. For gravel races, he said they’d approach them as “North America’s Classics”.

“You have to go where people are and gravel is a great space for us to have a shared experience with people and still get to compete at a really high level that prepares us for our key focus of racing, which is on the road and in our growing calendar in Europe. We view these events as North America's Classics,” he told Cyclingnews, adding they could be the first UCI road team committed to sending squads of four to five riders to gravel races.

“It's an exciting new challenge, and keeps guys, you know, motivated and sharp when they're home, and hone in on some racing dynamics that will help us to achieve success in Europe.

“We’re stepping back a little bit from the criterium scene. We’ll be at the big four stage races in North America. Our hope is that we go and race these races in Europe and we bring that excitement and experience back to the US and help to grow that scene again.”

Project Echelon Racing will again open their road season in Spain at Challenge Mallorca, where last year Matt Zimmer won the KOM classification at the opening stop at Trofeo Calvia. They are scheduled to race Tour de la Provence and are hoping to confirm another European stop in February before turning to the US for the Tucson Bicycle Classic and a team camp in Arizona.

Other European stage races on the spring calendar include Vuelta ao Antelejo, Tour of Rhodes, with Vuelta a Portugal in the summer. True to Hill’s word, only a handful of US criteriums were noted, and instead the off-road list included Unbound Gravel 100, Belgian Waffle Ride California and North Carolina, SBT GRVL, Chequamegon MTB 40 and Big Sugar Gravel.

“We believe that gravel is the best place for us to build community and connect with people through a shared experience to activate upon and grow our mission to educate, equip and empower veterans through physical activity.”

The team announced earlier this fall that Torbjørn Røed, winner of Belgian Waffle Ride Kansas and Big Sugar Gravel, would be on the roster, but Hill said the team has released him from the contract to pursue other opportunities.

Road races will continue as the main focus, with McGill taking a lead role. He had top 10s in 2023 at Maryland Cycling Classic and Paris-Chauny for Human Powered Health, and held the points classification lead in the early half of the four-day Tour Poitou-Charentes. The year before at the Continental level, he won two stages and the points classification at Volta a Portugal.

Boardman moves from three seasons at L39ION of Los Angeles, where he competed across stage racing, criteriums and gravel. He was fifth in the road race at US Pro Road Nationals and won the Sunday crit at Saint Francis Tulsa Tough. Caleb Classen, a 22-year-old from Team California, was fifth in GC Tour of the Gila, sixth in GC Joe Martin Stage Race and won the young rider classification at both stage races.

Brendan Rhim joins from American Cycling, who recently won the elite men’s US Madison Track National Championship with Danny Summerhill (American Cycling). The final new rider is Canadian Laurent Gervais from Cannondale Echelon p/b 4iiii. He won the men’s elite title at the 2023 Canadian Road Championships in Québec and was fifth on GC at Tour de Beauce.

As a non-profit, Project Echelon helps veterans and their families, removing the barriers to healing by fostering relationships between veterans, their communities, and the pro athletes. The team served more than 530 veterans this year and provided more than $70,000 in veteran scholarships and programming.

Project Echelon Racing 2024 roster

• Ricky Arnopol (USA)
• Cade Bickmore (USA)
• Sam Boardman (USA)
• Caleb Classen (USA)
• Ethan Craine (New Zealand)
• Laurent Gervais (Canada)
• Zach Gregg (USA)
• Colby Lange (USA)
• Scott McGill (USA)
• Brendan Rhim (USA)
• Hugo Scala Jr (USA)
• Tyler Stites (USA)
• Matt Zimmer (USA)