Rally Cycling has added a trio of new riders to its women’s team for the 2021 campaign - Madeline Bemis, Olivia Ray, and Holly Breck. The team recently added 31-time US junior national champion Katie Clouse.
Departing the team are Chloe Hosking, who moves to Trek-Segafredo, and Megan Jastrab, who will ride for Sunweb, as well as Sara Bergen and Allison Beveridge, who have not been confirmed for other teams. In the coming days the team said it expected to announce an 11th rider to complete the roster for next year.
“Our new additions will complement the hard work and dedication already established by our existing core group of riders. We’re eager to watch them fully integrate into the team and continue the momentum into 2021,” said sports director Joanne Kiesanowski.
“Olivia and Madeline are proven performers, not only in the collegiate racing scene but also at the elite level. We are confident they are ready to perform during our international campaigns in 2021. It feels great to welcome Holly back to a UCI team. She’s a fantastic team player who will be a positive force to an already cohesive unit that has established itself over the past few seasons.”
Ray swept all three US collegiate road titles in 2019, riding in the varsity division for Savannah College of Art & Design in Georgia, and she collected six collegiate track medals, four of them gold, the same year. Last week the 22-year-old won the women’s title at the New Zealand National Criterium Championships, and plans to showcase her sprint talent on her new team.
“As soon as I got to the States to start college in 2017 my coach at the time said that if I did well, I could get on a proper American team like Rally and I was like, ‘Ah, that’d be really cool!’ Flash forward a couple of years and here we are,” Ray said in a team press release.
“The big goal for next year is to go to as many races as I can, learn as much as I can and, fingers crossed, go to Europe because that’s the make or break of cycling.”
Bemis, a 22-year-old from California, came up against Ray in collegiate events while competing for Milligan College in Tennessee, finishing second in the 2019 US Collegiate Road Race (varsity). She is an all-rounder with experience in mountain bike and road racing.
“My strength is holding steady power so I’m looking to excel in time trials. I’ve never actually owned a time trial bike but I think it’s something I could be good at if I can hone in the mental aspect. It also makes me well suited to a supportive role, getting my teammates to the bottom of climbs, being able to pull back breaks or drive breaks when needed.”
Bemis was named to the US National Team that competed at the 2019 Colorado Classic presented by VF Corporation. Now part of a pro team, she said she is looking forward to an international racing calendar.
“It’ll be awesome to go back to races like Colorado Classic that I’ve raced before and prove how far I’ve come. I’ve never really raced in Europe, so I’ll be ecstatic for that opportunity. It’ll be a huge step up and this season will be about growing and learning.”
Based in southern California and growing up racing motorcycles, Breck is an experienced sprinter who finished sixth on stage 4 in Denver at the Colorado Classic. The 28-year-old had two second-place finishes at the 2017 San Dimas Stage Race while racing for Sho-Air TWENTY20.
“It’s always been on my radar to race for them and to finally get that chance feels kind of like home,” Breck said. “I like to ride aggressively so if the race is hard it’s better for me, it whittles people down and gives me a chance to stay in and do some racing. I’m an all-around ready to pull a card and do what needs to be done.”
Rally Cycling for 2021
- Madeline Bemis
- Holly Breck
- Katie Clouse
- Krista Doebel-Hickok
- Heidi Franz
- Leigh Ann Ganzar
- Sara Poidevin
- Olivia Ray
- Emma White
- Lily Williams
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