Kendall Ryan and Laurel Rathbun have added team ownership to their resumes for the new year, co-founding the Aurea Racing brand to launch as a six-rider US domestic elite team which will compete as Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing in 2026.
The California-based duo – Ryan a four-time US elite women's criterium national champion and Rathbun the reigning US Madison national champion – move from two seasons together at L39ION of Los Angeles to lead the women's squad as a "place that's supportive of Olympic dreams".
Ryan said the full roster and kit announcement will take place next week, with three riders owning national championship honours and one development rider to be revealed.
"We haven't really been working on it for that long, and we've managed to come together with a successful budget and sponsors, and we're really proud of what we've achieved in just a matter of months. We're looking forward to showcasing the team. We have big goals," Ryan told Cyclingnews.
"We want to create a team that is focused on helping riders fulfill their Olympic dreams. I've been there myself, and I know how hard it is to go through that process without support from your team. We have a lot of riders with a lot of potential to go to the Olympics [in LA] for 2028 and so we want to help them reach their goals.
"The team name, Aurea Racing, uses the Latin word for gold. That is kind of our theme, setting the gold standard for women's sports, chasing Olympic gold. So we're the 'golden girls'."
Both Ryan and Rathbun started racing at age seven, though separated by four years, Ryan the older at 33. Between the two, they have nine gold medals from Road Nationals in junior, elite and collegiate divisions. Ryan was named a reserve for Team USA on the track at the Tokyo Games.
The priority was to secure a co-title sponsor and Rathbun said California-based Caldera Medical, which provides solutions to surgeons worldwide for improved women's health, specifically pelvic prolapse and incontinence, stepped up with strong support to make the project happen. The company also uses humanitarian missions to train and equip health professionals in regions where specialised pelvic healthcare has been limited or unavailable.
Equipment partners confirmed to Cyclingnews include Specialized and SRAM, with Assos for team racing gear.
"Kendall and I met being teammates and the friendship was definitely immediate. We raced together very, very well and were in SoCal and we wanted to have more control and build something for the girls," Rathbun told Cyclingnews.
"Coming from a place of being very creative and entrepreneurial, we wanted to have full control of our team, our goals, our race schedule. We wanted to do this to have a great team with great partners, coming from inspiration and love, not because we hated anyone."
Both riders have included a heavy schedule of criterium racing in North America for several years. Ryan had big wins at Manhattan Beach Crit, the Blue Dome criterium at Tulsa Tough weekend and her fifth USPro criterium crown. Rathbun supported her teammate in many of the one-day races but earned nine top fives herself, including third overall at the four-day Bommarito Audi West County Gateway Cup and two podiums at Chicago GRIT race week.
"We find that crit racing complements track racing really well. They both kind of go together, like peanut butter and jelly. So it makes sense for crit riders to also be track riders, because there are similar power bands. It takes a lot of skill to be a track rider and to be a crit rider is super dynamic, high intensity racing. So I think they kind of go hand in hand," Ryan added.
Both co-owners attended USAC track camps this past year and spent time at the USA Cycling training center. They said the UCI track schedule and Pan-American Track Championships dates would determine the team's calendar for next season, and is under development.
With a mantra of "girls supporting the girls", Rathbun said they would incorporate women's rides and skills clinics at many of their stops across the US.
"Just lowering that barrier of a very male dominated sport and giving easier access to newer riders and women, we're trying to do our part to give back. I think it's just a really exciting time, not just in women's cycling, but women's sports in general."
