L39ION of Los Angeles has announced their two rosters for 2021 with a 10-man Continental team backed by an impressive seven-rider co-ed squad that will race on the US domestic scene.
The Continental team includes co-founder Cory Williams as well as riders from the US, Canada, Australia and Mexico. The biggest two names to join the team ahead of next season are arguably Ty Magner and Freddy Ovett but there is real depth to the team as well with Sam Boardman, Tyler Williams, and Angel Muñoz among those on the team.
The complete race calendar for the team in the 2021 season has yet to be cemented but the squad will blend in traditional criterium races with trips abroad and online racing.
“The Zwift Worlds [UCI Cycling Esports World Championships] was a super fun experience! I don’t know how they did it but they brought racing to life with the atmosphere they created. 2021 will be crazy! We’ve added some more power and experience to the squad so I can’t wait to see what we can achieve,” said Cory Williams.
Magner is one of the high-profile riders to join the roster for next season having spent the last three years of his career at Rally Cycling. The 29-year-old is an experienced rider on the domestic scene with stage wins in the Tour of Utah and the Tour de Beauce. He also has valuable experience at racing abroad and that knowledge will be vital as and when the team leaves US shores.
"I feel honored to be joining L39ION in 2021,” he said. “These guys have been on a mission to change the cycling landscape, and I’m humbled that the guys thought me a worthy voice for change. I'm also pushing 30 now.
"I’ve been racing at a high level for 10 years now and am really looking forward to helping out the young guys on the squad navigate their way through the races and the sport in general. All I ask is they help me win Athens twilight, ha!"
Ovett has spent the last year racing on Israel Cycling Academy at the Continental level but has raced all over the world during his short, expansive career. Like Magner, the 26-year-old is looking forward to linking up with his new teammates and helping to build on the success that started in 2018 when the squad was first formed.
"Excited is an understatement to describe how I feel about joining L39ION of LA,” Ovett said.
“Not only is the team the coolest and most exciting thing in professional cycling, it's also the most diverse and ground-breaking in terms of breaking down pre-existing barriers and being trailblazers in a sport weighed down by old tradition. L39ION will give me the opportunity to express the type of rider and more importantly the type of person I am in all facets of cycling and life... I can't wait."
Co-founder Justin Williams will lead the domestic squad that includes former female WorldTour riders Skylar Schneider and Kendall Ryan, who is on the long-list for the 2021 Team USA Olympic squad.
In an interview with Cyclingnews that took place earlier this month, Justin Williams highlighted what he expected from riders on his team and what he was looking for from prospective squad members.
“There needs to be a hunger for racing and they need to believe in where the team is going,” he says when asked about the direction in which the team is going and the sort of rider that attracts his attention.
“They need to want to come to the team to make a difference and make a change. When we have those conversations with riders we can tell if there’s a small part of selflessness. So we weren’t originally going to sign any girls this year. We don’t have the infrastructure but when you get an incredible athlete like Skylar tell us that she wants to make a difference, and that while she wants to get back to the WorldTour, she wants to take that journey with us, you’ve got to make that happen. I only want people on the team that believe in the vision. I don’t want people on the team who only want a job. They can find a job somewhere else. So much more is expected of you, so you’d be miserable here if you just wanted a job.
L39ION and Zwift recently announced a partnership that will run until the 2022 season and the team will begin their 2021 season by racing in the WTRL Zwift Racing League Premier Division.
UCI Continental Team:
Alec Cowan (CAN), Angel Muñoz (USA), Cory Williams (USA), Eder Frayre (MEX), Freddy Ovett (AUS), Hunter Grove (USA), Lance Haidet (USA), Sam Boardman (USA), Ty Magner (USA) and Tyler Williams (USA)
USA Cycling Domestic Elite Team:
Ama Nsek (USA), Avry Howes (USA), Imeh Nsek (USA), Justin Williams (USA), Kendall Ryan (USA), Skylar Schneider (USA), and Isaiah Oliver (USA).
