Project Echelon Racing swept the podium in the men's criterium at the US Pro Road Championships last May, with Bassett leading the way on the final laps to secure a long-evasive national title.
"I've been trying to win a national championship for 15 years, so to do it with this team was pretty special," Bassett told Cyclingnews during a media day this winter. "It was my first race with the team - A pretty quick turnaround that was fun, really.
"It was a pretty crazy race - very controlled and then very chaotic in rapid succession. So pretty big crash with two laps to go, and then myself and Brendan [Rhim] solo, and then Scott [McGill] sweeping up the field. Yeah, pretty sweet."
Not only was the race itself 'crazy,' but so was Bassett's path to line up with the US-based Continental squad. Four weeks before the rainy Friday night one-day race, the 29-year-old was busy earning a pair of podiums at Redlands Bicycle Classic for his new Denver Disruptors squad. The morning after the California stage race ended, so did Bassett's contract. In fact, the ownership group of the Disruptors suddenly folded operations of all three teams under their direction.
Just one day after the crushing blow, Bassett had a new contract in hand with Project Echelon Racing and a new energy for his first-ever national championship victory across a 12-year career. His first appearance at US Nationals was in the men's junior road race in 2013, and he finished second. He also finished second in the elite road race in 2019, that one in an epic contest against WorldTour riders Alex Howes, the eventual winner, and Neilson Powless in Bassett's hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee.
With the departure of Tyler Stites to Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Bassett is the veteran at Project Echelon Racing, helping to guide a young team that includes Ethan Craine, Cole Davis, Kieran Haug, Troy Fields and U23 Canadian ITT champion Jonas Walton, all 25 or younger.
"It's exciting to still be racing bikes and be with a lot of young and excited guys. The team showed up this past year ready to race and had a good record of executing. I think [US Pro Criterium] was just another brick in the wall," he said.
"And I really like this mixed schedule. It's some races where we're really on the edge of our level in Europe, and then some races in the US where guys are looking at us more. So it's fun to sometimes be the top dog and sometimes be the underdog, switch it up."
A month removed from winter camp in snowy Wisconsin, Bassett was with the squad in southern Spain as they prepared for Challenge Mallorca, five one-day races from January 29 to February 2. Project Echelon is one of three Continental teams invited from North America, joining Petrolike from Mexico and Xspeed United from Canada. The rolling terrain suits his style, he said.
"For me, the two big goals I had in my career were to win the Nationals and win any race in Europe," he said about his career goals, one still on the 'to do' list.
"So I'd like to [win in Europe] with this team. That would mean a lot to me. It wouldn't mean a lot to anybody else, but it's something I've been working on for a long time. So hopefully taking the steps in that direction."
Before Human Powered Health discontinued their men's ProTeam after 2023, Bassett gained international experience there for four seasons. In 2022, he was second on stage at Ruta del Sol, had a top 10 at Gran Camiño and won the mountains classification at the Arctic Race of Norway. Project Echelon Racing gives him the opportunity to compete on the world stage again.
"In Europe, there are no easy races. So any race [success] there is a huge accomplishment. And we got one last year with Hugo [Scala, at Volta a Portugal], and we got a couple more with Scotty [McGill] and Tyler [Stites] in Greece. To continue that in the heart of Europe - France, Belgium - would be really special."
