When the National Cycling League pulled the plug a week ago on funding three co-ed teams, 27 US men lost the opportunity to compete in the USA Cycling Professional Road National Championships and a path to earn a spot on the US Olympic team for Paris.
It only took four days for USA Cycling to adjust the rules and the governing body announced Friday that all 27 riders would retain eligibility to compete at Pro Road Nationals in Charleston, West Virginia, where individual time trial, road race and criterium events will be held May 14-19.
Five riders from NCL-owned teams had already registered for the pro road race championships, including 2023 runner-up Tyler Williams (formerly with Miami Nights) and 2019 runner-up Stephen Bassett (formerly with Denver Disruptors).
"USA Cycling is aware of the dynamic shifts unfolding within the cycling industry. We are committed to ensuring that the 27 athletes on these three teams, who have devoted themselves to rigorous amounts of training, are afforded the chance to compete at Pro Road Nationals," said Bonnie Walker, USA Cycling’s technical director.
The women who have been displaced from the collapse of the three teams - Miami Nights, Denver Disruptors and Atlanta Rise - were not affected as individuals were permitted under existing eligibility rules. However, elite men who wanted to compete at nationals were required to be on a UCI team or a Domestic Elite team, or complete a Pro Road Entry Petition.
"After Monday's announcement regarding the National Cycling League's decision to postpone racing and team support until 2025, USA Cycling has decided to lift this requirement for the affected riders. American riders competing for the Denver Disruptors, Miami Nights, or Atlanta Rise will be permitted to compete as individuals, as members of another Domestic Elite Team if they were recently added to their roster, or as independently formed club teams," read a statement from USA Cycling.
Williams confirmed he will race through the end of the year with the Miami Blazers, which also signed Noah Granigan from the Disruptors. Bassett will be part of Project Echelon Racing. Williams’ former teammate Jonny Clarke, who became a US naturalised citizen last spring and will race US Pro for a second time in his career, plans to guest ride for a number of teams, including Velocio Sports for Speed Week.
The fifth rider from an NCL team who had registered early for US Pro was Joshua Anderson, and he was not confirmed for a team yet, but can still qualify to race at nationals as an individual.
The winners from elite men's and elite women's individual time trial championships at Pro Road Nationals, scheduled on Wednesday, May 15, will earn a spot on Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
