December 22/22 15:59 pm - Tuft & Kirchmann Headline National Cycling League for 2023

Posted by Editoress on 12/22/22
 

The U.S.-based National Cycling League (NCL) has announced that for its inaugural season two Canadian Olympians will feature prominently - Leah Kirchmann and Svein Tuft. Kirchmann will race for the Denver Disruptors and Tuft will manage the team.






The NCL series is a much hyped new format of city-based teams that will race across the U.S. in the NCL Crit Racing Tour (CRT) and some stage races. The NCL will launch in 2023 with 10 teams of professional cyclists competing for a record-setting $1 Million prize purse across a series of criterium-style races in four major markets: Miami Beach, Fla.; Atlanta, Ga.; Denver, Colo.; and Washington D.C.

According to the announcement:

The NCL Crit Racing Tour events will feature an innovative competition format wherein men and women compete on the same team, on the same course, in a way that respects their differences yet weighs their performances and values their contributions equally. Fans will have unprecedented access to rider biometrics and in-race data through the NCL's proprietary technology platform. Races will feature 10 teams competing for a record-setting $1 Million prize purse across a series of four criterium-style races. "The Denver Disruptors and Miami Nights are the start of a revolution in American professional cycling," said Reed McCalvin, VP of Teams and Athletes. "There is so much untapped cycling talent out there and we’ve rewritten the team model to showcase top-level pros and provide a pathway to success for our development riders. We're excited that our vision for professional sports - the first gender equal and gender integrated professional sports team concept - combines both men's and women's racing and creates opportunity for teams in the United States to grow."

To make sure athletes have the resources to compete at their best, all 32 NCL athletes receive annual salaries in addition to racing for a share of the $1 Million prize purse and prize money from races throughout the season.

The 16-riders on the Denver Disruptor (8 men and 8 women) hail from 10 different countries, led by Colombian Paris-Nice Champion Sergio Henao and two-time Canadian Olympian and World Champion Leah Kirchmann. The team's Head Coach will be Olympian Svein Tuft, who won 13 Canadian National Championships and finished 11 Grand Tours during his celebrated professional cycling career.

"Denver Disruptors' greatest advantage is that we have a healthy mix of experienced riders with incredible international palmares blended with a powerful younger generation that will be able to learn from their extensive knowledge," said Tuft. "We also will be focusing on the culture of the group. I've seen many times over my career that a team that rides for one another is far more powerful than a group of big individual names."


Leah Kirchmann

"I am excited to return to American racing to compete in this new and innovative series," says Kirchmann. "The NCL will have a positive impact by engaging new fans into professional cycling, while also showing there is value in elevating all competitors equally."