For ladies cyclists making an attempt to interrupt into the skilled ranks, the trail ahead in the US can really feel more and more slim. Regardless of main successes on the Olympic degree, the home race calendar continues to shrink and growth groups are disappearing. Alternatives to realize significant expertise on the highest home degree, not to mention bridge the hole to Europe, are onerous to come back by.
That is the hole the JAKROO Ladies’s Composite Workforce is aiming to fill. Based in 2025, this system returns for a second season in 2026 and is searching for riders forward of the Redlands Biking Traditional, one of the crucial historic and aggressive stage races on the U.S. calendar. The staff operates as a high-performance, short-term composite squad, giving chosen riders the chance to race an elite occasion with full logistical {and professional} assist.
The staff’s idea proved its worth rapidly with this yr’s breakout rider netting a contract with the longstanding skilled staff, Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28, simply weeks after her Redland efficiency.
In April, then–21-year-old Emmi Gilbert impressed on the decisive Onyx Summit stage at Redlands, ending fourth on the climb and finally inserting fifth general. Simply weeks later, she signed with TWENTY28, one of many longest-running skilled girls’s groups in the US.
“This program is about opening doorways and giving riders the prospect to realize expertise in a number of the best and historic races the U.S. has to supply,” says Julie Kuliecza, staff lead for the JAKROO Composite staff. “These alternatives matter. Racing at this degree builds confidence, expertise, and perception.”
Kuliecza, a former skilled bicycle owner herself, brings years of expertise in girls’s biking management, together with roles with Prairie State Biking, Lengthy Tail Productions, The Glad Tooth Basis and the Amy D. Basis. In 2026, she’ll once more share management duties with Kristen Arnold, a USA Biking Degree 1 coach and board-certified sports activities dietitian who has labored with USA Biking, EF Professional Biking and the UCI.
“We’re offering pivotal alternatives for up-and-coming riders to indicate what they will do,” Arnold stated. “Our purpose is to set these squads up for fulfillment in an setting that’s each performance-focused and supportive.”
Functions for the 2026 JAKROO Ladies’s Composite Workforce are open via January 31, 2026. Candidates should be at the least 18 years outdated, maintain a Class 2 license or increased, and have a legitimate USA Biking or UCI license. Chosen riders will obtain complete assist, together with entry charges, housing, customized race attire, and on-site logistics. You will discover the appliance right here.