To the Top Cycling announced it’s roster today as it gears up for its 13th season. Bay Area-based TIBCO Software Inc. and Silicon Valley Bank will continue to co-title the team founded by former Canadian National Champion and World Championship medalist Linda Jackson.
The team originated out of the Palo Alto Bicycles Women’s (PABW) team in 2005. Jackson added TIBCO as a title sponsor for the 2006 season to help get riders to national level races. The continuity of TIBCO and Silicon Valley Bank’s title sponsorships (12 and 11 years, respectively), make the Team the longest running women’s cycling team in North America.
“I am thrilled at the continuation of our partnerships with TIBCO Software Inc. and Silicon Valley Bank”, Jackson said. “We continue to develop new and exciting ways to work together that make these partnerships as valuable to them as they are to us” she added.
“It’s been a privilege to co-sponsor Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank over the years. Cycling represents the mix of data, technology, and performance that we’re all about at TIBCO,” said Thomas Been, TIBCO chief marketing officer. “We’re incredibly excited about this year’s promising roster of high-caliber athletes and as they begin their 13th season, we couldn’t be more proud.”
“We’re proud to continue our longstanding relationship with the premier women’s cycling team in the U.S.,” said Greg Becker, President and CEO of Silicon Valley Bank. “Having worked closely with Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank for more than a decade, we’ve relished their successes as well as our close partnership.”
2017 Roster
The Team’s 2017 line-up is stacked with talent and experience, boasting the addition of seven new team riders and the return of five strongholds.
2015 & 2016 USA World Championship team member Lauren Stephens continues with the team for her fourth-consecutive season. Stephens will provide strong leadership as the team targets a combination of Women’s World Tour and USA domestic UCI events.
Fellow American Brianna Walle, coming off perhaps her best season, will continue to add a strong uppercut to Stephen’s jab as the two present a formidable one-two punch with their powerful time trial capabilities and aggressive riding styles.
2015 US National Criterium Champion Kendall Ryan also returns to the squad along with countrywoman Lindsay Myers and German Kathrin Hammes.
With the retirement of the legendary Jo Kiesanowski, a fixture on the team for the past nine years, the Team is adding an exciting combination of youth and experience as it enters the next Olympic cycle.
Former Mexican National Champion and veteran of the European peloton, Ingrid Drexel will bring her power and savvy to the team, as will 2016 Tour of the Gila stage winner Heather Fischer. Both will offer solid support in stage races while adding another competitive dimension in the toughest one-day races. They will count on strong support from American Jennifer Tetrick whose big engine will help keep a tight grip on the field when she is not hunting for breakaway opportunities.
Returning to North America after a 2016 season spent mostly in Europe, Canadian Lex Albrecht will bring her steady climbing skills to the team, being a valuable GC lieutenant in the mountains and an ever-present stage threat on the long climbs.
A thrilling trio of young riders will fill out the 2017 squad. New Zealander Madeleine Park, a former Junior World Team Pursuit Champion and record holder, will enter the elite ranks next year with the Team. Madeleine represented her country at the 2015 and 2016 World Road Championships and has many national championships to her credit.
Also just back from Doha World Championships is the Guatemalan individual pursuit record holder and former collegiate national champion Nicolle Bruderer. Both young riders are looking forward to strong performances in North America and internationally. Likewise entering the women’s pro ranks is American Kate Buss who hopes to build on her impressive 3rd place finish at Joe Martin Stage Race’s demanding uphill Stage 1 Time Trial as she continues to hone her obvious climbing talent.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Lauren Stephens and Brie Walle are two of the best stage racers in North America and I am really excited to see the depth we’ve been able to add to the roster this year. These girls are super enthusiastic and great personalities. I think we’ve added some important skill sets to our squad” offered Sport Director Ed Beamon. “I am expecting the TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank team to remain at the top of the American peloton.”
Linda Jackson added, “I am going to miss having Jo Kiesanowski on the team. She has been an incredible asset for us, both on and off the bike. Her retirement after 16 years in the sport, with the last nine years spent with us, has definitely left a void. But I am very excited with the talent that we have added to the roster as we enter yet another four-year Olympic cycle.”
The team will continue to ride Fuji’s Supreme, Transonic, and SL road models along with the Norcom TT machine. Shimano groups along with Oval Concept bars & stems, Prologo bar tape and saddles, Speedplay pedals, Verve Infocrank Power meters, Maxxis tires, and KMC chains will spin Edco’s exciting new lineup of wheels.
2017 Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank Roster:
Lex Albrecht (CAN)
Nicolle Bruderer (GTM)
Kate Buss (USA)
Ingrid Drexel (MEX)
Heather Fischer (USA)
Kathrin Hammes (GER)
Lindsay Myers (USA)
Madeleine Park (NZL)
Kendall Ryan (USA)
Lauren Stephens (USA)
Jennifer Tetrick (USA)
Brianna Walle (USA)
Above Photo – Kendall Ryan returns to Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank for 2017.
Photo © Christy Nicholson / EchelonDesignPhoto.com
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