The 2017 UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling team takes to the stage for the first time in front of team partners and special guests for annual Team Presentation.
The Fine Line Music Café played host for the team presentation, where the riders of the 2017 UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling men’s and women’s teams were introduced. Celebration was in the air as the team took to the stage one by one; optimism was palpable as the parade of athletes completed their ranks.
Leading the night off, General Manager Mike Tamayo noted that, “2017 will be one of our biggest growth years.” Addressing the fact that the team has changed significantly in roster, schedule, and staffing this year he said, “we’ve been growing for ten years, and this past year we really looked back to see what we can do better.”
Momentum Sports Group President Thierry Attias took to the stage to speak about the fact that building champions is more than just building race-winning athletes. “When we look to build a champion, we really want to build complete people on and off the bike.” 2017 is the first time that the Team Presentation was held in Minneapolis, the home of UnitedHealthcare. To this Attias added, “UnitedHealthcare and Maxxis have made up the bedrock foundation of this program and we wouldn’t be here without them.”
Fresh Faces and Returning Talent
The 2017 squad has seven new men and six new women in its ranks. Tayler Wiles is one of the strong new talents on the women’s team. With podium spots and wins at some of the biggest races in the world Wiles brings a fresh face to the team. “I’m incredibly excited to join the program,” Wiles said on stage, “it’s a team that I’ve admired for years. When I raced against UnitedHealthcare it was evident that they race as a unit, for each other, and that is something that has always been important to me.”
Teamwork was echoed throughout the night, especially from the new Sporting Director Sebastian Alexander who spoke about how they made decisions regarding the 2017 team. “In assembling the squad this year we looked for individuals who could build a great team, we have some very experienced riders from the world tour mixed with some of the younger up and coming guys. We want to create an atmosphere where everyone can give 110-percent.”
One of the additions to the men’s team who will be bringing great depth of experience back to the program is Greg Henderson. Henderson was with the Momentum Sports Group team Healthnet-Maxxis in 2006, and has since gone on to race in the World Tour most recently with Lotto-Soudal. As one of the world best lead-out riders he said that, “we’ve got a couple of really good fast-finishers, and we are going to do the hard work to get them to 200 meters as fresh as possible so the sprinters can have a clear path and fresh air ahead of them for the final.”
Along with the mature talented riders, there are also up and coming fresh legs added to the team. Chris Jones, a road captain and returning rider for 2017 added that his hope was that he could “use some of my experiences to turn some of the new riders into champions.”
The evening closed with riders mingling with sponsors, chatting about new season goals, and recalling years past. Director Ben Day summed up the evening, and the season noting, “We are here to invest in performance and careers of individuals, but also the success of the team.” The success of the team is built on the foundation of the program, and Monday’s Team Presentation with sponsors and guests showed the foundation to be very strong.
2017 UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Men’s Roster
• Janier Acevedo (COL)
• Carlos Alzate (COL)
• Alex Cataford (CAN)
• Jonny Clarke (AUS)
• Daniel Eaton (USA)
• Sebastian Haedo (ARG)
• Adrian Hegyvary (USA)
• Greg Henderson (NZL)
• Daniel Jaramillo (COL)
• Chris Jones (USA)
• Luke Keough (USA)
• Gavin Mannion (USA)
• Travis McCabe (USA)
• Lachlan Norris (AUS)
• Tanner Putt (USA)
• Danny Summerhill (USA)
2017 UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Women’s Roster
• Rushlee Buchanan (NZL)
• Janelle Cole (USA)
• Katie Hall (USA)
• Lauren Hall (USA)
• Lauretta Hanson (AUS)
• Shawn Morelli (USA)
• Diana Penuela (COL)
• Kate Sherwin (USA)
• Tayler Wiles (USA)
• Ruth Winder (USA)
Visit SoCalCycling.com’s Event Calendars for upcoming Road Racing Events, Mountain Bike, Cyclo-Cross & Gravel Events, Fun Rides, Gran Fondos & Tours and Pro Road Tour (PRT) Events throughout the year to find great cycling events to participate in or spectate.
