Iconic British cyclewear brand Rapha has confirmed its partnership with Canyon-SRAM Racing, a newly formed UCI Women’s WorldTour professional cycling team.
Canyon-SRAM rises from the ashes of the Velocio-SRAM women’s cycling team which folded at the end of the 2015 season. The team will be managed by former Velocio director Ronny Lauke and sport director Beth Duryea.
The partnership has confirmed an impressive international roster, including Tiffany Cromwell and 2014 world time trial champion Lisa Brennauer who both join from the ranks of Velocio. Hannah Barnes and Alexis Ryan will also move to the team from UnitedHealthcare.
“Can you imagine how excited we are today? Having these strong brands on board and having the trust that we can make it work is amazing,” said Lauke at the team launch, held at the Rapha Cycle Club London on Friday.
“We have a strong roster, with the majority consisting of young, already proven talents who are willing to learn from the experience of our senior riders. Each of them has shown individually that they can achieve top results, combined with the strength of a team I believe each of them will make another step forward.“
The team will ride Canyon Ultimate CF SLX bikes equipped with SRAM’s wireless eTap drivetrain. The three-year Rapha sponsorship agreement will supply the riders with racewear for competition from 2016 onwards, while also outfitting them with off-the-bike garments from Rapha’s City collection.
The soon-to-be-revealed team kit features a dynamic new livery created by Rapha’s design team and builds on the high-performance functionality of the Rapha Souplesse collection of women’s cycle clothing. The new women’s cycle kit will be launched in December, ahead of the team’s 2016 season debut at the Ladies Tour of Qatar in February.
Tiffany Cromwell will showcase the new colours beforehand, at the Australian national championships road race and Santos Women’s Tour.
The team will compete in a full UCI World Tour calendar, including the Amgen Tour of California, Philadelphia Cycling Classic, Aviva Women’s Tour, and La Course.
Full team line-up:
- Alena Amialiusik (Belarus)
- Alexis Ryan (USA)
- Barbara Guarischi (Italy)
- Elena Cecchini (Italy)
- Hannah Barnes (UK)
- Lisa Brennauer (Germany)
- Mieke Kröger (Germany)
- Tiffany Cromwell (Australia)
- Trixi Worrack (Germany)