Philadelphia-based Fearless Femme Racing and Colorado-based Boulder Cycle Sport/YogaGlo have released their 2016/2017 cyclocross rosters, and both teams look to be a major force at UCI cyclocross races this fall with star cyclocross racers including Arley Kemmerer, Allen Krughoff, Yannick Eckmann, and Amanda Miller. See the two team announcements below.
Fearless Femme Racing Debuts Professional Cyclocross Team
Fearless Femme now has a cyclocross team for 2016/2017
PHILADELPHIA, PA.—Fearless Femme Racing, a women’s elite road and criterium racing team, announces its expansion into professional cyclocross racing in a merger with Level Eleven Racing, a privateer operation founded and operated by pro cyclocross racer Arley Kemmerer.
Kemmerer, a member of the 2014 U.S. World Championship team, established her own racing program in 2014 which took the name Level Eleven Racing in 2015. Level Eleven Racing supported Kemmerer and rider and mechanic Rachel Rubino.
Rubino had a breakout season, netting her first UCI points in her first season of UCI competition. Kemmerer and Rubino will now race under the Fearless Femme banner, and welcome the addition of Taryn Mudge, a strong up-and-coming Pacific Northwest Philadelphia transplant who has quickly risen in the local mountain bike ranks. Mudge will join Fearless Femme as a development rider this season.
Fearless Femme has a rich pedigree of nationally- and internationally-renowned cyclists. The team’s racing genesis came from Pure Energy Cycling, a small brick-and-mortar bike shop in Lambertville, NJ. The shop’s focus on making a positive impact in cycling through community events and small programs evolved into professional cycling teams and ultimately into Pure Energy Velo, a 501c-3 non-profit organization whose mission is to promote cycling advocacy, awareness and participation within communities both locally and nationally through events that promote, mentor and inspire youth, recreational and competitive cycling.
Arley Kemmerer will headline the new Fearless Femme Racing cyclocross team. photo: Kemmerer in the lead on the way to the first limestone stairs at 2015 Austin Nationals. © Cyclocross Magazine
Pure Energy Velo organizes an array of community events including group rides, cycling clinics, races, and school and youth group meet-and-greets. Athletes of Pure Energy Velo serve as ambassadors whose mission is to create a new standard for a role model for whom youth look up to and aspire to be like. “We’re hoping that kids look up to cyclists in the same spirit as football or baseball players, and want to continue riding a bike as a lifestyle activity because riding a bike has character-building, environmental, health and community benefits that mainstream sports just don’t possess,” said Arounkone Sananikone, Founder of Pure Energy Velo and Director of Fearless Femme Racing.
“I’m so excited about the opportunity to work with Fearless Femme and Pure Energy Velo” says Kemmerer.
“This partnership provides the platform we’ve been looking for to help develop women and junior girls to lay the foundation for future generations of cyclocross racers, and also to just get more people on bikes in a positive way.” -Kemmerer
Sananikone, director of Fearless Femme, Founder of Pure Energy Velo, and owner of Pure Energy Cycling, has always had a special passion for cyclocross, and had been considering expanding the Fearless Femme program to support a cyclocross team.
The team is set to kick off the season in Rochester, New York, for the first domestic UCI races of the season. Kemmerer has been selected for the World Cups in Las Vegas, NV on September 21st and Iowa City, IA on September 24th. After suffering from a torn hip labrum last season, Kemmerer is back on form and eager to return to World Cup competition. The team will focus primarily on New England and Mid-Atlantic UCI events and the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships in January. Kemmerer will also target the domestic C1 UCI events and a European World Cup campaign later in the season.
Follow the Fearless Femme Cyclocross Team on Instagram, and check often for blog updates, schedules, events and appearances, or to make a donation, at www.pureenergyvelo.org.
2016/2017 Fearless Femme Racing Cyclocross Team Roster:
- Arley Kemmerer (@arleykemm)
- Rachel Rubino (@rayraygrams)
- Taryn Mudge (@trmudge)
2016-2017 Boulder Cycle Sport / YogaGlo Cyclocross Team Roster Announced
BOULDER, CO—The Boulder Cycle Sport / YogaGlo Cyclocross Team is proud to announce the return of their professional cyclocross team for the 2016-2017 season. Returning to the program are Amanda Miller and Under-23 rider Grant Ellwood. The exciting new additions to the roster include top-ranked professionals Yannick Eckmann and Allen Krughoff. All four riders were members of last season’s U.S. World Championship Team. The team will travel to most domestic UCI Category 1 races, World Cups at home and abroad, as well as a variety of additional races across the country.
“I am always pumped for cyclocross season and the caliber of this team significantly increases that excitement,“ said Team Manager Brandon Dwight. “I know the talent from last season will be elevated with the addition of Yannick and Allen. We have big goals to do great things for our racers, sponsors and the sport of cyclocross.”
Returning to the team is Amanda Miller and Grant Ellwood. Miller is one of the nation’s top cyclocross talents and finished the 2015-2016 ranked 15th in the World. Ellwood, the team’s Under-23 racer, will be looking to improve on his incredible bronze medal performance at last year’s U.S. Cyclocross Nationals.
Amanda Miller returns for another year with the Boulder Cycle Sport / YogaGlo team. photo: 2016 World Cup Hoogerheide. © Bart Hazen
“I am excited about the additions to the squad. Allen and Yannick have a ton of experience and are some of the best racers in America. I’m looking forward to the added visibility to the team and learning all I can from them,” said Miller.
New to the team are perennial favorites, Allen Krughoff and Yannick Eckmann. Both riders, reside in Boulder, Colorado and are looking forward to the team. Krughoff, who owned and operated the highly successful Noosa Yoghurt Professional Cyclocross Team, is looking forward to the change. “I’m excited to focus on being an athlete this year. The challenge and reward of racing well while managing a successful team is unequal, but so is the work involved. With less managerial stress, I’m looking forward to improving my fitness and results. It’s also pretty special to be coming back to the program that took me on six years ago. Since then, Boulder Cycle Sport/YogaGlo have put together a legitimate professional program—right here in town and it couldn’t be a better fit. I’m bringing in some of my relationships from the Noosa program to add to the existing support and I think we’ll be set up for a very successful season.”
“I’m excited to focus on being an athlete this year. The challenge and reward of racing well while managing a successful team is unequal, but so is the work involved. With less managerial stress, I’m looking forward to improving my fitness and results.” -Krughoff
Allen Krughoff was once a working man pro on Boulder Cycle Sport, and he’s back on the team as a full-fledged pro racer. © sportifimages.com
Eckmann went on to say, “I’ve got to say it feels amazing to be on the Boulder Cycle Sport/ YogaGlo Team. I have some really cool teammates that will be a fun group to be around. The other thing I am excited about is that the team is based out of my hometown, which makes it so much better to represent a team and support our cyclocross community. With all the support we are getting on the team and from our sponsors I believe it will be one of the best season yet to come.”
Yannick Eckmann joins Boulder Cycle Sport / YogaGlo. photo: Eckmann winning the 2013 U23 Men’s title in his first time competing in the USA National Championships. © Meg McMahon
YogaGlo.com returns for the third season as the team’s title sponsor. Based in Santa Monica, California, YogaGlo.com is the world’s largest provider of online, on-demand yoga classes. The website and app offer a “Yoga For Cyclists” section on its highly popular website and app, and has worked closely with the team to help all riders learn about yoga’s benefits for cycling performance, power output, and recovery.
The Boulder Cycle Sport/YogaGlo.com Cyclocross Team continues its longstanding relationships with SRAM, Focus, Zipp, Clement, Bell and Castelli. New sponsors include Oskar Blues Brewery, The CAN’d AID Foundation, Feedback Sports and Victory Circle Graphix.
2016/2017 Boulder Cycle Sport / YogaGlo Cyclocross Team Roster:
- Allen Krughoff
- Amanda Miller
- Grant Ellwood
- Yannick Eckmann
- Erik Maresjo, Head Mechanic
- Brandon Dwight, Team Manager
