HomeNewsCynisca Cycling Sponsors USA Cycling Team, Helping More American Women Compete Internationally

Cynisca Cycling Sponsors USA Cycling Team, Helping More American Women Compete Internationally

August 14, 2022 — USA Cycling’s new women’s development program, sponsored by Cynisca Cycling, raced their second race of the season in France at La Picto-Charentaise. The team of Skylar SchneiderShayna PowlessHeidi FranzErica ClevengerCara O’Neil, and Kyleigh Spearing raced the one-day event covering 120 kilometers from Poitiers to Chatellerault, France. Schneider took 2nd and teammate Powless placed 7th along with Franz winning the Queen of the Mountains jersey.

USA Cycling’s director of road and director sportif for the event, Mike Sayers, said, “It was a great day. The plan was to ride for a reduced group sprint. We had Skylar as a protected rider. When we hit the finish circuit at 30 km to go, the team took control. They rode the front until the sprint commenced. Shayna lead out Skylar with the FDJ rider passing her inside the last 20 meters. During the race Heidi was very active and ended up winning the QOM classification.”

Starting with the 2022 season, USA Cycling and Cynisca Cycling are committed to working together to strengthen athlete development programs for women and create more opportunities for them to progress to the elite ranks of pro cycling. Racing in the European peloton will provide American athletes with the valuable competition experience they need to secure medals on the international stage.

The team started their six-week European training and racing with the CIC Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées stage race from August 5-7. The team performed well at their first race together in Europe, placing sixth in the general classification out of 17 teams.

Team USA Cycling athlete Shayna Powless commented in her social media: “So fortunate and honored to have the opportunity to be in Europe representing the U.S. for the first time on the road. This past weekend we raced the inaugural CIC Tour International Féminin des Pyrénées which featured a team time trial and road race on day 1 and a road race on day 2 and 3. We managed to finish 11th in the TTT (with road bikes) and I was happy to finish top 10 in stage 2 later that day. Stage 3 was a day for the climbers with nearly 8,000 ft of climbing and I was happy to hold on for as long as I could to finish in the top 25. The final stage suited me much better with the punchier terrain and I was happy to finish in the top 15. To top everything off, we finished 6th in the team GC! Overall it’s been an amazing trip so far and I’m very proud of how our team rode and worked together. Also, special shout-out to Erica Clevenger for her strong breakaway rides throughout the race!”


Next up, the Cynisca-sponsored USA Cycling Team will race in the following:

Aug 20 Wielerronde van Dirksland – https://www.uci.org/competition-details/2022/ROA/67990

Aug 21 Merxem classic – https://www.uci.org/competition-details/2022/ROA/67294

Aug 25 Kreiz Breizh Elites Feminin – https://www.uci.org/competition-details/2022/ROA/67404

Sept 6-12 l’Ardeche – http://tcfia.com

See more USA Cycling race recaps here.

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