A few hours ago, the composition of the USA U23, which will travel to Greece to take part in this year’s organization of the PPC Cycling Tour of Greece 2023, was announced.
The roster includes athletes born from 2000 onwards, with the sole exception of 25-year-old Tyler Stites (1998), who is considered the most experienced, and is also the only one with an active professional contract, in Project Echelon Racing (UCI Continental Team).
It is worth noting that the participation of these athletes in international competitions, such as the Tour of Greece, is an important criterion for their selection in the team that will take part in the U23 World Championship.
The goal is to add competitive miles to the legs of young cyclists because racing in the United States does not offer similar opportunities.
The team consists of the following athletes:
Sean Christian (2002)
Gabriel Shipley (2002)
Leo Gullickson (2003)
Brody McDonald (2002)
Tyler Stites (1998)
Finn Gullickson (2000)
DS: Michael Creed
For the second time in Greece, most cyclists
Four of the six athletes on the expedition compete for Aevolo (Christian, Shipley, Gullickson, McDonald), a club that traditionally invests in the promotion of young cyclists from America. From 2017 to 2021 it had professional status (UCI Continental Team), however, since last year, due to financial difficulties, it has retired.
This year, the Greek public had the opportunity to see the above athletes at the two international games hosted in Rhodes.
In the two-day round, Visit South Aegean Islands (2.2 cat.), Leo Gullickson took 28th overall, Sean Christian was 50th and Gabriel Shipley 80th. In the following Tour of Rhodes (2.1 kt.), Brody McDonald took the podium, as he finished 2nd in the 1st stage which ended in Kalamonas.
Michael Creed at the helm
Michael Creed, a former professional cyclist and for many years a coach in development teams, will be in charge of the mission. The 42-year-old selector knows the six cyclists very well from their time at Aevolo, having been Team Manager since its inception.
As an athlete, in the two years 2004-2005 he was in the US Postal Service (Discovery Channel Pro Team in 2005), competing alongside great names of the time, such as Paolo Savoldelli, Max van Heeswijk and George Hincapie. His career came to an end in 2013, without any major distinctions in his record.
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