KELOWNA, British Columbia (BRAIN) — A developmental road team coached by Axel Merckx will have a new name and a new bike sponsor for the 2015 season.
The team — founded in 2009 as Trek-Livestrong and known as Bissell Development in 2014 — will be known as The Axeon Cycling Team next year. Its bike sponsor will be Cipollini, while SRAM will continue to supply the components. The team will unveil its 2015 jersey in the coming weeks.
The squad is registered in the U.S. as a UCI Continental team with the goal of developing the best young talent into pro riders. Since the program's foundation, it has sent 18 riders to the ProTour ranks, including: Taylor Phinney (BMC), Lawson Craddock (Giant-Shimano), Joe Dombrowski (Cannondale-Garmin), Ben King (Cannondale-Garmin), Jasper Stuyven (Trek Factory Racing) and more.
The 2015 roster is similar to previous years, with 10 Continental riders and two “club” riders fresh out of the junior ranks.
The 2015 Axeon Cycling Team roster: Geoffrey Curran (USA), Greg Daniel (USA), Daniel Eaton (USA), Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBR), James Oram (NZ), Logan Owen (USA), Chris Putt (USA), and Keegan Swirbul (USA) are returning members. New riders include Ruben Guerrero (POR) and Justin Oien (USA), as well as club riders Will Barta (USA) and Phil O’Donnell (USA).
2015 sponsors include Atlantech, NEON Adventures, Cipollini, SRAM, Bissell, American Proficiency Institute, Specialized Tires, Tacx, Giro, Oakley, Honey Stinger, Ale, DMT, lululemon, Park Tool, Beaker Concepts, Thule, and Groove Automotive Group.
More information: axeoncycling.com.
