2023-08-18 21:26:52
“It is with deep regret that I confirm that I have not been able to secure the necessary sponsorship to retain my WorldTour license,” says Linda Jackson
Linda Jackson, Founder and CEO of To the Top Cycling LLC, confirmed Cycling news that EF Education-TICBO-SVB will fold at the end of 2023. She also confirmed that the current Women’s WorldTeam license will not be assumed by another team in the future and that all riders and staff are free to join new teams in 2024.
“It is with deep regret that I confirm that I have not been able to secure the necessary sponsorship to retain my world tour license,” Jackson said.
“Trying to find sponsors was just too difficult after the collapse of SVB in March, given the general economic environment at the time. I let my riders know from the start that they should look for other opportunities as my main priority was to be transparent and help them transition to other world tour teams rather than extend the hunt for sponsors until the 11th hour. »
The team lost long-time sponsors Tibco and Silicon Valley Bank due to “recent economic challenges and events” after the bank collapsed earlier this year. The two companies had supported the women’s team, led by Jackson, since 2008, while Cannondale has been its team’s bike partner since 2020.
EF Education joined Jackson’s program as a co-title sponsor at the start of the 2022 season and through the end of 2023. However, the EF Education-TIBCO-SVB team has always been owned and managed by Jackson and his management company. Top Cycling LLC.
While the EF Education-EasyPost WorldTour men’s team was originally run by the Slipstream organization, it is now owned and managed by EF Pro Cycling.
EF Pro Cycling announced in June that it would create a new women’s team, under the name EF Education-Cannondale, and debut as a continental women’s team in 2024.
Cycling news asked EF Pro Cycling if they had attempted to assume the Women’s WorldTeam license from EF Education-TIBCO-SVB of Jackson and To the Top Cycling LLC, or if the two teams would work together in some capacity. However, a representative for EF Pro Cycling said any questions regarding the team’s license should be directed to Jackson.
Jackson confirmed Cycling news that there will be no connection between its EF Education-TIBCO-SVB WorldTour team and the new EF Education-Cannondale Continental team in 2024 and that its current program will end.
EF Education-TIBCO-SVB European Manager Christel Herremans said Sporza that Jackson’s current team staff are not permitted to work for the new EF Education-Cannondale team for up to two years, which was a clause that was part of a signed contractual agreement between staff and the ‘team.
Jackson a dit Cycling news that while it is not free to discuss contractual arrangements, neither it nor EF enforces any contractual clause that would prevent a rider or EF Education-TIBCO-SVB staff member from being hired into another program in 2024.
“I have just announced that I have not been able to obtain sponsorship to renew my WorldTour license, nor do I currently intend to operate a Continental team,” Jackson said.
“As you can see the hiring of Veronica (Ewers), and possibly other riders, neither I nor EF enforce any contractual clause that would prevent them from hiring EF-TIBCO- staff or riders. SVB and they are free to contact the new EF Education-Cannondale team regarding work for next season. I have no say or influence over this year’s team members, riders or staff they choose to hire for 2024 and beyond.
Ewers was the only rider with a current contract with the EF Education-TIBCO-SVB team who had a contract until 2025, while all other riders were under contract until the end of 2023.
Ewers was the first major signing announced to the new EF Education-Cannondale women’s team, which is set to launch as a second-tier team next year. The team has since announced four additional riders, including Coryn Labecki, Nina Kessler, Noemi Rüegg and Megan Armitage, along with general manager Esra Tromp.
End of the longtime women’s team
Jackson is one of Canada’s most successful professional cyclists. Since retiring in 2000, she has dedicated the next chapter of her career to creating opportunities for American and Canadian women to pursue their Olympic dreams.
Known as the oldest female team in North America, EF Education-TIBCO-SVB has succeeded for nearly two decades as one of the most important teams in the United States, with Linda Jackson leading the program . She is one of the only women to own and manage a current Women’s WorldTeam.
The team originated in 2004 from a local bike shop in Palo Alto and has been the local team of riders like Brooke Miller, Megan Guarnier, Skylar Schneider, Lauren Stephens, Kendall Ryan, Lex Albrecht and Alison Jackson, for n to name a few.
Jackson’s mission since the team’s inception 19 years ago has been to provide opportunities for women to compete in world-class cycling and in their pursuit of racing at the Olympics. His goal has been to steadily improve the team without losing sight of its development roots.
The team has grown steadily each year, eventually reaching the WorldTour in 2022, the sport’s highest level. In nearly 20 years of racing, the team has achieved many significant podium finishes, including nearly 70 medals at national championships and 20 medals at major events across the World Championships, Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
This year the team enjoyed outstanding success and scored their biggest victory with Alison Jackson at Paris-Roubaix Women.
Statement from Linda Jackson, Founder and CEO of To the Top Cycling LLC:
I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished over nearly two decades with TIBCO Software and Silicon Valley Bank. We definitely started from scratch with grassroots support, local riders, and a budget under $30,000. When I started with the PAB women’s team, we weren’t even in the national circuit. In 2005, we were ranked as the 60th team in North America. In 2006 we won our first national level race with Brooke Miller at the Nature Valley Grand Prix and moved up to 24th on the team in North America. By 2009, we had won several national championships and had become the No. 1 team in North America.
We expanded our international races in 2010 and immediately started generating significant results. In 2018 we won our first World Cup with Kendall Ryan winning a stage in Amgen’s Tour of California. In 2021, we won our first World Tour stage with Kristen Faulkner at the Tour of Norway, and this year we won our first Monument, with Alison Jackson in Paris-Roubaix.
Our competitive advantage was in the early identification and development of talented road cyclists. We have focused on North American athletes wherever possible and provided them with a development path from the North American Tour to the more challenging European Tour. We have been a launching pad for many top athletes over the years including Alexis Ryan, Brodie Chapman, Brooke Miller, Chantal Blaak, Kendall Ryan, Krista-Doebel Hickok, Jasmin Glaesser, Kristen Faulkner, Lauren Stephens, Megan Guarnier, Samantha Schneider, Sarah Gigante, Skylar Schneider, Veronica Ewers and most recently Zoe Backstedt. Jo Kiesanowski (eight) and Meredith Miller (five) are other notable pilots who have spent much of their racing careers with us. Rachel Heal (Hedderman) rode for us in 2008 and became our Athletic Director from 2019-2021 and our General Manager for the past two years. Patricia Schwager raced for us from 2014-2015 and has been with our team since she retired in 2015. Rachel and Paddy, along with the rest of our management and staff, have been instrumental in our team’s success .
Our sport has grown tremendously over the past two decades, especially in recent years. Women can now not only ride their bikes out of passion, but do so while earning a substantial income worthy of elite pro-level athletes. Due to the money currently flowing into women’s cycling, over the next five years we should see much needed growth in the number and caliber of women entering the sport. The UCI deserves substantial credit for propelling women’s cycling forward. We now have the media attention that we have fought so hard for over the past few years. It was really exciting to watch the emerging continental teams in this latest Tour de France with Zwift, and the World Championship road race was an exciting battle of female cycling legends.
I thank TIBCO and SVB from the bottom of my heart for all they have done for our team and our sport. They were the first to embrace supporting women in sport and their support for our team reflected their support for women in the workplace. I am also very proud of the role we have played in the development of our sport. In total, we’ve helped over 100 elite-level women pursue their goals of becoming top international competitors. The skills they learned while running will help them in all facets of life.
It took a village to grow this team, and I thank everyone who has been involved from the start and has supported the growth of the team along the way. The team has been my life for 20 years. I will deeply miss being immersed in the progression of women’s cycling, but I look forward to seeing the sport evolve and hope that over the next 18-24 months, as our economy improves, I I will be able to find partners who can allow us to recreate our successful history.
As far as what’s next for me, I’ve often been asked if I’m going to retire. I read a recent article about Phil Liggett turning 80, and people asking him when he was going to retire. He’s a few years ahead of me in the sport, but I loved his response, and I feel the same: “…what I’m stepping down from is my life. »
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