When the National Cycling League’s inaugural race kicks off next month, the Miami Nights will be hoping for a home-field — or course, rather — advantage as the team laps the streets of south Florida.
The Nights are one of two teams in the splashy new league backed by NFL stars, among other investors, and unlike traditional cycling teams named for a title sponsor that can change year to year, the Nights, and their NCL counterparts, the Denver Disruptors, will keep the same name season after season, similar to an NFL or NBA team.
That’s all part of a plan to build a lasting league.
While events, race series, and countless teams have come and gone over the years in North American cycling, the NCL is trying to build something for the long haul and to do that, the league is banking on a more consistent, exciting, and easy to follow format attracting fans — and keeping them around. Part of that equation is creating teams that resonate with their local communities.
Alluding to that, the back of the team jerseys have “Welcome to Miami” written in the top 10 most commonly spoken languages in Miami. And while the team draws from a wide net of international riders right now, the goal is to one day recruit 90 percent from the community, said Reed McCalvin, VP of the team and athletes for the NCL.
For its inaugural season, the Nights have assembled a roster reflecting the diversity of Miami. The team consists of 16 riders, eight men and eight women, representing nine different countries: Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Austria, Latvia, Australia, and the United States.
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The women
- Andrea Buttine – USA
- Andrea Cyr – USA
- Verena Eberhardt – Austria
- Daniely Garcia – Venezuela
- Taylor Kuyk-White – USA
- Paola Muñoz – Chile
- Brittany Parffrey – USA
- Jeydy Praderas – Cuba
The men
- Evan Bausbacher – USA
- Jonathan Clarke – Australia
- Andžs Flaksis – Latvia
- Bryan Gomez – Colombia
- Clever Martinez – Venezuela
- Gabe Mendez – USA
- Alfredo Rodriguez Victoria – Mexico
- Frank Travieso – Cuba
Among the 16 are fresh faces and veteran riders excited to help build a new league in their last seasons. Within the roster is a wealth of experience, including competing in the Olympic Games and in road and track racing at the sport’s highest levels.
Venezuelan Daniely Garcia brings decades of experience to the team, including two Olympic team selections. Chilean Paola Muñoz joins her in bringing Olympic experience, as well as a Pan American road championship and racing on the road in Europe.
Jeydy Praderas brings more European road experience, having raced for Astana in addition to being part of the Cuban national team.
Cuban Frank Travieso is no stranger to Miami, having moved there in 1998. He won the USA Crit Series in the past, making him a valuable asset to guide the team this year. And Clever Martinez was consistently a top threat in the American Criterium Cup last season and is sure to provide plenty of firepower in the NCL’s constant-sprint format. Bryan Gomez headlines the team’s max recorded power output at 1,675 watts, making him a key rider to watch in this format that sees points scored every lap.
Still, in their mid-twenties, Evan Bausbacher and Alfredo Rodriguez Victoria represent a younger element of the team, hungry for results and helping the team win.
Ready for the NCL and much more
As one of the first two teams as part of the NCL, the Miami Nights will race the entire four-race NCL calendar, starting with the Miami race on April 8, followed by the Atlanta race on May 14, Denver on August 13, and Washington, D.C. September 17. In between the NCL calendar, the team will also be taking on the American Criterium Cup’s 10-race calendar and a couple more choice races, including the road cycling national championships and the Littleton Criterium.
Under the NCL race format, there are points up for grabs for winning each lap of the criterium-length race rather than just the final lap. The men and women race separately but score points for the whole team, so both races are equally important, and all the riders truly are racing for one team. Team cohesion, therefore, is paramount.
Bringing the team together
The job of bringing this melting pot together into a unified race team falls to Sebastian Alexandre, an Argentinian who grew up in a family of bike racers and raced professionally himself before starting a 12-year career directing cycling teams in the United States like Colavita and United Healthcare.
With riders from nine different countries on the team, getting along immediately isn’t necessarily a given. But then again, this team is representing Miami, one of the most diverse cities in the United States.
“In this format, you truly need everyone,” Alexandre told CyclingTips. “You need that chemistry. Everyone needs to think about the team. There’s no chance someone could win 10 to 15 sprints. Without a team mentality, we can’t succeed.”
Luckily for Alexandre, he witnessed plenty of team bonding when his team met in person for the first time earlier this year in Phoenix, Arizona, at team camp. It helped solidify for him that he had chosen the right opportunity for his return to cycling after taking a few years away from the sport to be with his family.
“I really need to believe in the project,” he said, noting that he had turned down other offers before accepting the NCL gig. “You can see the coach’s hands shaping things when you put a team together.”
As a fan of cycling, Alexandre is also looking forward to the opportunities the NCL brings beyond helping a team win.
“For someone who was born into cycling, it’s great to bring in new people from the outside,” he said.
That mindset will be crucial for a brand new league rethinking everything about cycling.
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