The Road to Paris for
Women's Cycling starts in Virginia's Blue
Ridge
ROANOKE, Va., Jan. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders of
Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge and the Virginia Tourism
Corporation announced today that Team TWENTY24, a
diverse team of female professional and junior cyclists, will
officially relocate their base of operations from Idaho to Virginia's Blue Ridge. The team's name
will now be Virginia's
Blue Ridge TWENTY24 (VBR
TWENTY24).
For more than 17 years, America's premier women's cycling team
has been responsible for developing and managing many of the most
successful American female cyclists, establishing a consistent
pipeline for talented road, gravel, and Zwift eSports athletes. The
team has earned 14 Olympic and Paralympic medals, 17 World
Championships, and countless National Championships.
The 2022 roster consists of six professional athletes racing
road and gravel, five Zwift eSports athletes, and 27 junior
athletes (ages 9 –17 years). The team is led by Tokyo Olympic gold
and bronze medalist, Jennifer
Valente (USA), a 10-year
member of the team. Valente will be joined by 2-time Olympian and
current Pan American Time Trial Champion, Marlies Mejias (CUB), who will establish
Roanoke, VA as her home base while
competing in the United States.
Rukhsar Habibzai, former Afghan
national team captain and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, now calls
Virginia her home and will compete
in the United States with her eyes
set on the Paris Olympic Games. The full VBR TWENTY24 roster
and schedule of events will be announced in the coming weeks.
The multi-discipline team includes 2021 #1 ranked Zwift eSports
female rider, Kristen Kulchinsky
(USA), and 3-time Olympic gold
medalist, Kristin Armstrong
(USA), who continues to bring her
high-performance guidance and coaching expertise to the team
through a newly launched partner platform KX3 Lifestyle and
Coaching. The KX3 coaching philosophy centers around helping
athletes at any level take a holistic approach to their goals and
to pursuing their own personal gold.
Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge (Visit VBR), the region's
destination marketing organization, (including the cities of
Roanoke and Salem as well at the counties of Roanoke, Botetourt and Franklin) is excited to embrace the diversity
of female athletes, inspire youth in the community and welcome the
economic development opportunities presented as Team TWENTY24's
title sponsor for the next three years.
"On behalf of the Visit VBR Board, we are invested in
Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24 team underscoring the
diversity, equity and inclusion these athletes represent and the
inspiration they will share with our community. In addition
to increasing the visibility of the VBR brand nationally and
internationally, this will prompt many new stories about VBR as an
outdoor destination playground," stated Landon Howard, President of Visit Virginia's
Blue Ridge.
With the support of platinum level sponsor, Virginia Tourism
Corporation, the partnership with the team became a reality.
"We are fortunate to become part of the road to Paris as we welcome some of the world's top
cyclists to Virginia to train and
prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games," said Rita McClenny, President and CEO of Virginia
Tourism Corporation. "This program supports female athletes at
the highest level while spotlighting Virginia's Blue
Ridge as an ideal destination for outdoor recreation. This
relocation is the latest in a series of outstanding cycling news
for the region and represents a major opportunity for economic
impact. We look forward to showing Team TWENTY24 why Virginia is for Mountain Lovers."
VBR has been gaining momentum as a preferred cycling destination
since earning a Silver-Level Ride Center designation from the
International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) in 2018 and
hosting the inaugural Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia's Blue
Ridge triathlon in 2021 including a highly competitive
56-mile bike route along one of the most scenic byways in the
country, the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24 plans to embrace the
outdoor landscape of the Virginia Mountains Region.
"The vibrant cycling culture in Virginia's Blue
Ridge (VBR) makes it a natural fit for Team TWENTY24. The
rich mix of outdoor gravel and road assets solidifies VBR as a
premier cycling destination for our athletes," indicated
Nicola Cranmer, Founder and General
Manager of VBR TWENTY24. "Our first year in Virginia will have a strong focus on
connecting with the community, developing our new athletes through
training camps on the beautiful and challenging roads of the
region."
The next three years will no doubt be exciting to watch as these
professional female athletes compete all over the world and plan
visits to VBR for training, events and conditioning. The Road to
Paris for women's cycling starts
in Virginia's Blue Ridge
NOW!
For more information contact -
Taylor Spellman, Director of Public
Relations
tspellman@visitvbr.com
(540) 494-3497 (cell)
Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24 Video
www.BikeVBR.com
Logo -
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Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1731872/VBR_Twenty24_Press_Conference_1_22_2022.jpg