DNA Pro Cycling will finish its 12th and Final Season at the end of 2024
Team Owners Announce 2024 to be the Final Season of the DNA Pro Cycling Team
All good things must come to an end. It’s a sentiment that dates far beyond the origins of the English language. However, the first reference to it in any version of English that we can find is from Geoffrey Chaucer and his 1347 poem “Troilus and Criseyde,” yes Chaucer wrote something other than “The Canterbury Tales.” In his poem he wrote “But at the laste, as every thing hath ende, She took hir leve, and nedes wolde wende.” Middle English is exceptionally fun to read.
However, the inescapable fact in bike racing is that teams come into existence and they end. While those facts matter, it is what they do in the in-between that matters the most. For DNA Pro Cycling, 2024 will mark its 12th and final season. We are saddened by the loss of the perennial UCI continental women’s team; however, rather than lament the loss we want to focus more on what we gained over that time. So, who was DNA Pro Cycling, and what is the legacy they leave behind? First, we start with the DNA part, which is an abbreviation of their clothing sponsor’s full name, Dirt N’ Asphalt. With that, everything starts to make sense.
In 12 years as a professional women’s squad, they’ve brought more than 70 riders through their program and produced numerous elite and U23 national champions— including British time trial champion Claire Rose (2017), Colombian road and time trial champion Diana Peñuela (2022-2024), Mexican time trial champion Anet Barrera (2022), and Canadian road and criterium champion Maggie Coles-Lyster (2022).
They also leave behind a legacy of helping advance riders to the highest levels of the sport, including Maggie Coles-Lyster, who now rides for the World Tour Roland squad. Coles-Lyster, the multi-time guest on the podcast, recently found herself on the podium of two stages of the 2.Pro Thuringen Ladies Tour in Belgium. This year, Coles-Lyster will also represent Team Canada at the Paris Olympics. She will be joined by current DNA team member Sarah Van Dam on the track. In addition to the Canadian contingent, DNA team member Olivia Cummins has also been chosen to represent the United States, and Nicole Shields will be there for New Zealand.
Over the last 12 years, the team has recruited riders from eight countries (USA, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Germany and Brazil) and raced in 12 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Oceania. Of course, we know them best for their performances in criteriums in the United States, where last year they were led by the American Criterium Cup points competition leader, Kimberly Lucie. However, they’ve also been a force in every major stage race in 2024, taking the overall win at Redlands with Nadia Gontova, who followed that up with a second overall at the Tour of the Gila weeks later.
In 2023, DNA Pro Cycling was the top-ranked UCI women’s continental team in the Americas. Six riders were invited to the 2023 UCI World Championships representing four countries: Barrera (MEX), Cummins (USA), Heidi Franz (USA), Peñuela (COL), Shayna Powless (USA), and Van Dam (CAN).
“I am immensely proud of our accomplishments over the last 12 years. We have always strived to give riders the best support and opportunities to achieve their goals and grow as bike racers. This team has far exceeded our original goals and expectations,” said Catherine Fegan-Kim, team principal and co-owner.
Lee Whaley added, “It was an awesome decision to merge my domestic team (Visit Dallas) with DNA Cycling eight years ago. The collaboration allowed us to elevate to a premier UCI continental team and has created numerous opportunities for our riders.”
After Boise Twilight, the squad currently sits second in The Medal Count, with only Virginia Blue Ridge/Twenty24 ahead of them. Their performance has been buoyed by regular podium finishes at Speed Week/USACRITS and the Tour of America’s Dairyland, especially after the addition of Rylee McMullen, who joined the squad with the collapse of the NCL this Spring.
The team principals made the difficult decision to bring the program to an end due to the growing demand on time and resources necessary to run an international UCI team based in North America. However, Fegan-Kim noted, “We’ll remain involved in professional women’s cycling in some capacity, for example by supporting riders, teams, or events. This will enable us to better focus our support for the women’s side of the sport.”
This is not an immediate shuttering of the program; rather, the team has a full calendar for the remaining 2024 season. “We will keep going full gas through the remainder of the season with road racing in Colombia, France, and Canada and criteriums in the US, such as those on the American Criterium Cup. While we work to have a strong finish, our focus will be to help all riders and staff find a home in 2025,” said Alex Kim.
Current Roster
Anet Barrera (MEX)
Holly Breck (USA)
Olivia Cummins (USA)
Maeghan Easler (USA)
Heather Fischer (USA)
Nadia Gontova (CAN)
Rachel Langdon (GBR)
Kimberly Lucie (USA)
Makayla Macpherson (USA)
Harriet Owen (GBR)
Rylee McMullen (NZL)
Diana Peñuela (COL)
Sara Poidevin (CAN)
Shayna Powless (USA)
Kaitlyn Rauwerda (CAN)
Sarah Van Dam (CAN)
If you measure success by podiums and wins, certainly DNA Pro Cycling has been a success. However, success in this sport goes far beyond and must include longevity of sponsorships, promotion rates, and reputation. In all of those categories DNA has excelled. While we are sad that this particular door is closing, we are likewise proud to have enjoyed the path they have taken along the way.