Project Echelon Heads to Challenge Mallorca to Start 2023 Season
First Year UCI Conti Squad Sends Nine to Europe
Project Echelon will open its 2023 season, and its first one as a UCI Continental Pro team, in Mallorca, January 25-29. The squad seeks to capitalize off a solid season of American racing in 2022 and catapult itself into the professional ranks against teams like Bora Hansgrohe, Cofidis, EF Education and Intermarche Wanty. This is not Project Echelon’s first trip to Europe. Rather, they’ve raced in regional races in Belgium and France in 2022 and before. However, this is the first time going up against a field this stacked.
Challenge Mallorca (there is an English language translation available) is a five-day stage race that starts in Peguera and ends in Palma. Each day appears to come with its own trophy, which could be fun if they are the same size as the trophies we saw at the Grant Park criterium in 2021. Per the race organization’s website the final 90 minutes of each stage will be broadcast live (rumor has it, that there may be coverage on GCN+). Whether that coverage is available in the US, or not, is another question. There are links to past editions on YouTube.
Project Echelon, as mentioned above, had a solid season in 2022 in the United States. The squad won the individual overall and sprint competitions during the American Criterium Cup behind Brandon Feehery, and won the U23 competition with the Kiwi youngster Ethan Craine, who also finished second in the overall sprint competition. Feehery left the squad at the end of the season and is racing this year from Miami Blazers, whereas Craine is still on the squad. Outside of crit racing, Project Echelon excelled under the leadership of Tyler Stites, who raced part of last year as a stagiaire for Human Powered Health.
Stites finished second at the US Pro Road Nationals in Knoxville, TN, after a grueling race up Lookout Mountain, numerous times. Stites also won the Redlands Bicycle Classic in California, and had multiple stage wins at the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico. Stites is known for his grit and climbing skills which he will need to display as he takes on World Tour talent in Mallorca. Stites will be joined by fellow climbers Hugo Scala and Ricky Arnopol, and have at his disposal veteran squad members and diesel engines in Matt Zimmer, Will Hardin, and Dr. Stephen Vogel, who won the overall last year at Green Mountain Stage Race, in Burlington, VT. If a stage comes down to a sprint it looks like Craine will be the squad’s man. In 2022 he proved to have a fast finish and be able to manage chaos winning at the second day of the Salt Lake City criterium and at Mundelein in the Intelligentsia Cup. The roster will also feature the debut of two new team members Colby Lange and Sam Morris.
The team plans on beginning and ending its season internationally (with a pair of trips in the middle as well); but in a press release stated that it remains committed to a full North American racing schedule. “This is a huge opportunity to see what we are capable of and what opportunities we have to improve. There is no pressure to get a result at a race like this, but we see every pedal stroke as an opportunity to change the trajectory of our program. We believe that we belong and we hope to write a few pages of an underdog story.” Said Eric Hill, team owner. And that underdog story is playing out in full form on their social media. Photos and videos of their first days in Mallorca demonstrate the scrappy nature of the squad in rental vehicles compared to the minibuses and well funded World Tour team set ups. The proof, as always will be in the legs of the riders.
What awaits the riders is 5 days of racing with stages averaging 150-160km in length. The first day looks like it will be a solid test with a very lumpy stage and numerous categorized climbs.
If there are any doubts about early season fitness they will have to be dispelled by the end of the first day. The diesel engines of Dr. Vogel, Hardin, and Zimmer will need to be warmed up and ready to go in order to ensure that Stites stays out of trouble. Day two of the race is a relatively flat event minus a category 2 climb up the Coll Sa Batella at the 110 km mark followed by a plunge down to the finish in Alcudia.
The third stage features what is on paper the biggest climb of the entire stage race, the category 1 climb up to the top Coll Puig Mayor which starts at sea level and tops out at about 900 meters. It’s a day like stage 3 that will push Stites and his lieutenants like Scala and Arnopol to the limits.
Importantly at the end of stage 3 they will not be able to overlook that finishing climb up to Mirador des Colomer. Coming right at 160 km, it is the most challenging finish on the longest day of the race.
Stage 4 sees a return up the Coll Puig Mayor but a truncated finish. Remember, this race is taking place on an island so you are bound to have to re-use some of the same roads. Just ask the fans of Belgian races about re-using parts of different races (and Belgium isn’t an island obviously). If we were into handicapping races for betting, the GC battle will likely conclude on day 4.
The final day features a much less lumpy course and is an opportunity for the sprinters to come out and play. The run into Palma features a finishing circuit and from an overview looks a lot like…gasp…a criterium. This is a great opportunity for someone like Craine to take a shot against the World Tour sprinters and see if he can use those crit skills and his background in messy finishes to his advantage. All-in-all, this will be an exciting first outing for the Project Echelon boys and it will be great to see one of America’s best domestic teams get out there and go shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in the world.