American Cycling has taken off for the 2023 road season, announcing via social media on Saturday that it will be hiring Michael Hernandez, who served as team leader for its former team, Best Buddies Racing, which disbanded in September. The team announced its eight-rider roster.

Best Buddies Racing has been one of the most dominant men's teams on the North American criterium racing scene for the past two years, winning the season-long American Criterium Cup men's team standings. That team was led by Thomas Craven, who also directed Hincapie Racing for many years before returning to lead American Cycling.

"The team had momentum from last year and I wanted to be at the forefront of sponsorships, partners, and the sport. We are certainly trying to build this team up as a model for the future. We're not one and done," Craven told Cycling News.

"We are trying to be more strategic about where we race. We'll do the American Criterium Cup, but we'll also do good independent races like Arlington, Somerville, and Athens. He will do all the criteriums, but not the stage races. I will compete in the amateur national championships, but again, I don't see the advantage of competing in the professional national championships."

Craven will be reunited with some of his best buddies alumni who competed with Hernandez, including Robert Sierra, Danny Summerhill, and Ben Wolfe. Brendan Lim competed at the continental level with Wildlife Generation, winning three races in 2022, including second place at the Armed Forces Cycling Classic and second place in a stage at the UCI 2.1 Turul Romaniei. He also raced for five seasons in the Hincapie program.

Three Colombians join the team, including Jaime Castraneda, who last season finished in the top 10 nine times with Emmanuel Ibarry and 2NDBIKE. Sebastian Cano is a former speed skater and reigning Masters 35-39 Florida State Road Champion. Jordan Parra has road and track cycling experience.

Hernandez won the men's amateur criterium title in early July and will race in the stars and stripes US champion jersey. He was then involved in a multi-racer fistfight after the Salt Lake Criterium, which led to his disqualification and three-month suspension. Sierra was suspended for one month for his involvement in the same incident.

The team confirmed that it would incorporate the American eagle icon into the as-yet-unannounced kit, saying, "The eagle symbolizes our dream." Hincapie Sportswear will manufacture the racing and team clothing, and BMC will be the bike partner with LUN wheels and Shimano 12-speed shifting. Helmets will be provided by Kask and 1st Endurance will be the nutritional sponsor.

The team will start the season with a short camp and race in Florida.

"Pablo has been involved in cycling, soccer, and auto racing, so he has a vision for junior cycling as well as professional cycling. So he's been very helpful in moving this project forward," Craven added.

They inquired about joining forces with a women's team to qualify for the new National Cycling League, but received no response from NCL management. At this time, American Cycling will focus on active engagement with sponsors and fans at the prominent criterium event, which has a long history.

"We're going to have some big team and race-focused events over the weekend. The first event is the Athens Twilight. 'We'll have sponsors and potential partners at that race, and we'll have close to 100 people on the sidelines with us. So it should be pretty cool."