Project Echelon Racing will begin its first season at the UCI Continental level with five 1.1-level races, Challenge Ciclista Mallorca, January 25-29. Two-time world champion Julien Alaphilippe will Julien Alaphilippe, two-time world champion, will make his debut.

There will be 10 professional teams, plus continental teams and selected Spanish track teams. The Mallorca race will begin with the Trofeo Calvià on January 25 and conclude with the Trofeo Palma on January 29.

After six seasons in the amateur ranks as an elite team in the U.S., Project Echelon Racing has moved to the UCI level, adding four international stage races to its calendar. After the season opener in Mallorca, other international stage races include the Vuelta Colombia in South America, the 10-day Tour Cycliste Internationale de la Guadeloupe in France, and the Vuelta a Guatemala in Central America.

Project Echelon will also compete in the two remaining UCI stage races on the U.S. calendar this spring, the Tour of the Gila and the Joe Martin stage race. silver medalist at the US Pro Road Nationals, Tyler Stites, who last year finished third in the Joe Martin and two stage wins in the Tour of the Gila, leading the team's stage race performance. He also won the GC title at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Also returning is New Zealand native Ethan Kleyne. He won the U23 crown and second place in the sprint class at the 2022 American Criterium Cup (nine men's races).

Canada joins the list of countries that will host a gravel national championship in 2023. The title will be awarded based on the results of the Paris - Ancaster (P2A) bicycle race, a 110 km cente course.

The P2A was inspired by Paris-Roubaix and pioneered the trend of gravel racing. Now in its 29th year, the race has been held since 1994 and incorporates rough cobblestone roads, farm roads, gravel roads, single-track trails, and paved roads in western Hamilton, Ontario.

This year's race will be held on April 30; as of January 16, P2A already had 1,600 registered riders for all four distances.

USA Cycling has listed the Gravel Championships on its list of national competitions for 2023, but dates and locations have not yet been announced. The Netherlands hosted the championships in 2022, with Marianne Foss winning the women's race and Cohen Vermeltfort winning the men's race.

The UCI sanctioned its first gravel world championships in 2022. Gianni Vermerche won the men's race and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot won the women's race.

USA Cycling and Cycling Canada have partnered to jointly host the National eSports Championships. The competition is scheduled for February 11-12, 2023, and online registration is open until February 8 at 5 p.m. ET.

Cycling Canada will offer six categories, and USA Cycling will offer a total of 14 categories. All paracycling events are held on Sundays.

The Miami Blazers, the elite U.S. national men's team that enjoyed success at last year's inaugural American Criterium Cup, has confirmed that seven new riders will be added to its 11-rider roster for the 2023 event.

One of the new riders will be part of the new women's program, with the first rider being Alexi Costa-Ramirez, a sprinter from Trinidad and Tobago who has been racing for CWA Racing p/b Goldman Sachs ETFs for two seasons.

"The Miami Blazers are actively building their women's program and scouting new talent. Alexie is the first signee to the women's program and the team is looking forward to building its first women's team. The team has not yet finalized its final race schedule for 2023," a team spokesperson said, revealing that the team is not focused on competing in the National Cycling League.

Last season, the Blazers finished third in the men's standings in the still-opening American Criterium Cup series. The four returning riders are Dante Young, Hassani Hennis, Joshua Kelly, and 2018 US Pro Road Race Champion Johnny Brown.

Leading the new men's contingent is Brandon Phihely, who moved over from Project Echelon Racing. Fihaly was dominant in the ACC series last year, winning the individual all-around and sprint titles. He will be joined by Daniel Estevez, Ruben Campanioni, Oscar Quiroz, Spencer Moabenzadeh, and Tanner Ward.

Miami's newest national elite team is the Miami Knights, founded by organizers of the National Cycling League. The team announced this week that it will partner with the ZleL Concept Store in Coral Gables, Florida, to serve as the official fan headquarters and clubhouse for its professional athletes.

In addition to selling cycling apparel and equipment, the Zlel store offers service and repair, as well as a selection of food and beverages for retail customers. Memberships start at $250 per person.

"ZIeL is a hub for cyclists to train, recover, shop, service bikes, learn about the latest trends and technology in the sport, and be surrounded by people passionate about cycling," Frank Travieso said.

The NCL will launch a four-race criterium series in Miami Beach in April, with Zlel serving as race headquarters to support NCL riders and fans. It will also serve as a hub for cyclists and fans to participate in group rides, clinics, and special events throughout the 2023 season.

In 2023, the NCL will feature 10 invitation-only teams competing in criterium-style races in four major markets for $1 million in prize money. Races will begin in Miami Beach, Florida, and spread throughout the summer to Atlanta, Georgia; Denver, Colorado; and Washington, D.C. Dates for the 2023 four-race series have not been announced.

A total of 14 men's and women's teams have been selected by the UCI to compete at the North American continental level in 2023. The United States leads the international race with six men's teams and four women's teams, while Canada has three men's teams and a lone women's team. There were no teams at that level from Mexico.

On the women's side, DNA Pro Cycling returned to the continental level for the fourth consecutive year and sixth time since 2016. Returning after a three-year absence as a national elite program is Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24, which is entering its 18th season.

InstaFund Racing is the only team from Canada and is in its fourth season at the Continental level. Sinisca Cycling and Roxo Racing will be competing for the first time.

The longest-standing men's team is the US-based Hagens Berman Axeon, which started in 2009 and has spent two of the last 14 seasons at the higher second-class level. Other notable U23 development teams returning at the continental level include the EF Education Nippon Development Team, which is in its third year, the Canada-based Premier Tech U23 Cycling Project, which is in its second year, and Team Novo Nordisk Development.

Project Echelon Racing, now in its seventh year, has been promoted from the national elite level for the first time. Team Skyline is in its fifth year, and L39LION in Los Angeles is in its third year.

Among Canadian teams, Toronto Hustle returns to the conti level for a second season in its fourth year, while X-Speed United enters its fifth season as a Canadian-registered team based in Belgium.