America’s Newest Bike Team: Hype & Ambitions
Updated January 22, 2026 09:05AM
Modern Adventure Pro Cycling pins on race numbers for the first time next week and debuts as America’s newest pro bike team with equal parts anticipation and anxiety.
The pressure and nerves are real as the first major U.S. men’s squad in more than a decade to enter the high-stakes, big-budget pro peloton readies for it’s first taste of competition.
Founded by ex-pro George Hincapie and partners, the U.S.-registered squad opens at the AlUla Tour (January 27-31), capping a year-long sprint to assemble funding, riders, staff, and infrastructure from scratch.
“It’s exciting. There are some nerves from some folks, but everyone’s excited to hit the start button on this project,” sport director Alex Howes told Velo. ”For a lot of teams, AlUla won’t be the biggest race of the year, but for a new team like ours, it’s super exciting and a bit terrifying.
“It’s not San Dimas. There are WorldTour racers and teams, so we are super excited and grateful to be there.”
With the stated long-term ambition of reaching the Tour de France within five years and building an American “Dream Team” anchored around North American talent, the team is riding a wave of emotion as it prepares for its inaugural season.
Just getting the team off the ground and into its first slate of races is already a huge win for everyone inside the Modern Adventure bus.
Now comes the hard part.
Hincapie’s Rolodex serving up invites
After wrapping up its european training camp near Girona this week, Howes and his fellow staffers are finalizing
The American cycling scene has a new team aiming to make its mark: Modern Adventure Pro cycling. Based in the Unya region, known for decades as a training ground for international cyclists, the team is launching into a challenging debut season.
“It’s kind of like building the airplane while it’s on the runway,” team manager Jono Howes joked. “But things are coming together rather impressively. It’s a huge project to build a team from scratch,and everyone’s been working full-time on this for a year.”
Don’t expect to see them in the grand tours right away. UCI rules currently prevent it. But building a program capable of racing in the Tour de France is the ultimate goal.
Years of hard work and setbacks lie ahead. Even securing a few wins would be a important achievement for this new cycling startup.
The first season is focused on unifying the 21-rider group and establishing credibility within the peloton.
Balancing ambitions and hype
Howes says the operation is ready to begin racing.
The team’s roster features top North American talent, riders with WorldTour experience, and promising up-and-comers.
Everyone knows that racing at the highest level is a significant step up for many on the team.