New Team-Based Cycling League Coming

The National Cycling League (NCL) debuts next month with a team-based league format. The National Cycling League announced event dates for the four-criterium race series that will determine the winner of the 2023 NCL Cup. Ten teams of professional cyclists, including the NCL's own Miami Nights and Denver Disruptors, will compete in four criterium-style cycling races on iconic downtown city street circuits, for their share of $1 Million in prize money.

All-Pro Defensive backs Jalen Ramsey (Rams), Derwin James (Chargers) and Kevin Byard (Titans) are among the investors in the league. 

The NCL Cup events will feature an innovative competition format wherein men and women compete on the same team, on the same course, in a way that respects their differences yet weighs their performances and values their contributions equally. Fans will have access to in-race data through the NCL's scoreboard, a first in professional criterium racing. Races will feature 10 teams competing for a record-setting $1 Million prize purse across a series of four criterium-style races.

The 16-riders on the Denver Disruptor, 8 men & 8 women, hail from 10 different countries, led by Colombian Paris-Nice Champion Sergio Henao and two-time Canadian Olympian and World Champion Leah Kirchmann. The team's Head Coach will be Olympian Svein Tuft, who won 13 Canadian National Championships and finished 11 Grand Tours during his celebrated professional cycling career.

The Miami Nights will depend heavily on the experience of longtime pros Johnny Clarke, Frank Travieso, and Olympians: Daniely Garcia (Venezuela '08, '12) and Paola Munoz Grandon (Chile '04, '12, '16). Sebastian Alexandre, an experienced sporting director who previously led United Healthcare and Jamis teams, will be the team's Head Coach.

Here's how the races will take place:

• A new, real-time scoring system will award points after each lap. This innovative and engaging format will facilitate nonstop action and visibility into the athletes' placement.Each race is 30 laps, with each lap being 1-2kms. There is a separate race for men and women.
• Points are awarded to the first 3 riders across the finish line on laps 1-29 as follows: 1st (3pts), 2nd (2pts), 3rd (1pt).
• Points are awarded to the first 3 riders across the finish line on lap 30 (the final lap) as follows: 1st (9pts), 2nd (6pts), 3rd (3pts).
• Riders can also score points by gaining a lap on the field (breakaway). If a rider or riders lap the field, then all members of the breakaway group will be awarded 9 points when they rejoin the field. NOTE: Once the breakaway rejoins the field, all riders are on the same lap and must compete for lap points.
• The winner of each men’s and women’s race is determined by the team that accumulates the most points among its riders during the race.
• The winner of each men’s and women’s event is determined by the team with the highest combined number of points between their divisions.

Here is the schedule for the upcoming races:

• April 8th - Miami Beach, Florida
• May 14th - Atlanta, Georgia
• August 13th - Denver, Colorado
• September 17th - Washington, DC

A similar team-based cycling league competed for a few seasons in the early 1990s - also the National Cycling League - with teams based in Boston, San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, New York and Pittsburgh.   The league also featured some international teams as well.  Unfortunately, the league failed financially and faded away.   The new NCL starts with over $7 million of seed more to kick-start the league.

For more information on the NCL:  https://nclracing.com