Published November 8, 2025 12:53PM
Modern Adventure Pro Cycling — America’s newest elite men’s racing team — dropped its 20-rider roster this week, and it exceeds expectations in terms of depth, quality, and ambition.
The complete list of riders — first posted on CyclingNews — reveals a strong and diverse roster for the U.S. startup backed by George Hincapie and a host of American racing who’s who.
As promised, the backbone of the team consists of U.S. riders, with 12 of the 20 confirmed racers with American pedigree, including experienced pros like Robin Carpenter, Scott McGill, and Tyler Stites, along with a host of rising young talent.
There’s a good mix of international names as well, headlined by a comeback story with Leo Hayter, who returns to road racing after stepping back a few years from the peloton.
Other international riders include 23-year-old Canadian Riley Pickrell, who moves across from Israel-Premier Tech, former WorldTour pro Stefan De Bod of South Africa, and Paul Wright, the reigning Kiwi national road champ.
The Greenville-based outfit is the first new U.S.-based elite men’s squad in years with big European ambitions and a stated five-year plan to race the Tour de France.
The team will debut in 2026 as a UCI ProTeam, putting it just one step below the WorldTour.
The overall roster is impressive and should have enough heft and firepower to entice European organizers to offer some interesting race invitations.
There are enough watts packed into the 20-rider roster to score wins and hit podiums in both North America and Europe.
The team lineup is very interesting. Let’s dive in:
Veterans anchoring the ship
Tyler Stites, shown here racing in Spain, could join if he’s released from his contract with Caja Rural. (Photo: Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images)
While the team’s vision is on the future, the debut roster includes some experienced pros who can help balance the team and provide leadership.
At the core of the team are five seasoned U.S. pros who’ve been in the trenches in Europe and shone on the podiums in North America. This quintet will provide the essential base to build out the squad.
Robin Carpenter, 33 (USA): After 14 pro seasons at Continental/ProTeam levels, including time at Hincapie-linked squads and most recently L39ION, Carpenter steps into a leadership role. He’s a stalwart of the North American circuit and brings speed and experience.
Scott McGill, 27 (USA): The Project Echelon alumnus boasts two wins at Volta a Portugal in 2022. Like Carpenter, he also raced at Human Powered Health/Rally Cycling before that team folded in 2023.
Tyler Stites, 27 (USA): As reported by CyclingNews, his arrival depends on whether he can get out of the final year of his contract with Caja Rural, the Spanish ProTeam that he joined this season. A proven winner on the domestic circuit, including wins in 2024 at the Tour of the Gila and the Redland Bicycle Classic, Stites will be one of the GC anchors.
Sam Boardman, 30 (USA): Racing the past two seasons with Project Echelon, Boardman will bring experience and depth to the squad. He will be part of a much-needed engine room to help keep the ship moving forward.
Hugo Scala Jr, 27 (USA): All-terrain puncher whose palmarès are full of top 10s in just about every North American race. He joins after four seasons with Project Echelon and will help guide and post results.
Rising domestic talent
Haug, shown here at the Comunitat Valenciana in 2025, is among a few riders from Project Echelon joining the team. (Photo: Szymon Gruchalski/Getty Images)
The Hincapie brothers promised that the team would be a pipeline for future American talent, and the inaugural roster delivers on that score. Some of the best young U.S. prospects are part of the roster.
These are the future stars of the elite men’s U.S. racing circuit, and they’ll have a chance to test their mettle against the best both domestically and internationally.
Cole Kessler, 22 (USA): The reigning U.S. U23 ITT champion, he steps up after two seasons with Lidl-Trek Future Racing.
Brody McDonald, 23 (USA): A product of Aevolo and the crit series in 2025, he packs a fast kick for speed in the sprint finishes.
Ezra Caudell, 19 (USA): A raw 19-year-old from Team California, he scored a string of top 10s racing this summer in the cutthroat Spanish U23 leagues last summer.
Sean Christian, 23 (USA): Another Aevolo recruit, he raced with Team Skyline in 2025, winning a stage at the Tour de Beauce and the GP New York City.
Ian López, 22 (USA): Coming across from EF Education-Aevolo, he raced more than 40 days internationally during 2025, including 25th at the Baby Giro.
Harry Lasker, 18 (USA): At just 18, the youngest in the roster with an open road ahead of him.
Kieran Haug, 23 (USA): A pure climber with the potential to lead, he won the 2025 Tour of the Gila and is viewed as a rising GC talent.
International credibility
Leo Hayter, shown here in 2024, is returning to racing after a hiatus. (Photo: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
Yes, the roots are American, but to race in Europe, every team needs international legs. In today’s global peloton, almost no team is exclusive to riders from one country.
The team’s talent-spotters picked up some interesting names on the rider market, including riders with WorldTour experience and proven track records.
Leo Hayter, 24 (GBR): Hayter is a big coup for the team and the most surprising name on the roster. After stepping away in 2024, citing mental-health and eating-disorder issues, he joins only for 2026 as a one-year deal. The younger brother of WorldTour pro Ethan Hayter, Leo broke through with a win at the U23 Giro d’Italia in 2022, then spent three seasons in the WorldTour with Ineos Grenadiers. After his hiatus, he returned to racing late this season with a Conti-level squad.
Stefan De Bod, 28 (RSA): A seasoned South African rider moving from Terengganu Cycling, but he adds gravitas with three seasons in the WorldTour via EF and Astana. He won four races on the international continental circuit in 2025 and will be one of the team leaders.
Byron Munton, 26 (RSA): Another South African who brings a winning attitude from minor tours, including a stage win and third overall at the Tour of Portugal in 2025.
Paul Wright, 27 (NZL): The reigning New Zealander road race champion, he hit a string of podiums on the international calendar, including a stage win and second overall at Belgrade Banjaluka.
Ben Oliver, 28 (NZL): A strong sprinter and criterium rider, he can bring speed in the bunch, with several wins in 2025, including a stage at the Tour de Beauce and the overall at the Tour of America’s Dairyland.
Mark Stewart, 30 (GBR): He moves across from the ProTeam squad Solution Tech-Vini Fantini and brings consistency and depth.
Lucas Towers, 21 (GBR): The British recruit cut his teeth racing three seasons with Caja Rural’s development squad, including a breakaway win in 2025 at the hilly Rutas Xacobeas.
Riley Pickrell, 24 (CAN): A Canadian with five years at Israel-Premier Tech and stage wins at Sibiu and Tour de l’Avenir, he brings durability and a strong finishing kick.
What’s next: Getting started
Girona, Spain, will be the site of the team’s pre-season camp in January. (Photo: Getty Images)
The first team camp is slated for December in Greenville, South Carolina, the home base of Hincapie and other staffers. Riders will complete bike fits and hold the first team meetings with the staff to map out personal calendars and team ambitions.
The directors’ bench includes Alex Howes, Ty Magner, and Joey Rosskopf, a trio of ex-pros with racing acumen in both the European peloton and the American domestic circuit.
The squad will hold its major winter camp in early January in Girona, Spain, now the home away from home for many North American pros living and racing abroad.
Modern Adventure will be among two American teams in the 16-squad ProTeams league in 2026, alongside Team Novo Nordisk, which also confirmed its lineup for its 17th consecutive season.
The ProTeam license is significant because that opens the door to invites from the major international one-day classics and stage races across the UCI calendar.
Official UCI registration is expected in early December, when the governing body publishes the approved team licenses across all men’s and women’s teams and leagues for the 2026 season.
If Modern Adventure delivers even half of what it’s promising, it will mark the first credible U.S. flagship team with international aspirations in men’s road racing in years.