At 19 years of age, Ezra Caudell landed his first skilled job to race as an expert bicycle owner, incomes a two-year take care of Trendy Journey Professional Biking. He is considered one of 9 riders between the ages of 18 to 24 on the freshly minted crew in 2026, all of them in stable positions for growth beneath the tutelage of former WorldTour professional and crew co-founder George Hincapie, and a trio of former USPro nationwide champions as crew administrators – Alex Howes, Ty Magner and Joey Rosskopf.
It is a daring entry into full-time street racing for the youthful BMX and mountain bike swashbuckler. His early days rising up on the purple clay of Georgia have been spent on selfmade BMX observe in his yard and using on rocky, rooty mountain bike trails round Lake Altoona, north of Atlanta. By 2021 at age 15 he secured 14 MTB wins and 5 extra prime 10s throughout 20 USA Biking sanctioned occasions, most of them within the southeastern US, and at his first US Professional Cup he completed fourth.
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Cyclingnews: Lots of people might be listening to about you for the primary time with Trendy Journey Professional Biking within the 2026 street season, however you have been biking because you have been very younger. Inform us about rising up in Acworth, Georgia and the way you bought concerned with biking.
Ezra Caudell: After I was little, I performed baseball and soccer, however round 7 years previous, my mother and father realized I couldn’t keep targeted and I hated the downtime. Simply earlier than my eighth birthday, my mother began searching for a working membership or any sport that may hold me transferring the complete time. She got here throughout the USA BMX web site, and we came upon there was a BMX observe about 7 miles from my home. I began using a motorbike and grime bike at 4 in order that they thought this may be an excellent match. My mother and father took me over to Noonday Creek Park one Sunday to look at a race and I used to be hooked!
For my eighth birthday they received a inventory Redline BMX bike and I began racing that subsequent weekend. My sister, Emma, was 5 and needed to do no matter I used to be doing, so she began racing additionally. We travelled all around the US in our camper racing nationals for the subsequent three years.
CN: Did you actually have a pump observe in your yard rising up?
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EC: I did have a pump observe in my yard rising up! After I began racing BMX, just a few of the dads informed my mother and father it will be useful to do some pump observe apply. They informed us there was one in Roswell, Georgia at Large Creek the place we might apply. My mother and father would take us over and we’d apply for hours.
Because it was a protracted drive to Large Creek, my dad got here up with the concept of constructing one in our yard. We sat down and designed it, my dad ordered a few dump vehicles of grime, and we used my uncle’s bobcat to construct it. To get velocity on the primary straight we might begin within the nook of the again porch, and we constructed a ramp out of plywood to place over the porch steps.
We redesigned it just a few instances through the years, however I by no means stopped taking part in on it. The truth is, we solely bulldozed it down in 2024 simply earlier than we put our home up on the market to maneuver to Germany.
CN: You moved into mountain bike racing as an adolescent, so inform us about your growth on grime and incomes spots with Workforce USA for worldwide competitions.
EC: Throughout 2023 and 2024, MTB was nonetheless my main self-discipline. I raced NICA from 2018 to 2022 beneath the Blankets Creek Homeschool Workforce (in Georgia), but it surely was onerous to slot in the right coaching, so I stepped away.
I raced for Gravity Academy in 2023, and that yr I used to be chosen to race the Pan-American MTB Championships in Brazil. This was my first race within the USA Biking Nationwide equipment. Later that yr, I did my first race block in Europe, and I knew then I needed to be racing in Europe.
I raced for Gravity Collective in 2024 and hit each UCI and US Professional Cup race within the US as potential to earn UCI factors in hopes of constructing it to Mountain Bike Worlds. I made the USA Worlds crew in 2024 in Andorra and had a entrance row begin. This was an enormous second.
CN: In 2024 you had some main off-road achievements, together with your first nationwide championship with US Marathon MTB within the 17-18 division. What have been your three favourite biking highlights from that yr?
EC: Sure, 2024 was a very nice yr for me in mountain biking. I used to be chosen for Pan-Ams for the second yr in a row and positioned fourth, simply lacking the rostrum. I did win my first nationwide championship within the 17-18 class on the US Marathon MTB championships.
That yr I traveled fairly a bit and had numerous alternatives, however for my prime 3 highlights of 2024, first on the record can be profitable my first UCI races in Puerto Rico. I received two of the three XC races and the STXC race. Second can be taking second on the Mountain Bike cross-country US Nationals. That was a brutal race, and ending simply 10 seconds off Nico Konecky was an enormous accomplishment for me.
The third spotlight can be making it to Worlds in Andorra with a entrance row begin. My household had simply moved to Germany, in order that they have been capable of come watch too. I snapped my chain firstly and needed to run the bike to the primary tech zone to get a brand new chain. I used to be pleased with myself for not giving up, although. I used to be lifeless final at that time, however I used to be capable of end on the chief’s lap. The end wasn’t what I had hoped for, but it surely was an unforgettable expertise.
CN: You started some street racing as a junior. Inform us about that and using the primary time on the Athens Twilight Criterium.
EC: In 2022, mountain biking was my focus, with Cadence Devo. Throughout that point my mother and father purchased me a street bike to coach on and among the coaches have been large street riders. They labored with the youngsters that have been curious about street by taking us to group rides with Free Flite Bike store, Tuesday evening crits in Marietta, ‘Airport Trip’ for the primary time, WBL [Winter Bike League out of Athens – op ed].
As soon as I realized about Athens Twilight, I used to be tremendous excited to race it. I used to be stoked to win the 15-16, however the principle objective was to make it into the Cat. 1,2,3 race that evening and simply grasp on so long as I might. I made it in, I didn’t final lengthy, but it surely was chaos and I beloved it!
CN: In 2025, you had a lot of prime 10s with Workforce California in Belgium and Spain, together with a victory at Campeonato de Navarra street race. Inform us about being a part of that programme, because you didn’t undergo a typical street growth crew for racing.
EC: I used to be nonetheless dedicated to MTB in 2025, however I had hoped to get a possibility to race on the street with USA Biking after they came to visit to Europe and I used to be now residing in Germany. That chance got here in March of this yr after Alex Pasqualina (USA Biking Mountain Bike Director) put me in touch with Tanner Putt (USA Biking Highway Director). I used to be capable of do a race block in Belgium with the USA Workforce and made some nice connections. I continued to race MTB and did three World Cup races with USA Biking.
I received related with Workforce California and was invited to race in Spain over the summer time. I had been feeling like I needed to maneuver to street, and the race block with Workforce California solidified that for me.
CN: What did you want about racing in Europe, and what was most difficult?
I’ve all the time most well-liked to problem myself. So, a better race that I place effectively in doesn’t really feel as rewarding if I can’t see the way it made me higher or pushed me. What I’ve discovered racing in Europe for the previous yr and a half is the depth of expertise is insane. There aren’t any ‘simpler’ races. At each race there are heavy hitters from completely different nations. It actually provides you respect for the tradition and the way significantly they take the game of biking.
I really feel prefer it’s the equal of how American soccer is within the US the place it’s such a mainstream sport that the pool of expertise is simply huge. The opposite side I like however it’s also a problem is the truth that they race onerous the complete time, and there’s by no means a boring second. There’s motion the entire time and it’s a must to be able to react rapidly.
After I known as my mother and father after my first European race in 2024, they requested the way it was. I mentioned ‘it was loopy’! It was a brilliant aggressive race and it felt like mass chaos, however I couldn’t wait to do it once more!
CN: Trendy Journey Professional Biking has three crew administrators, and every was requested to seek out US expertise. Did you will have a reference to Magner or Rosskopf specifically, since they’re each from Georgia? How did you get an invite to hitch the crew?
EC: I didn’t have an in depth reference to Ty or Joey, however as soon as I received into street, I knew who they have been. They in all probability wouldn’t bear in mind it, however I met them just a few instances at group rides in Georgia. I even have an image of me with Joey in his nationwide championship jersey the primary time I met him. I believe I used to be like 15, so it looks like a full circle second.
Joey was the primary one to succeed in out to me again in Might to inform me about this new crew the Hincapies have been beginning. It was one thing that basically me as effectively. They have been searching for younger American riders with an excellent persona and potential within the sport.
We stored chatting for a few months and someday I received a textual content saying George can be giving me a name with a proposal as a rider for the subsequent two years. It was a loopy expertise going from a devoted mountain biker at the start of the yr who skilled on the street primarily, having some good outcomes on the street, after which getting a name from George Hincapie for this new American ProTeam. I’m tremendous grateful for the chance and searching ahead to rising over the subsequent two years.
CN: What are your targets for the primary yr with the crew?
EC: My principal objective for 2026 is getting expertise within the professional peloton, studying my position within the crew, and maintaining myself wholesome and match all year long. I actually need to deal with the street, after which there may be some gravel alternatives. I believe perhaps sooner or later, it might be cool to attempt to do some mountain bike stuff as effectively.
CN: How would you describe your type of street using, and what’s the greatest constructive you deliver to the crew proper now, effectively forward of any races?
EC: I might say I’m extra of a breakaway rider, to be trustworthy. And Traditional type is what I might see myself doing rather well.
I suppose you may say confidence. I’ve all the time beloved the street as a result of I really feel like there’s such little stress. I’ve all the time felt a lot stress with mountain biking, I suppose simply because I’ve simply been doing it for therefore lengthy, and I really feel like I virtually have one thing to stay as much as. With street, I really feel like I’ve nothing to show, however I can simply, you recognize, go on the market and do actually good and no one is aware of me. So, I can actually not fear about being pressured for getting a particular consequence. And I really feel like that is an enormous benefit.
CN: When you might choose two ‘must-do’ races to your calendar within the subsequent two years, what would they be?
I might like to do Paris-Roubaix; that may be an enormous one. I believe that may be insane, a bucket record merchandise for certain. And Strade Bianche. These two are the massive ones in my thoughts.
CN: What would you want to perform as a U23 rider?
EC: My prime three targets as a U23 rider would begin with simply studying as a lot as I can from the older riders and the workers who’ve the expertise and information to assist educate me to be the most effective rider I might be.
One other large objective for me can be getting a while on a TT bike and seeing if I might do effectively there. I believe my physiology is basically suited in direction of a TT effort being an even bigger rider. I’m to see how I might do since I’ve by no means touched a TT bike earlier than.
And lastly, I believe an enormous objective for me can be to indicate there’s multiple path to changing into a professional bicycle owner. I wasn’t on one of many large street growth groups, however in case you work onerous and don’t surrender, you may cross over and nonetheless have success.
CN: While you aren’t on a motorbike, what do you take pleasure in in your free time?
EC: Again in Georgia, constructing trails with my associates was what I loved most in my free time. We’d spend hours within the woods simply making brief little loam trails or jumps and using them. Since we moved to Germany, travelling is one thing I like to do in my spare time. We’re all the time searching for an excellent fortress, the most effective café, and this time of yr the Christmas markets.
I additionally prefer to hike and see locations from a distinct standpoint than I might get whereas using. My sister and I like baking too, regardless that I don’t suppose it counts to say that I’m the one baking, I’m simply her helper.
