Published December 11, 2018 12:20PM
New Landis team signs McCabe, Tvetcov, Swirbul
UnitedHealthcare alums Travis McCabe and Serghei Tvetcov headline Floyd Landis's new Continental team that is renamed to avoid litigation.
Photo: Casey B. Gibson | <a href="http://www.cbgphoto.com">www.cbgphoto.com</a> (File).
Floyd Landis‘s professional cycling team has a name, a bike sponsor, and riders.
On Tuesday, Landis and former Canadian pro Gord Fraser unveiled initial details of the Floyd’s Pro Cycling team, the UCI Continental team backed by the former Phonak and U.S. Postal rider. The team will be built around veteran stage racer Serghei Tvetcov and sprinter Travis McCabe, both of whom join the squad from the now-defunct UnitedHealthcare team. Joining the two are veteran climber Jonathan Clarke and up-and-coming stage racer Keegan Swirbul, who raced for Jelly Belly-Maxxis in 2018.
The news comes two months after Landis unveiled his plans to fund the team. Landis had initially hoped to name the team after his Colorado-based cannabis business, Floyd’s of Leadville, however legal issues with the Canadian laws governing the marketing of cannabis forced Landis to abandon the brand name for the team.
“Canada is sorting out the legalities surrounding CBD and athletics,” Landis said in a release. “My commitment to the team remains unchanged regardless of what it needs to be called. After years of litigation, I have no desire to enter another lengthy legal battle over the name.”
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The team’s 2019 racing season will be funded by Landis. Earlier this year, Landis was paid $1.65 million by Lance Armstrong as a settlement for Landis’s False Claims Act lawsuit against the former seven-time Tour champion. Landis said in an October interview that he planned to fund the team in part from the payout.
Landis’s team will utilize much of the infrastructure from the now-defunct Silber Pro Cycling team, which Fraser directed in 2017 and 2018. While Silber targeted primarily road events, Floyd’s Pro Cycling will race a blend of road, gravel, and mixed-terrain events. The team’s season will start with the Paris to Ancaster gravel race. The team will race on Van Dessel bicycles.
Rounding out the squad are Canadian riders Emile Jean and Nick Zukowsky, both of whom raced on Silber in 2018, and U23 riders Carson Miles and Robin Plamondon.