Crosswinds Sports Management Signs Carmichael Training Systems Signs as Title Sponsor
(January 3, 2018 – Asheville, NC) – Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) will be the title sponsor of Crosswind Sports Management’s 2018 elite cycling team. The CTS Cycing Team, fueled by Organic Valley, will compete in cyclocross, mountain bike, gravel, and road races; and participate in several gran fondos, century events, and fundraiser events. Primarily centered in the Southeast USA, the team will also travel to National Championships and other National-level events.
“This is the first time in our 18-year history CTS has signed on as the title sponsor of a cycling team,” commented CTS Founder and CEO, Chris Carmichael. “I am confident in the ability and integrity of the riders and team management to represent CTS on and off the bike, and I am excited to welcome a wider range of cyclists onto the new club team.”
Sponsors and Partners
Formerly known as the “Organic Valley/Hiball Energy Cycling Team”, the team is known for providing excellent grassroots event expo marketing services to their partners. As a result, the team welcomes back nearly all their 2017 sponsors and is pleased to add a couple new ones. In addition to representing CTS at events, the team will continue to offer product samples of Organic Valley’s Organic Fuel protein shakes, along with their new Mighty Bar beef jerky. Hiball Energy returns to the lineup for a third year in a row, offering samples of their energy drinks and non-caffeinated drink line called Alta Palla.
The team also enjoys support from a mix of regional and national sponsors, including returning sponsors Blue Sky Fuel, United Federal Credit Union, Carolina Landscape Lighting, Hincapie Sportswear, DeFeet International, Thomson Bike Products, Boyd Cycling, Specialized Bicycles, and Sycamore Cycles. New for 2018, the team will be CLIF Bar Ambassadors. Anti-Fragile Physical Therapy of Asheville will help the team prepare for the rigors of competition and treat any resulting injuries.
“We chose our partners very deliberately. It is crucial for the team to represent brands that share our personal values. Throughout our 10-year history as a team, we’ve learned the best sponsor relationships are the ones where both the team and the sponsor are excited about what they bring to the table,” said Josh Whitmore, Team Manager at Crosswind Sports Management and a CTS Coach. “We’ve carefully built a support network that helps us build community and promote healthy, active lifestyles, and we’re thrilled to continue that in 2018.”
The Elite Team
The 2018 Elite Team is comprised of eight racers: Reid Beloni, Nick Bragg, Matthew Busche, Matt Champion, Tristan Cowie, Nina Laughlin, Taylor Little, and Josh Whitmore. Beloni, Busche, Cowie, Laughlin, and Whitmore are also CTS Coaches.
Cowie hopes to build on recent successes in UCI:C1 and UCI:C2 Elite cyclocross events in order to earn a spot on the USA Cycling Elite National Cyclocross Team and compete in the 2019 UCI Cyclocross World Championships. He’ll also defend his title at the Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race and compete at the 2017 USA Cycling Elite Mountain Bike Cross Country National Championships.
Busche, a two-time USA Cycling Elite National Road Race Champion and Tour de France finisher, recently retired from the UCI World Tour and coaches full time for CTS. He plans to race on a regional level in road, gravel, and cyclocross events. He will also plans to defend his victory at the 2017 Haute Route Rockies in Colorado.
New Club Team
New for 2018, Crosswind Sports Management is launching a club team anyone can join. The club team’s mission is to build community around the sport of cycling in synergy with the brands supporting the team. Club members will enjoy mentorship and guidance from CTS coaches, event support at events the Elite team attends, and discounts from team partners. The club team is currently accepting applications.
“Bringing CTS on as the title sponsor is a natural fit for our team. There was already a lot of cross-over and synergy between the team, the CTS Coaching Staff, and athletes that we coach. Creating a formal relationship with CTS just makes it more natural and comfortable for people to interact with us as coaches,” Whitmore added.
More information about the team can be found at www.ctscyclingteam.org
About CTS
A pioneering company in the endurance coaching industry, CTS has improved the performance of more than 18,000 athletes since 2000. Founded by renowned coach and author Chris Carmichael and home to more than 40 full-time, professional coaches, CTS provides personal coaching, training camps, and Endurance Bucket List experiences to athletes of all ability levels. For more information, visit http://trainright.com.
About Crosswind Sports Management
A volunteer based company founded in 2008 to manage a small elite cycling team. Known as Team Globalbike from 2010-2013, the team raced a majority of the USA Cycling Pro Road Tour and the USA Crits Series while raising money and awareness for the Globalbike organization. More recently, the team has focused on endurance mountain bike events and cyclocross under the title sponsors Organic Valley and Hiball Energy. A majority of the current team members are full time coaches with Carmichael Training Systems. For more information, visit http://www.ctscyclingteam.org/about