Lizzy Banks makes move to EF Education-Tibco-SVB for 2022

The talented British rider had a tough season in 2021 after serious concussion

Lizzy Banks
(Image credit: Getty Images)

British rider Lizzy Banks has been announced as the first signing of the newly named EF Education-Tibco-SVB for the 2022 season.

Banks, who joins the team after one year at Ceratizit-WNT, has had a far tougher season than her previous two with the 31-year-old managing to ride just two races. After the second though, Strade Bianche, it was discovered she had a serious concussion and needed time off the bike.

The Brit from Sheffield is joining EF Education-Tibco-SVB on a two-year deal with Banks happy to be joining an American team again after going pro with UnitedHealthCare in 2018.

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"Having started my career on an American team in 2018 with Rachel Hedderman as sports director, this move almost feels like I'm coming home," she said.

"Primarily, I'm just so looking forward to racing my bike again and experiencing the rush of emotions that comes with it and that sensation of pushing harder and going deeper than you ever realised was possible."

She has two wins to her name, but they are both of the highest class coming at the Giro Donne in 2019 and 2020. She also took a superb second place at the GP Plouay behind fellow Yorkshirewoman Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo).

Banks is hoping to get back to those heights: "After a challenging year in 2021 overcoming a difficult concussion injury, there is so much to look forward to in 2022.

"EF Education-Tibco-SVB are making a huge step up next year, and it's massively exciting to come on board at this moment in the team's history and during such a pivotal era for women's cycling."

The team have applied to become part of the UCI Women's WorldTour in 2022, as men's WorldTour team sponsor EF Education First boost funding along with bringing on board new sponsors as well.

Founder of the team, Linda Jackson, said that they first approached Banks in 2018 when UnitedHealthCare announced they would be folding.

"We first made contact in 2018, as UnitedHealthcare was winding down," Jackson said. 

"I wasn't quick enough to sign her to the team then, so we are just delighted to have this opportunity now. Lizzy is an incredibly talented rider, Rachel knows her well, and she is a wonderful personality to have on the team. She'll be a tremendous leader for our development riders, and I expect to see good results from her as she puts her concussion further behind her."

"Before her crash at Strade Bianche, Lizzie was proving herself to be one of the rising stars of the women's peloton, and, now that she has recovered, I'm excited to see her continue to make her mark."

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Tim Bonville-Ginn

Hi, I'm one of Cycling Weekly's content writers for the web team responsible for writing stories on racing, tech, updating evergreen pages as well as the weekly email newsletter. Proud Yorkshireman from the UK's answer to Flanders, Calderdale, go check out the cobbled climbs!


I started watching cycling back in 2010, before all the hype around London 2012 and Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France. In fact, it was Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck's battle in the fog up the Tourmalet on stage 17 of the Tour de France.


It took me a few more years to get into the journalism side of things, but I had a good idea I wanted to get into cycling journalism by the end of year nine at school and started doing voluntary work soon after. This got me a chance to go to the London Six Days, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain to name a few before eventually joining Eurosport's online team while I was at uni, where I studied journalism. Eurosport gave me the opportunity to work at the world championships in Harrogate back in the awful weather.


After various bar jobs, I managed to get my way into Cycling Weekly in late February of 2020 where I mostly write about racing and everything around that as it's what I specialise in but don't be surprised to see my name on other news stories.


When not writing stories for the site, I don't really switch off my cycling side as I watch every race that is televised as well as being a rider myself and a regular user of the game Pro Cycling Manager. Maybe too regular.


My bike is a well used Specialized Tarmac SL4 when out on my local roads back in West Yorkshire as well as in northern Hampshire with the hills and mountains being my preferred terrain.