Dozens of riders left stranded as National Cycling League announces 2024 season hiatus citing 'current economic challenges in domestic and global cycling industry'

There will not be a 2024 season of the National Cycling League after all. Organizers today announced a “pause” on the 2024 season in order to focus on restructuring and rebuilding for the 2025 season.

Debuted in April 2023, the National Cycling League is the latest cycling series aiming to reignite American cycling fandom and reinvent cycling altogether with its unique —and admittedly entertaining— spectator-friendly format, a cohort of all-star investors and city-specific teams. The 2023 season consisted of a mere three races but came with much fanfare. Upon its conclusion in August, the organization hailed its debut as a “tremendous success,” which left them “excited about the future of the league.”

Yet, the debut year had been a rocky one. The series dropped one of its initial four races, changed race venues and dates, shuffled most of its C-suite and parted ways with its race management company. At the end of the calendar year, dozens of riders from the National Cycling League’s franchise teams —Denver Disruptors and Miami Nights— found themselves without contracts for 2024.

Yet the start of the 2024 calendar year brought optimistic announcements of series expansions, including the founding of a new franchise team out of Atlanta, Georgia.

Today, however, organizers announced a pause, effective immediately, including rider contracts and salaries.

“While NCL will not field events or teams in 2024, the executive team and board of directors will focus on coming back stronger in 2025 by restructuring its business model within the current economic challenges facing the domestic and global cycling industry,” the announcement reads.

The organizers acknowledge that this break impacts the financial and athletic prospects of the staff and riders of its three franchise teams, as well as the racing schedules of the seven additional teams intending to participate in the 2024 NCL Cup. Organizers promise to assist its staff and riders through their transitions but didn’t elaborate on the matter. 

Bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement, staff and riders cannot speak openly to the press, but Cycling Weekly was informed that teams and riders were made aware of the abrupt change during a brief, four-minute zoom call. During this call, contracted riders were informed that no salaries will be paid after the month of April concludes. Additionally, as of today, no plan or framework has been laid out to aid riders in transitioning to other team. 

This is a developing story. We will make updated as more information becomes available 

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