Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24 2023 Team Roster 

Returning Olympians and exciting new talent.

ROANOKE, Va. (December 27 2022) - Holiday greetings everyone. It’s business as usual around here, I’m working from the UK for a few days, narrowly avoiding the big U.S freeze! Operating a large team of over 40+ athletes, decision fatigue sets in at the end of the season, so it’s been wonderful to be home responding to questions like coffee or tea? 5k or 8k hike? Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.1 or Vol. 2?

Preparations for the 2023 race and event season are well underway, developing our team calendar is going to be a scintillating decision-making process this year with legacy events on the schedule like Redlands, Gila, Joe Martin,  a hefty infusion of funding pouring into U.S crit and track with a ‘re-inventing bike racing’ theme, coupled with strategically positioning athletes accumulating points for their nation’s Olympic selection for track events its back to the unavoidable decision making! It’s fun to be back in the game!

I am highly motivated by our UCI roster for the 2023 season, featuring a diverse squad of track, mountain biking, gravel, Zwift eSports, and para-cycling athletes. It’s a very strong team combining experience and newcomers. The UCI now allows two second year 17-18 juniors on to the UCI roster as trainees, this is a productive and positive new initiative, so of course we selected two of our top juniors from our newly formed JET program, more on that next newsletter.  We have rebuilt an exceptional team. Our goal is to continue to nurture new talent, connect our juniors with collegiate scholarships, serve our communities and to win a lot of races!

The team includes longtime team member, Tokyo Olympic gold and bronze medalist, and 2022 Omnium World Champion Jennifer Valente (USA), who has re-signed for her twelfth season with VBR TWENTY24.  

“I'm very excited to continue riding with VBR Twenty24 for the coming year. This program has been a pillar for my career and foundation of Olympic and World Championship success. The team provides the latitude for me to race road or other disciplines while having a continued focus on the track discipline.” Commented Valente. “The approach of this team has aligned with my long-term planning on and off the bike and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue in 2023. The model of this program has allowed me to focus on performance while understanding a necessary balance away from elite sport. The group of athletes in this program have a mix of athletic backgrounds that creates a vibrant environment throughout the year. I'm looking forward to lining up alongside old and new teammates in 2023 and building on the achievements of the past decade with this team.”  

Photo above: Podium Sweep from the formidable trio of Arreola, Mejias + Valente - Tour of America's Dairyland

Co-Captain, two time Olympian and road sprinter Marlies Mejias Garcia (CUB), will continue with the program on a multiple-year contract following impressive 2022 race results. Sofía Arreola (MEX), another long-time team member and returning force on track and road, will continue her dual role as sprinter and opportunistic breakaway rider. The dynamic Latina duo of Mejias and Arreola put their heat on the criterium circuit this year including dominating Intelligentsia Cup overall win and Gateway Cup in September. "The team that we have built for 2023 is very powerful, we have multiple athletes capable of winning but also a team that will work hard for each other. We have some very strong new athletes that I am excited to race with. We all make each other better.” Said Mejias. “I look forward to seeing what we can do together!”  



Mountain biking and gravel superpower Melisa Rollins (USA) has also renewed to race in 2023. Rollins displayed her determination at Unbound Gravel back in June, taking 5th place overall, and 3rd in the LifeTime Grand Prix competition that day, and securing a top 10 overall at the conclusion of the series. Rollins will race a combined road and mountain bike/gravel schedule in 2023. Emily Ehrlich advances into her second year with the team and will have a stronger road and time trial focus.  

Photo Credit: Dirk Badenhurst

UCI Roster 

Jennifer Valente (USA) 

Laurel Quinones (USA)  

Nicole Steinmetz (USA)   

Melisa Rollins (USA)  

Dani Morshead (USA)  

Marlies Mejias (CUB) 

Caileigh Filmer (CAN)  

Emily Ehrlich (USA)   

Sofia Arreola (MEX) 

UCI Junior Trainee 

Homare Yamashita (USA) 

Samantha Scott (USA) 

Rounding up the full squad is multi-time Paralympic medalist Jamie Whitmore (USA), ultra-cyclist and world record holder Amanda Coker (USA), who will compete on the road again in 2023 ultra races and lead the team’s Zwift community rides. Development athlete Rukhsar Habibzai (AFG) continues to advance in her skills while championing women’s rights here in the U.S. after leaving her home in Afghanistan.  

ESports team captain Kristin Kulchinsky (USA) will be returning to lead the squad of Elena Wu Yan (USA), Mairen Lawson (CAN), Alana Brady (USA) Ashlee McIntosh (USA) and Naomi de Pennington (GBR). They will be joined frequently by UCI team members to compete in Pro level Zwift Grand Prix events and Zwift Community events hosted by WTRL. The Zwift team is currently ranked #1 worldwide with Kulchinsky ranked as the #1 female athlete.  

The full roster for the Junior squad and staff members will be announced in the coming weeks. 

The team has added four new cyclists this year, including Caileigh Filmer (CAN), Danielle Morshead (USA), Nicole Steinmetz (USA), and Laurel Quiñones (USA). Filmer, Morshead, and Quiñones all share a common background in rowing, a sport they say is strategically much different from cycling. However, their love for endurance remains the same on the bike as it was on the boat. Some have already familiarized themselves with cycling in Virginia’s Blue Ridge during a fall training camp this past November.  

To read more about our new riders visit: CYCLINGNEWS

Join us this week on our

Zwift Community Ride!

Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24 Road to Paris 2024

Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24 are now in our 18th year of operation developing high-performance athletes and the next generation of competitive cyclists. Success in aligning student-athletes with college scholarships through cycling. Support of the multi-discipline athlete. Adaptive, dynamic, versatile, resilient, and committed to growing diversity in the landscape of women’s cycling. Our weekly Zwift group ride is in its 3rd year and is led by Ultra-cyclist Amanda Coker. 

We would love for you to join us on this good vibe, fun social ride!

7:00am MDT / 9:00am EST / 2:00pm CET

Join here: Virginia's Blue Ridge Weekly Zwift Ride!

Gratitude to our 2024 Partners

Virginia's Blue Ridge, Virginia is for Mountain Lovers, Zwift, FELT Bicycles, Zipp, SRAM, Quarq, Violich Farms, Berglund Automotive, American National Bank, Carilion Hospital, GroundForce IT, Wild Health, Domestique Foundation, Roanoke College, Le Col, Kenda Tire, Oakley, Speedplay, KASK helmets, PACE Ranch, Wahoo, Velo Saddles, Training Peaks, Arundel Cages, Camelbak, Access, The Roanoke Times, KX3 Sports, DZ Chamois Cream, Hyperice, Park Tool, Seasucker Racks, Sock Guy, McNeil Roofing, Karen Malkin Health, NormaTec, Access PR, USA Cycling Foundation, Victory Circle Graphix, Cardinal Bicycle, Bauer Haus, KX3 Lifestyle and Coaching, The HEMI Gravel Race, Barbara Kreisle Photography, Roanoke Gas.