The Road to Paris for Women’s Cycling starts in Virginia’s Blue Ridge
ROANOKE, Va., Jan. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Leaders of Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge and the Virginia Tourism Corporation announced today that Team TWENTY24, a diverse team of female professional and junior cyclists, will officially relocate their base of operations from Idaho to Virginia’s Blue Ridge. The team’s name will now be Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24 (VBR TWENTY24).
For more than 17 years, America’s premier women’s cycling team has been responsible for developing and managing many of the most successful American female cyclists, establishing a consistent pipeline for talented road, gravel, and Zwift eSports athletes. The team has earned 14 Olympic and Paralympic medals, 17 World Championships, and countless National Championships.
The 2022 roster consists of six professional athletes racing road and gravel, five Zwift eSports athletes, and 27 junior athletes (ages 9 –17 years). The team is led by Tokyo Olympic gold and bronze medalist, Jennifer Valente (USA), a 10-year member of the team. Valente will be joined by 2-time Olympian and current Pan American Time Trial Champion, Marlies Mejias (CUB), who will establish Roanoke, VA as her home base while competing in the United States. Rukhsar Habibzai, former Afghan national team captain and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, now calls Virginia her home and will compete in the United States with her eyes set on the…
