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Cycling News

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Jackie Tyson

'For better or worse, teams are here' - The rosters in 2026 as riders join forces for off-road alliances as the next evolution of gravel and endurance MTB racing takes shape

PAS Racing Cyclingnews Specialized Peter Stetina Petr Vakoč Sofia Gomez Villafane Factor Alexey Vermeulen Canyon (Organization) Cecily Decker

Geerike Schreurs lined up at Santa Vall 2026 as the new teammate on Specialized Off-road alongside eventual winner Sofia Gomez Villafañe.

Gravel teams were once the outliers, an anomaly that was nevertheless acknowledged as a direction in which the sport might head down the track, but that step into the future is now well and truly here. Plus, it's not just two or three riders with the same sponsors, but setups with substantial numbers and even 'super' teams with multiple leaders.

Whether they are alliances, collections or true unified squads, it is clear that teams are coming to gravel racing with a rush in 2026, and they are here to stay.

"For better or worse, teams are here. This is the next evolution, as gravel is morphing and professionalising," WorldTour rider turned gravel pro Peter Stetina told Cyclingnews.

"A whole other topic is after this, how the racing will change with teams," Stetina continued. "Gravel has become its own discipline. I mean, we're having riders where their first entry into pro sport is in gravel, and not all of them know how to do that. I had my whole WorldTour career to bank off of how to privateer, right?

"Especially in Europe, the way the racing is, with how the structure of teams is so understood. A team support structure is actually more beneficial for a younger racer who cares more about forming in the races, rather than the entrepreneurial angles. They can focus less on the marketing side, because someone's there, and then they can focus more on just being an athlete, like in the traditional sense."

Still, teams aren't exactly running on the traditional model. Unlike standardised groups with the same equipment and full-time support, off-road teams range from pairs of two, such as US riders Michael Garrison and Cole Davis joining forces with SpeedStudio p/b Basso, a new four-rider women's off-road group for Q36.5, which includes Maddy Nutt and Alexis Skarda, and larger unified squads such as PAS Racing, Trek Driftless and Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing.

PAS Racing started it all

Canyon x DT-Swiss All-Terrain Racing teammates debut the new kits for 2026 (Image credit: Canyon)

The definition of 'team' is loose, just like the rocky terrain on a gravel course, as associations formed due to common sponsors allow the privateer structure to continue, and even still thrive.

"It's not to say that the privateer is dead, right? It's just that different roles will fit different riders. There's still definitely going to be privateers there. It's not like a dying breed."

Stetina will remain a privateer for his farewell tour on gravel, competing for Canyon independently and serving on the management side as well. Former Santa Vall and The Traka 200 winner Petr Vakoč was asked to remain a Canyon athlete on the team, but he wanted his own sponsors and schedule, so he declined. Vakoč will compete with his own programme with Factor Bikes and MAAP in 2026.

Simon Pellaud raced for years with organised road teams and wanted the freedom of selecting his own races as well as equipment. He debuts as a one-man show this season with Cervélo, after several years at the WorldTour level and three seasons with Tudor Pro Cycling.

"I'm in a full privateer setup, but having some very powerful sponsors behind makes it pretty easy for me. I'm just much more than a rider. I'm also there to help in developing the product, getting where they need to go, and to have the fastest gravel bike possible," Pellaud, who will be part of the Grand Prix, told Cyclingnews.

PAS Racing set the tone two years ago as the first sponsor to launch a large gravel team with a co-ed roster of 18 international riders in 2024. It was confusing at first to ascertain why riders did not always work together tactically in races, but the different equipment used by teammates, as well as tight courses, came to define the team as a collective – off-course support and camaraderie, the benefit rather than on-course exploits.

"Gravel has created a unique space in cycling where competition, community, and storytelling intersect in a way that aligns very well with what Pas Normal Studios represents as a brand. For Pas Normal Studios, the motivation to continue building the team into 2026 comes from a genuine belief in the growth and potential of off-road racing," Lars Moss, PAS Racing team manager," told Cyclingnews.

"It was important from the start to build a team with both men and women. The growth of women’s racing in gravel has been and continues to be incredible, and we want to play a role in helping that continue."

PAS Racing teammates at 2025 Santa Vall (Image credit: ©Gravel Earth Series | ©Santa Vall)

Moss is also the head of sponsorships and activation for Pas Normal Studios, the premium cycling apparel brand, and said the team riders contributed to product development.

"We define the team as a performance-driven collective of athletes who share a common approach to racing, preparation, and collaboration. The goal is to create an environment where riders can compete at a high level while also helping shape the culture and future of gravel racing."

From a spectator perspective, the PAS Racing squad stands out in numbers with the brown kits, looking like a global delivery service driving for podiums at the Gravel Earth Series and Life Time Grand Prix. From the athlete's angle, there is a lot of uniformity, but most of that is outside the field of play.

"I think it has more of a team structure off the bike. When we're racing, we're definitely looking out for each other, but we're not really employing proper team tactics, at least on the women's side," Cecily Decker told Cyclingnews ahead of her season opener at The Mid South in Oklahoma this week. Decker finished second overall in the Grand Prix last year thanks to podiums at Unbound Gravel 200 Sea Otter, and Leadville MTB.

"We kind of approach it on a case-by-case basis with different races. With Morgan [Aguirre] and Karolina [Migoń] and I in the Life Time Grand Prix this year, I think we're all going for individual results, but still looking out for each other in races."

Super teams and collections of privateers

Laverick defined the move by Specialized Off-road to add riders this year and create a super team as having 'drawn a line in the sand'.

"The sport has matured. It was about content and now it's became people's livelihood," he told Cyclingnews in the winter.

"PAS was first with numbers, but they never raced as a team. How can athletes be 100% loyal to each other when they're all on different bike sponsors? Whereas with Specialized, they have all staff and pay you a salary. Specialized have drawn a line in the sand. I think it's going to be an arms race, sort of moving back toward the road."

Packing a punch with six riders is Specialized Off-road, which is considered a 'super team' in the world of endurance racing on dirt and mixed-terrain events. The squad now features the husband-wife duo Keegan Swenson and Sofia Gomez Villafañe, both having dominated the Life Time Grand Prix with three overall titles each. Villafañe is already three-for-three in gravel races this season, winning Santa Vall, Castellon Gravel Race and Valley of Tears.

What is so 'super' about the squad is the depth of talent, and consistency with equipment for them to work together in races. On the women's side, five-time mountain bike world champion Annika Langvad and 2024 Unbound 200 runner-up Geerike Schreurs bring options outside the Grand Prix. On the men's side, multiple-time Cape Epic champion Matt Beers returns and is joined by Mads Würtz Schmidt, the European Gravel Champion who began 2026 with a Santa Vall title.

The 13-rider Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing should rival Specialized for performance, and it has size as a true team. Other co-ed off-road teams that pack a punch with all-star rosters include Trek Driftless and Ribble Outliers.

Then there are collections of privateers, which is a bit confusing. The Factor Racing gravel team is a co-ed collection of 16 independent riders on the same bikes. There are teams for Rapha Cycling Club, with a substantial roster with riders on five different brands of bikes, and MAAP, with nine riders. Some privateers are represented on rosters for Factor and one of the apparel brands.

Factor calls their squad "a collective of athletes who’ve chosen independence, aka Privateers". While they do share resources, like housing and training, you'll see 2025 Gravel Earth Series champion Magnus Bak Klaris in the PAS Racing formation. The Rapha Cycling Club kits will have Factor branding for Tour de France stage winner Romain Bardet and Oceania gravel champion Nicole Frain. And Vakoč will ride as part of Factor Racing, though he explained how he maintains a solo effort.

"I was not too excited about the move towards the team setup as, I have done lot of time on pro teams and now I have been really enjoying the freedom of the privateer setup. It is a lot of work, but I am convinced that the benefits of the team would not outweigh the negatives at the moment for me," Vakoc told Cyclingnews.

"I truly enjoy the looser setup of having support from my various sponsors. I will be sharing housing and support at some of the key events with other other Factor or SRAM athletes. But most events, it will be up to me to organise everything."

Two of the development riders show off the new MOG Squad kits before Valley of Tears (Image credit: ENVE MOG Squad / Simon Krenk)

A new ENVE MOG Squad is an all-development team, co-sponsored by ENVE and Pearl Izumi, with mentorship provided by US veterans Alexey Vermeulen and Lauren Stephens. Vermeulen worked with ENVE to formulate the 'Phase II' programme in 2024 for a pathway for pro-level success.

“My BMC Development Team days as a U23 shaped who I am today. Phase II showed us exactly what young gravel riders need to thrive, and how to build a real U.S. pro pathway that didn’t exist for me growing up. Watching the MOG Squad launch feels like passing the torch,” Vermeulen said.

The team features four women and four men, with a debut last weekend at Valley of Tears in Turkey, Texas. They had two podium finishes, with Kash Steele and Sofia Waite both finishing third in the Dirt Crit.

Smaller new teams continue to sprout, including Wilier Treisetina's The Grip, BIXS Far Out Cycling, Lunchbox Racing, Castelli SOG and a collaborative effort by Stephens' Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment squad. The latter is an example of a composite group as the three-time US women's gravel champion competes in the Life Time Grand Prix with teammates Emma Langley and under-23 contender Kylee Hanel.

Then there are multi-disciplinary teams which go beyond gravel racing, such as Swatt Club and GVA Gold, which have triathlon and running collaborations, and Canyon x DT Swiss ATR, which focuses on cycling but will expand into ultra-endurance and other formats. However, Swatt Club is now a UCI Continental men's team, and most of their action will come on the road this season.

Let's take a look at some of the larger teams as well as rosters for composite groups in 2026. Check back as new collaborations and teams will be updated throughout the season.

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