Retirement for former WorldTour rider Leah Kirchmann lasted a brief few months, and it appears she never skipped a beat in the transition back to the peloton. The accomplished Canadian signed a lucrative contract to race for the Denver Disruptors, one of two US domestic elite squads formed by the National Cycling League organisation, providing her with an opportunity to remain in North America for the entire season.
She led the Disruptors with a huge points haul at the inaugural Miami Beach Invitational to boost the team to the top spot of the 10-team NCL Cup, 139 total points and a 44-point lead over second-placed Miami Nights. Two weeks later and back at a standard US-bred criterium competition, the start of the American Criterium Cup, Kirchmann helped her teammate Erica Zaveta reach the podium at the Athens Twilight Criterium, and finished fourth herself.
