After a wildly successful inaugural season with the UCI Pro-Continental CCB Velotooler program, Van Dessel Cycles has announced that the team will once again tackle the roads of Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, France, the United Kingdom, Canada and, of course, the United States aboard a special edition of their flagship road machine – the Motivus Maximus- in 2018.
The CCB Foundation sincerely expressed their excitement about the continuing relationship with Van Dessel. Developing some of the best U23 talent and providing them with valuable insights into the world of professional bike racing, while requiring all U23 athletes to be attending some form of post-secondary education is core to the team’s mission. The team will be racing extensively in Europe and Asia where the races provide not only great competition but provide the athletes an opportunity to learn as much about different cultures, customs and people in audition to learning the “skill of winning”. Having a supportive bike partner makes much of this possible.
Team ride Jake Sitler said, “I started bike racing in 2012 and Van Dessel was the first company to support me. In 2014, winning the KOM jersey at the Reading 120 UCI race aboard a Van Dessel Hellafaster was a very special moment, which in turn launched my career in the US professional ranks. Coming full circle in 2017, signing for CCB and being back on a Van Dessel was a the perfect fit. I stood on my first Europe Tour and second UCI podium thanks to the climbing ability of the Motivus Maximus, a truly magical moment – and one I hope to repeat on the team’s special edition bike this season!”
Van Dessel’s founder, Edwin Bull, is equally enthusiastic about the partnership and the opportunities it has presented to push the design parameters of the bike.
“The predecessor of the Motivus Maximus – The Rivet – was super stiff – a total race machine. I loved it. But some reviewers and more casual riders felt it was maybe a little too stiff and it became known as a “crit bike”. I’m from Belgium where the roads are rough and I’ve always raced and enjoyed really solid bikes – so for me it was just a road race bike. When we made the Motivus Maximus we took that feedback and built more compliance into the frame, improved the aerodynamics, expanded the tire capacity to accept 30 mm tires – and toned down the “stiffness at all costs” that was the hallmark of The Rivet. The result was a great race bike that’s both fast and responsive, comfortable yet not overly stiff.”
Using feedback from the CCB Velotooler riders Bull reached the conclusion that, “We have come to the point where we are so specialized and focused in the frame design that we need two versions of the Motivus Maximus. The team’s riders asked us for the absolute stiffest frame we could make. We didn’t want to make our production frames to the stiffness level that the top level professionals may want – that would be overkill for many of our customers. So enter the Limited Edition CCB Velotooler Professional Team version of the Motivus Maximus – 30% stiffer than our current frames. Developed in collaboration with the team, it’s super durable and features maximum stiffness. The added stiffness does come with a weight increase – 50-60 grams depending on frame size- a tradeoff the team was happy to make. The frame will be available on a limited basis in the CCB Velotooler team livery and should be in stock at the end of February.”
The team will be riding the disc brake model using the Mavic Speedrelease quick-release thru-axel system. Bull sees this as a real game-changer in changing road bikes over to disc technology “wheel changes will be as quick as with standard quick releases using the Mavic system.”
The Team roster includes:
Bennett, Sean (22) USA
Collins, Patrick (23) USA
Goral, Wyatt (20) USA
Granigan, Noah (22) USA
Harris, John (25) USA
Humphreys, Thomas (20) Denmark
McCormack, Brendan (24) USA
Meadvancort, Jonah (22) USA
Mendez, Gabriel (19) USA
Petrov, Spencer (20) USA
Sandoval, Jonathan (25) Mexico
Schunk, Conor (19) USA
Sitler, Jacob (29) USA
Willsey, Cooper (21) USA
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~Veggie Powered Athlete~
Location – Lancaster, PA
Current Testing Rigs – 2024 Van Dessel Arch65, 2019 Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie, 2018 Van Dessel Motivus Maximus LTD, 2016 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 2015 Bianchi Sempre Pro, 1978 Trek TX900
Dream Bike – I’ll tell you when they make it
Discipline – Cyclocross, gravel, road and duathlons (ride/run)
Favorite Rides – Quiet country roads of Amish Country, some of the best roads around.
Food of Choice – Sweet potato roll
Beer of Choice – Unibroue Grand Reserve 17, aged four years
Bourbon of Choice – Widow Jane 10 Year