Skylar Schneider (Miami Blazers) returns to the Women’s WorldTour and can race the 2025 highway season with Team SD Worx-Protime. With a one-year contract in hand, Schneider will work once more with Danny Stam, the sports activities supervisor for SD Worx-Protime who led the then-branded Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team when Schneider raced from 2018 to 2020.
The 26-year-old Wisconsin native was simply 19 when she struck out from the US for the highest tier in Europe. Stam recalled that “she was always homesick”, and returned to the US after three years, however informed him she would welcome a return to the workforce when she was prepared.
‘Winning retains profitable, you need to have sure qualities for that. I believe she will be of nice worth within the lead-out for Lorena Wiebes, however also can develop additional. In phrases of character she matches the workforce and I’m additionally satisfied that bodily she has the ‘engine’ to compete on the highest stage,’ Sturm mentioned in a press launch.
Schneider amassed 28 particular person podiums in 2024, seven of these stage or criterium victories. She scored one other pair of omnium wins, the general at eight-race American Criterium Cup collection and the dash title within the ACC.
She informed Cyclingnews that the whole 2024 season was distinctive as she switched from L39ION of Los Angeles to Miami Blazers, each operated by Williams Racing Development, and had plans to hitch the world’s number-one ranked professional ladies’s workforce for the subsequent season.
“I knew that I might be shifting to SD Worx in 2025, so it was necessary to me to spend one last season as teammates with my sister [Samantha Schneider] and representing Williams Racing Development. We achieved rather a lot in 2024 together with profitable the American Criterium Cup particular person general, dash jersey and second greatest workforce,” she confirmed to Cyclingnews.
In 2023 she received the Pan-American highway race, earned bronze at US Pro Nationals within the highway race and completed the yr with third at Tour de Gatineau. The final three seasons she has raced along with her older sister Samantha Schneider, and the 2 teamed up final yr to rake in 18 victories from their 36 podiums for L39ION of Los Angeles squad.
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“Finishing the season on the rostrum with my sister in Doylestown was the easiest way to finish an period of being teammates,” she informed Cyclingnews about one her highlights from 2024, the place she and Samantha completed second and third, respectively, on the professional ladies’s race on the Bucks County Classic.
“I’m additionally tremendous proud about profitable the West Allis Cheese Wheel Classic in the course of the Tour of America’s Dairyland as that is our hometown race the place all of our household, associates, and bakery prospects come watch; it is the place each of my worlds collide.”
‘I really like criterium racing’
Skylar Schneider and her sister opened a bakery/espresso store and particular occasion venue, The Bread Pedalers, close to their hometown in Wisconsin in 2022, and that gave the youthful sister an outlet from a lowered competitors schedule when she returned to the US the yr earlier than. That was one dream was actuality, however she admitted she nonetheless had a need for extra with a biking profession.
“As I used to be baking at night time, I watched the entire ladies’s races occurring over in Europe. Then it grew to become clear to me: ‘racing is what units me on hearth’, racing is what makes my coronary heart beat quicker. It grew to become clear to me that I needed to pursue my dream. I rode principally criteriums within the US, which gave me a whole lot of confidence,” Skyler mentioned.
“I attempted to get my foot within the door once more by performing some racing in Europe. I used to be chosen for 2 World Championships and received the Pan-American title. At some level, it grew to become clear to me that I wished to go all-in. Then I contacted Danny Stam once more. I anticipated him to say no once I referred to as him in 2023, however he was joyful to listen to from me. We made the plan to attend a yr and work in the direction of 2025, which appeared like the most effective method.”
Her resolution was not based mostly on an absence of racing alternatives within the US, as she emphasised that the numerous criterium collection throughout the nation and a spring full of smaller stage races has helped her improvement.
“I completely love criterium racing and consider that it is the greatest format of racing for the US to nurture and develop. I do know that the technicality and velocity of criteriums within the US will translate effectively to the finals of highway races in Europe and I’m wanting ahead to making use of these expertise.”
Schneider received her first set of highway nationals as a 12-year-old, taking victories within the highway race and criterium, and she or he additionally scored the double as a junior. Next yr will likely be her fifteenth season racing highway bikes. She has represented Team USA at a number of stage races through the years and brought half in two World Championships and the Pan-Am Championships. Next purpose? Help her new workforce and work to qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“I believe 2025 will likely be all about re-learning the European fashion of racing and proving that I belong. I’ve reasonable expectations relating to how troublesome it will likely be, so am not sure what races I’ll be doing, however stay up for each alternative,” she confirmed.
“At this time, I haven’t got any particular targets apart from displaying as much as the races the place I’m wanted and performing effectively to contribute to the workforce’s success!
“Thanks to my background in using American criteriums, I’m good at positioning. I also can deal with brief climbs. I hope to journey a mixture of traditional races and stage races.
“I believe each athlete goals of representing their nation at a house Olympics. I consider making the 2028 Olympic video games in LA my greatest purpose will hold me extraordinarily motivated over the subsequent 4 years. It provides me sufficient time to develop and obtain a whole lot of ‘smaller’ objectives alongside the best way. Moving to SD Worx in 2025 is one massive step in the precise path!”