LADERA RANCH, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 20, 2015) - The Team SmartStop® Pro Cycling team is actively preparing for the 2015 racing season with a 14-man roster that includes UCI America's Tour Champion Jure Kocjan, USA National Champion Eric Marcotte, whose breakout championship win put the team on the map last year, and USA Cycling National Racing Calendar winner Travis McCabe. Ten racers from the stellar 2014 season are returning, and four new racers will fill important gaps that became apparent on the 2014 team.
"The team has big shoes to fill to repeat the success of 2014," said team owner Jamie Bennett. "In addition to hiring new riders with additional horsepower, we have invested in our infrastructure to give the riders the support they need to perform at their maximum. We have essentially reinforced our winning formula by rehiring key staff and riders, and adding a full time general manager, two mechanics and a soigneur, to create an efficient and effective business environment within the sport."
Team SmartStop welcomes back Canadian trio team captain Zach Bell, U23 Canadian Time Trial National Champion Kris Dahl and Rob Britton, who achieved top three general classification podium results in the 2014 Vuelta Independencia Nacional, Tour of the Gila and Tour de Beauce and is expected to be a key contender in those events in 2015.
Despite a collarbone injury midway through the 2014 season, Bell remains an integral member of Team SmartStop and will again fulfill the role of team captain.
"Zach is an unbelievable professional," said Team SmartStop director Michael Creed. "He surprised me throughout the year. We will be looking to put him in a position to win a UCI race."
Jure Kocjan, the 2014 UCI America's Tour individual winner, will return to the team bringing experience and leadership. Sprinters Shane Kline and Travis Livermon and climbers Julian Kyer and Flavio De Luna will also return to round out the team.
"More than a few of these riders had offers from other teams," Creed said. "It's a tremendous compliment that they're returning, and I really think it shows where we are."
Evan Huffman, who spent the last two years with the Astana Pro Cycling Team in Europe, will fill a gap with his time trial skills. Bobby Sweeting, who has had success on the road after an extensive career on the U.S. racing scene, is joining Team SmartStop from the 5 Hour Energy team, and Chris Butler, who finished in the top 15 on the mountainous Tour of Utah this year, joins from the Hincapie Sportswear Development Team. The newest addition to the team is Juan Pablo Villegas from Columbia, who won the 2014 Vuelta Mexico UCI 2.1 stage race.
"We had been inconsistent in our time trials," Creed said. "But with the addition of Evan and Bobby, we've made up for that. We will be aggressive, on our toes and we will race to win."
Creed's three major goals for Team SmartStop's 2015 season are another national championship win, representation at the Team Time Trial World Championships in Richmond in September and a win at a Medalist race (Tour of California, Tour of Utah, USA Pro Challenge or Tour of Alberta).
"The coming year looks extremely bright for our riders," said H. Michael Schwartz, chairman and CEO of SmartStop® Self Storage, a diversified real estate company. "We're extremely proud of what the 2014 team accomplished, and that experience coupled with the addition of strategic new riders will give the team strong momentum going into 2015."
Added Bennett: "The desire to be the best is in line with Schwartz's vision of being the best in storage, and his sponsorship is not lost on this message: to be the best in North American Cycling once again in 2015."
Team SmartStop recently secured two new sponsors: Cylance, a cyber-security firm, and BMW North America. Additional sponsors include The Happy Tooth Family Dentistry and Orthodontics, Wilier Trestina bicycles, Champion System clothing, SRAM components, Maxxis tires, TRP brakes, Tifosi optics, Mountain Khakis, Ritchey components, Selle San Marco saddles, KMC chains, SAPIM spokes, Enzo's Embrocation, Polar, ProGold Lubricants, Thule, YPM, Amgraph Group, Maple Reinders, Medallion Construction, Feedback Sports, K3 Holders and Keen shoes.
Team SmartStop 2015 team roster:
Zach Bell
Rob Britton
Chris Butler
Kris Dahl
Flavio De Luna
Evan Huffman
Shane Kline
Jure Kocjan
Julian Kyer
Travis Livermon
Eric Marcotte
Travis McCabe
Bobby Sweeting
Juan Pablo Villegas
About SmartStop Self Storage, Inc. (formerly Strategic Storage Trust Inc.)
SmartStop Self Storage, Inc. (SmartStop®) is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed self storage company, owning and/or operating 159 self storage properties in 20 states and Toronto, Canada. SmartStop® is a diversified real estate company that focuses on acquisition, advisory, asset management and property management services for self storage properties. SmartStop® is the sponsor of Strategic Storage Trust II, a public non-traded REIT that focuses on stabilized self storage properties, and Strategic Storage Growth Trust, Inc., a public non-traded REIT that focuses on growth-oriented self storage properties. SmartStop® facilities offer affordable, accessible and secure storage units for residential and commercial customers. In addition, SmartStop® offers secure interior and exterior storage units as well as outside storage areas for vehicles, RVs and boats. SmartStop® was recently ranked the seventh largest owner/operator in the United States by Mini-Storage Messenger Magazine. To view SmartStop®'s self storage locations or to find self storage solutions at a nearby storage facility, visit https://SmartStopSelfStorage.com.