Junior stars Makayla MacPherson and Kaia Schmid make the leap

Promising American talents Makayla MacPherson and Kaia Schmid will join Rally Cycling for 2022 and 2023. The pair, who both finished in the top five at the recent Into the Lionโ€™s Den criterium, sign from States-based under-19 development squad LUX Cycling, and have been racing each other since they were 11 years old.ย 

The duo is excited to be making the jump up to the elite ranks, not least because theyโ€™ll be able to get off their junior gears. Both newcomers spoke about the move as they begin their journey into the higher echelons of the sport.ย 

Freshman racer

Macpherson, the current junior national road champion, revels in the hard races and is looking forward to taking on the โ€œreally big learning curveโ€ that she will face in 2022.

The 18-year-old from Corona, California has had a successful year as a junior. Alongside her nationals victory, she finished fifth in the World Championships in Flanders, won a stage of the Rรกs na mBan in Ireland and showcased her talents year-round at the American crit series.ย 

โ€œIโ€™m beyond excited,โ€ MacPherson said from Milligan University, Tennessee, where she is studying nursing. โ€œIโ€™m looking forward to learning how to work in a professional team and seeing how Rally Cycling can help with my development so that two, three years down the road I can reach my full potential.โ€

The college racer completed a late summer block of racing on European roads and took a victory at the first time of asking when she won the opening stage of the junior Watersley Ladies Challenge.ย 

โ€œThe people over in Europe are fully into cycling, I love that about the atmosphere and the racing is next level, so Iโ€™m super excited to be a part of that,โ€ MacPherson added.

Off the bike, MacPherson is just as good at escaping into a good book as she is flying up the road. She also enjoys exploring new places and kicking back on the beach โ€“ sheโ€™s a โ€œCalifornia girl at heartโ€ after all.ย 

A developing multi-talentย 

Rally Cycling is also thrilled to welcome junior star Kaia Schmid to its ranks. The 18-year-old from Marblehead, Massachusetts is a punchy rider who considers herself a โ€œclimbing sprinterโ€, as showcased by the silver medal she won at the hilly junior World Championships.ย 

An accomplished criterium and track racer, the multi-talented Schmid won three junior national track titles in 2021, the junior criterium champs and the junior world track title in the elimination race.ย 

โ€œI feel like I had a pretty successful junior career, so Iโ€™m feeling excited and confident that Iโ€™ll be able to make the jump,โ€ Schmid said. โ€œThe race opportunities I will get with Rally Cycling are so important for my development and since itโ€™s an American team, itโ€™ll help with the transition to WorldTour as Iโ€™m doing it with people I already know really well.โ€ย ย 

Schmid racing at the 2021 junior road world championships.

Schmid also made the journey over to Ireland to race Rรกs na mBan where she also came away with a stage victory.ย ย ย ย 

โ€œThat was a confidence boost,โ€ Schmid explained. โ€œThere arenโ€™t many climbing races in America, so I got to see how I could climb, and I surprised myself. I was like โ€˜oh actually, you know, I can climb I think tooโ€™ so that was cool.โ€ย ย 

When sheโ€™s not on two wheels, Schmid can be found sending it just as hard on a pair of skis. A talented freeskier, Schmid excelled on mogul runs while still in high school.ย 

The next generationย 

Womenโ€™s team director Joanne Kiesanowski worked with Schmid at the junior track World Championships and is excited to help the duo with their development.

โ€œBoth Kaia and Makayla have already shown their strength against the rest of the world at the junior World Championships this year,โ€ said Kiesanowski. โ€œRally Cycling is so happy for the opportunity not only to invest in the next generation of American cyclists but also to move into the elites with strong and accomplished athletes.โ€ย 

โ€œI have seen both of them show such maturity on and off the bike and I have a lot of confidence in them taking the step up to the elites. We look forward to working with them at their pace and monitor their performances and recovery to make sure they have the time to grow as athletes and individuals.

โ€œAs an American team, these two young athletes, Kaia and Makayla, have a safe and good place, with an elite-level opportunity, and amazing support from our team as we look to compete in Europe,โ€ Kiesanowski added.

The team looks forward to welcoming MacPherson and Schmid to its line-up.

Source

Mathew Mitchell
Mathew Mitchellhttp://procyclinguk.com
My name is Mathew Mitchell, 30-something from Staffordshire, UK. Over the last few years, I've got more and more into cycling, from the first innocent Sportive events to Audaxes, Go-Races, British Cycling racing, Time Trials and now Cyclocross.

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