Lauren Stephens’ 2025 season has been anything but conventional. After more than a decade riding for UCI teams across the road and gravel circuits, the two-time US gravel champion has shifted focus toward mentoring and development, building her own women’s programme from the ground up with the Aegis Cycling Foundation.
The team, which began the year under club status and now holds USA Cycling Domestic Elite registration, will rebrand as Next Step Racing in 2026. According to Stephens, the change reflects both her mission and her riders’ ambition.
“For riders like Emma Langley and I, this is our next step to give back to women riders and help develop riders,” Stephens told Cyclingnews. “Next year we’re going to be called Next Step Racing because our goal is to get riders to their next step in their racing career, like Kylee Hanel, who’s just 19.”
Development focus with proven results
Stephens didn’t just form a team for the sake of riding. She built a structure that gives younger riders a platform to race, and to win. The team’s debut at the Tour of the Gila featured Emma Langley finishing third overall and Francesca Hall taking a stage win. At Tour de Bloom, Stephens herself took the GC title with a dominant ride.
The team backed that up with a strong presence at USPro Nationals: Stephens was second behind Kristen Faulkner in the road race, Langley finished sixth, while Kenna Pfeiffer took bronze in the U23 criterium and Hanel placed 10th in the U23 road race.
Canadian Skye Pellerin and US rider Katherine Sheridan also bolster the roster, and Stephens is planning further reinforcements ahead of the Maryland Cycling Classic Women on 6th September.
A new name and a growing presence
The 2026 rebrand to Next Step Racing comes with ambitions beyond domestic racing. While still multi-discipline, the goal is to build a sustainable bridge between amateur and pro cycling for women in North America.
“I’ve always wanted to start a team,” Stephens said. “Last year, I was trying to put things together for 2025 and it just wasn’t coming together. It’s not easy to find the cash to run a team, but we’re getting there now.”
Off-road ambitions and Leadville on the horizon
Stephens hasn’t stepped away from the racing spotlight either. Her gravel season has included victory at Levi’s GranFondo The Growler, a Tour de Bloom GC title, and a third-place finish at SBT GRVL, just behind Melisa Rollins and Lauren De Crescenzo.
She was on track for a busy run-in to Leadville Trail 100 MTB – her biggest personal goal of the season – but a crash at the Firecracker 50 brought an unexpected pause. Stephens suffered a mild concussion and needed seven stitches after clipping a tree, forcing her to miss the Crusher in the Tushar.
“Unfortunately, I was looking forward to doing Crusher, 10,000 feet of climbing and 60 miles, it’s right up my alley,” she said. “But I’m hoping to do Foco Fondo next weekend.”
Leadville has long been on her bucket list. “I always said when I stopped racing WorldTour in Europe, I’d do Leadville. I really enjoy high elevation. I love climbing. And I also just love new challenges. Something like Leadville is outside of anything I’ve ever done.”
At Leadville, she’ll face off again with Rollins and a field that includes 12,480 feet of climbing – all above 10,000 feet.
But Stephens is no stranger to navigating tough terrain, both on and off the bike. As she helps guide her riders toward their “next step”, she continues to set the example from the front.
Main photo credit: Getty
