EF Education TIBCO-SVB is thrilled to announce British talent Lizzy Banks will join the squad for 2022 and 2023.
It’s somewhat of a homecoming for Banks, who’s looking forward to riding under team director Rachel Hedderman’s tutelage once more. Before joining EF Education TIBCO-SVB, Hedderman acted as DS on UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling, where Banks got her professional start just four years ago.
“Having started my career on an American team in 2018 with Rachel Hedderman as sports director, this move almost feels like I’m coming home. Primarily, I’m just so looking forward to racing my bike again and experiencing the rush of emotions that comes with it and that sensation of pushing harder and going deeper than you ever realised was possible.”
Since arriving on the professional scene in 2018, the 31-year-old from Sheffield has rocketed to the top of the sport, securing two stage wins at Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile (2019, 2020) and second place at the 2020 GP de Plouay – Lorient Agglomération Trophée WNT.
Her racing momentum came to a sudden standstill in March after a crash at Strade Bianche left her nursing a severe concussion, and Banks was forced to spend the rest of the season recuperating.
“After a challenging year in 2021 overcoming a difficult concussion injury, there is so much to look forward to in 2022,” Banks said. “EF Education-TIBCO-SVB are making a huge step up next year, and it’s massively exciting to come on board at this moment in the team’s history and during such a pivotal era for women’s cycling.”
Team founder Linda Jackson said she’s delighted to be bringing Banks on board for 2022 and 2023.
“We first made contact in 2018, as UnitedHealthcare was winding down,” Jackson said. “I wasn’t quick enough to sign her to the team then, so we are just delighted to have this opportunity now. Lizzy is an incredibly talented rider, Rachel knows her well, and she is a wonderful personality to have on the team. She’ll be a tremendous leader for our development riders, and I expect to see good results from her as she puts her concussion further behind her.”
“Before her crash at Strade Bianche, Lizzie was proving herself to be one of the rising stars of the women’s peloton, and, now that she has recovered, I’m excited to see her continue to make her mark,” Hedderman said.