2024 GRASSROOTS PROGRAM KICKS OFF IN SPAIN
Posted by Eric Roque on
THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2024
The second year of a scouting program with the Kern Pharma UCI ProTeam offers select young riders from around the world a chance to earn a spot in the pro peloton.
Seven young road racers have been selected by Giant and Team Kern Pharma to be part of Giant’s 2024 Grassroots program. Now entering its second year, the program kicked off its 2024 season in late May with a two-week training camp in Spain.
Of the seven participating riders, three or four will be selected to ride with Team Kern Pharma’s amateur development squad, Team Finisher, at team training camps and at select races later this year. Like last year, the program is designed to give these young riders a chance to learn, develop, and, ultimately, navigate a path to the pro peloton.
The riders were selected through a collaborative process with Giant sales companies around the world. Their information, including their ages and power profiles, were submitted to Kern Pharma coaches, who evaluated them and narrowed the list down to seven young athletes representing diverse backgrounds and nationalities including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Chile, Colombia, Finland, the Netherlands and the United States.
“We are excited to kick off year two of this program and build on the success of last year,” said Giant Group Branding and Marketing officer Phoebe Liu. “The goal remains the same, which is to give a group of young riders from different parts of the world a chance to realize their highest potential. We have the right partners in place with Team Kern Pharma, who showed last year how to successfully integrate these young talents into their world class development efforts.”
The seven riders chosen for the 2024 Grassroots program include:
Vicente Cárdenas, 17, Chile
Merijn de Haan, 17, The Netherlands
Garin Kelley, 19, USA
Eino Mutanen, 15, Finland
Pablo Paredes, 21, Colombia
Daniel Yip, 17, Hong Kong
Lin Min Ze, 17, Taiwan
The program kicked off May 26 in Pamplona, Spain. The setup is similar to a pro team training camp, with nutritionists, massage therapists and team management on hand. The riders train on a variety of roads, from flat roads to big mountain climbs. They go through a battery of tests and practice specific workouts including technical skills and team time trials.
Based on their performances and potential, as evaluated by team coaches, three or four riders will move on to the next phase of the program—a chance to train and race with the Team Finisher team for a limited time later this year. From there, one or two riders can earn a chance to continue rising through the ranks, racing with Team Finisher in 2025 with the ultimate goal of making it to the Kern Pharma UCI ProTeam squad in the future.
For more on the Giant Grassroots program, click here.
Source:
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/global/news/2024-grassroots-program-kicks-off-in-spain/28883