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Team presentation 2024: Lidl – Trek climbs to the next level

18 December 2023 by Michael Behringer

Cycling: Trek – Segafredo became the Lidl – Trek team over the course of last season. In 2024 the name will stay the same, but the squad will change a lot. Despite a good 23 season, the American team is now moving to the next level of development.

Lidl – Trek lands on the podium 83 times

With 27 wins this season and 56 additional podium finishes, the American team Lidl – Trek can be very satisfied with the 2023 season. Especially the development of Mattias Skjelmose needs to be highlighted. The Dane won seven races, including the overall Tour de Suisse and the national championship. Once again, his fellow countryman ensured the team's greatest successes Mads Pedersen. Among his seven victories this season, the stage victories at Paris – Nice, the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France should be mentioned. He also won the Bemer Cyclassics in Hamburg. However, when it came to their ambitions in the overall ranking of a Grand Tour, the professionals from Lidl-Trek were not completely convincing. Julius Ciccone However, he set his sights on the mountain jersey at the Tour de France and was allowed to wear it all the way to Paris.

2024: A clear winner of the transfer phase

Many teams have significantly rebuilt their roster for the 2024 season. But with no team can we speak of such a clear improvement as with Lidl - Trek. The American team gave up, among other things Antwan Tolhoek, Emils Liepins, Kenny Elissonde and Tony Gallopin. Well-known professionals, but they haven't really provided any tangible success for a long time. Of the many top drivers that the team already had in the 2023 squad, not a single one was given away. Instead, Lidl – Trek has strengthened itself again for 2024.

Lidl – Trek has a bright future

With Tao Geoghegan Hart A former Giro winner joins the team, who also competed for overall victory in 2023 - until he fell. In addition to the Brit, we can be particularly proud of the Italian's commitment jonathan milan be. The sprinter made his breakthrough this season. He is now one of the fastest men in the peloton. Tim Declercq and Andrea Bagioli change from Soudal – Quick-Step to Lidl – Trek. While the Belgian is one of the toughest pacers in cycling, the Italian is one of the rising stars of the year. Both professionals will strengthen the American team enormously, especially on flat and hilly terrain. Also Patrick Conrad can be called reinforcement. The Austrian feels comfortable in the mountains and will be an important helper for Ciccone and Geoghegan Hart, among others - just like the Spaniard Charles Verona and the Dutchman Sam Omen. The list of additions is completed by the South African Ryan Gibbons and the two Italians Fabio Fellina and Simone Consonni. They have also already made a name for themselves in the cycling circus. They are fast at the end and can handle one or two hills well before a sprint finale. This makes them the perfect complement to Mads Pedersen. All in all, the transfer period for Lidl – Trek must be described as extremely successful.

About Michael Behringer

Cycling with all its tactics, stage analyses, placements and forecasts are Michael Behringer's great passion. In 1996 he tracked his first Tour de France. Since then he has observed almost every race. His passion for cycling has been with him for over two decades. There is no end in sight.

Star Trek: TNG's 10 Best Away Team Members, Ranked

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Why Deanna Troi Wore a Starfleet Uniform in TNG's Final Seasons

House of the dragon just answered a major game of thrones question, 10 spongebob jokes for adults (that go over kids' heads).

Fans are excitedly awaiting the debut of the third season of Star Trek: Picard . The increased anticipation comes from the announcement that some of the Enterprise crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation would appear in the Paramount+ series. The Enterprise crew carried out a number of responsibilities in the ‘90s series, though some were more dangerous than others.

RELATED: 15 Strongest Star Trek Ships, Ranked

The crew undertook a few different away missions to obtain various goals. Whether they were exploring an unknown planet or boarding an enemies’ ship, a team had to be hand-picked for the right situation. There were a few members of Star Trek: TNG ’s crew who were either invaluable as away teams or stood out to fans on memorable missions.

10 Transporter Chief Miles O'Brien Was A Crucial Ship-Based Member Of The Away Team

Chief Petty Officer Miles O’Brien didn’t join many away missions until he was reassigned to Deep Space 9 . However, he was still a crucial member of the Enterprise' s away missions. He first appeared as Lt. O’Brien but eventually became more well-known as the transporter chief of the ship.

This meant he was often responsible for sending the away team’s on their sometimes dangerous missions. That made it equally important that he was able to bring them back to the ship in emergency situations. Chief O'Brien was forced to recalibrate the transporters on the fly on more than one occasion in order to bring the away teams home safely.

9 Lieutenant Ro Laren Had A Few Memorable Away Missions During Her TIme On The Enterprise

While Lt. Ro Laren didn’t spend as much time on the Enterprise as some of the other members of the bridge crew, she still made an impact with fans. Ro was a Bajoran resistance fighter before she joined Starfleet. However, her career was threatened when she made a disastrous decision on an away mission that resulted in the death of her team.

Once assigned to the Enterprise , she went on a few memorable away missions that included her first mission dealing with Bajoran rebels. Ro was later put out of phase alongside Geordi La Forge after beaming to a Romulan ship. She was then assigned to infiltrate a group known as the Maquis. However, that away mission resulted in her joining the Maquis and leaving Starfleet.

8 Dr. Beverly Crusher Often Became A Target On Missions Due To Her Medical Expertise

It was fairly common for the medical crew to join away missions. Dr. Beverly Crusher accompanied the team when dealing with emergency situations. She was the Chief Medical Officer and a Commander aboard the Enterprise who briefly served as the Head of Starfleet Medical. She knew the risks of away missions as her husband died as a member of a Starfleet away team.

RELATED: Star Trek: 10 Greatest Battles, Ranked

She was injured on an early away mission which left Capt. Picard to tend her wounds. Unfortunately, Dr. Crusher's expertise made her a high-profile target when visiting politically charged battlegrounds. She was taken hostage while on an away mission, so she only beamed down to planets when it was crucial.

7 Lieutenant Tasha Yar Was The Chief Of Security Before Her Senseless Death On An Away Mission

The crew of the Enterprise dealt with a number of dangers, though they faced a harsh new reality after the senseless death of Lt. Tasha Yar. She was the Enterprise ’s Chief of Security and Tactical Officer during her time on the bridge. She accompanied most away team missions and provided security, as she was highly trained in aikido .

When Counselor Troi’s shuttle crashed on the planet Vagra II, Yar was part of an away mission to recover her. They encountered one of the greatest Star Trek villains known as Armus. When she attempted to move toward the shuttle, Armus killed her with a devastating show of his power. She served her ship well and was an important away team member before her untimely death.

6 Captain Jean-Luc Picard Only Beamed Down On Away Missions When He Was Needed

The captain’s place is usually aboard his ship, which led to Starfleet regulations that prohibited their presence on away missions. Of course, there have been a few exceptions over the years. Captain James T. Kirk was known for leading his own away missions. Captain Jean-Luc Picard also took part in a few of his own, though he usually left away missions in other capable hands.

However, his particular expertise was needed on more than one occasion. Sometimes he was needed to help negotiate political matters on Federation planets which required his physical presence with a security detail. However, he also jumped into action if his away team was in danger, which made him one of the best captains in Star Trek .

5 Counselor Deanna Troi Provided A Glimpse Into Unknown Cultures On Away Missions

Part of the Enterprise 's mission was to explore the unknown reaches of the galaxy, which often led to encounters with new alien races and civilizations . Capt. Picard was lucky enough to have Counselor Deanna Troi as a member of his crew. Her half-Betazoid heritage gave her empathic abilities that proved incredibly useful in her job and on away missions.

She accompanied the away teams when they were dealing with unknown alien cultures. Her empathic abilities gave them an edge that allowed her to anticipate hostile beings. She could also root out deceptions that could have endangered the crew.

4 Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge Provided Engineering Knowledge Required On Missions

A number of away missions were focused on either scientific research or rescue missions. Both would require the expertise of someone like Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge. He was promoted to Chief of Engineering while on board the Enterprise . Lt. Cmdr. La Forge had a brilliant mind that allowed him to manipulate the Enterprise and her engines like almost no one else.

RELATED: Star Trek: Every Version of The Enterprise, Ranked

Lt. Cmdr. La Forge’s VISOR also allowed him to see in certain frequencies and wavelengths that other science officers might miss using their own equipment. He had encountered quite a few threats on missions, including a nearly irreversible transformation into an alien Tarchanne. He was also kidnapped by Klingons while on an away mission and turned into an unwilling spy.

3 Lieutenant Commander Worf Often Provided The Muscle And Security For The Away Missions

The first Klingon to join Starfleet was Lt. Commander Worf, who was orphaned after a Romulan attack destroyed an outpost. He was raised by a human family and enlisted in Starfleet like his adoptive father. Worf took over as the Enterprise ’s Chief of Security following the death of Lt. Tasha Yar.

Worf was usually the first selected for away missions. A few of his memorable missions included the first boarding of a Borg vessel and the discovery of the Iconian trans-dimensional gateway. Worf’s adventures with the team would continue after he was stationed at Deep Space 9, where he became commander of the powerful Defiant .

2 Commander William T. Riker Led The Majority Of Star Trek: TNG’s Away Team Missions

The First Officer of the Enterprise was Commander William T. Riker, who was second only to Capt. Picard. As such, it was his duty to lead away missions in order to follow Starfleet regulations that kept the captain safely on board the ship. Every time Capt. Picard did choose to go on an away mission, it was against the repeated objections of his first officer.

Riker was involved in almost every away mission and made it a point to get every member of his team safely back to the ship. He was also a capable combatant who held his own in quite a few battles. Riker impressed almost everyone he encountered, including the all-powerful Q. The powerful being even invited Riker to the Q continuum in one of Star Trek's best Q episodes .

1 Lieutenant Commander Data Was The Enterprise’s Second Officer And A Key Away Team Member

One thing some people forget about Data is that he was an incredibly valuable member of the Enterprise ’s away team. Lt. Cmdr. Data was a unique android created by Dr. Noonien Soong who joined Starfleet after he was discovered and activated. Data served as the Second Officer of the Enterprise , where his positronic brain saved the crew on more than one occasion.

Data’s presence on an away team bolstered the mission in a number of ways. He provided the engineering knowledge of Lt. Cmdr. La Forge and the strength and protection of Lt. Cmdr. Worf. He was also sent on a few solo missions that would have been unsurvivable for the biological members of the crew. This only further proved his key status as an away team member.

• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Star Trek Glossary: Every Starfleet Rank And Job Explained

"Star Trek" is, first and foremost, a workplace drama . It just so happens that the workplace is a high-tech, faster-than-light space vessel exploring distant regions of the galaxy. Working on a starship is a fine job indeed. Many classic "Star Trek" episodes deal with rank, the chain of command, and how certain captains employ their unique managerial styles to inspire the officers beneath them. The main characters in "Star Trek" mostly all belong to Starfleet, a military-like organization that uses naval ranks and nautical vocabulary to describe a starship's operations. 

To give the shows a touch of realism, the makers of "Star Trek" have (mostly) been careful to point out that a starship is a massively complex machine that requires hundreds of people to operate correctly. Additionally, the day-to-day logistics of running a starship require departments within departments, each one run by its own miniature team of officers, and with each team making sure that every small piece of equipment is operating at peak efficiency. Ideally, a starship can't be flown by a single person or even a scant bridge crew (I will happily ignore, however, the times that it was; those times don't count). 

Trekkies take a great deal of delight in tracing and detailing the various ranks and departments on board an average Starfleet vessel, mostly because it makes it easier to imagine actually working there someday. Yes, we know it's fictional, but so much detail had gone into rank, operation, and propriety on "Star Trek" that many viewers can picture where they might be able to practically work, what their rank might be, and whom they would answer to. 

For the laypeople reading, however, here is a brief rundown on the ranks, jobs, and positions one might encounter in "Star Trek."

Read more: 12 Reasons Why The Original Series Is The Best Star Trek Show

The Starfleet Ranks Calling The Shots

Here is the central chain of command withing Starfleet, listed from top to bottom.

At the top of Starfleet are the admirals. Admirals typically serve in official positions and don't usually command starships. They are essentially the management that starship captains have to report back to. The head of Starfleet -- Commander in Chief -- bears the top rank of Fleet Admiral . 

Below Fleet Admirals are just regular Admirals , which are plentiful in "Star Trek." 

Vice Admirals serve below them (the officer picture above bears the rank pips of a Vice Admiral), followed by Rear Admirals . 

A lesson: don't trust Admirals .

We don't see too many Commodores on "Star Trek," but they are the rank in between Captain and Admiral. 

Below the Commodores are Captains , who, as we all know, tend to command starships. The Captains can give orders to any officers on their ship. Captains tend to be the central characters of "Star Trek" shows, so we already know James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), and, most recently Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) on "Strange New Worlds."

Directly below the Captains are Commanders . A ship's first officer is a Commander, as are a few other key figures on a ship like a Chief Medical Officer or a Counselor. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) are Commanders.

Immediately below the Commanders are Lieutenant Commanders , who also tend to serve notable executive functions on a starship. People of lower ranks can indeed become members of a ship's senior staff (the "main" officers on a ship that spend the most amount of time on the bridge), but Lieutenant Commanders tend to be the lowest-ranking officers who still command their own departments on a ship.

The Starfleet Ranks Taking The Orders

One might note that Starfleet officers wear color-coded uniforms. The colors represent the general departments in which they work. In the original series, officers on the command track wore gold uniforms, medical officers and science officers wore blue, and red was reserved for those who worked in engineering, security, or operations. In the era of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," red and gold uniforms switched .

There must, of course, be grunt workers and mid-managers below the department heads listed above, and that's where the lower-ranking, junior officers come in. 

Mere Lieutenants are immediately below Lieutenant Commanders. They may lead special projects or work on the bridge, but they take more orders than they give. 

Below them are officers ranked Lieutenant (Junior Grade) , followed by  Ensigns . To become a Starfleet officer, one must spend at least four years at Starfleet Academy. Graduates are typically promoted to the rank of Ensign and given their first assignments immediately. "Star Trek: Lower Decks" is all about Ensigns and Junior Grade Lieutenants like Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome).

Not every officer on a ship graduates from the Academy, however. One can enlist in Starfleet and become a Petty Officer. These people have their own subset of operational concerns, usually zeroed in on specific areas of the ship like the transporters, food services, or basic security. 

The Petty Officers have their own ranking system, starting -- highest first -- with Master Chief , then Senior Chief , followed by Chief , then Petty Officer First Class , and finally Petty Officer Second Class . Yeomans are petty officers who take care of paperwork for officers. Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meany) was a transporter expert. 

Other specialists -- historians, botanists, etc. -- can be Petty Officers. 

Back at Starfleet Academy, meanwhile, Cadets have their own ranking by year. Freshmen are 4th Class , sophomores are 3rd Class , juniors are 2nd Class , and seniors are 1st Class . For a large portion of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) was a cadet. This was after he already held a position as Acting Ensign , a provisional rank given in the field.

Starfleet Command And Bridge Positions

One might have noticed watching the original "Star Trek" that Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) always sits at the same station on the bridge of the Enterprise, as does Sulu (George Takei), Chekov (Walter Koenig) , and Spock (Leonard Nimoy). This is because they have been assigned one of the many official bridge positions on a Starfleet vessel. The positions must be filled, regardless of an officer's rank. 

The Commanding Officer on a starship is usually the captain. The (non-capitalist) buck stops with them. 

Answering directly to the captain, and communicating most directly with the crew is the Executive Officer or the First Officer, usually bearing the rank of commander. 

Third in command is the Second Officer , who can also hold other operational positions; on "Star Trek: Voyager," for instance, Tuvok (Tim Russ) serves as both Second Officer and Security Chief. 

Sitting in front of the captain and piloting the ship are the Helmsman at conn to the captain's right and the Operations Officer at Ops to the captain's left. 

The Helmsman may also be officially the ship's Navigation Officer , an expert in spatial physics and stellar cartography. Expert pilots likely sit at the conn, but also may be selected to pilot smaller, supporting crafts like shuttles or runabouts. These officers are sometimes appointed the Chief of Flight Control . Example: Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) on "Voyager."

In charge of hailing vessels, translating, and sending coded messages is the Communications Officer . On the original series, Uhura was a dedicated Communications Officer, while on "Next Generation" and beyond, other officers took on communications as part of their jobs. Worf (Michael Dorn) served as both Communications Officer and Security Chief.

Starfleet Science And Medical Positions

Most Starfleet vessels are devoted to research and explorations, and there are multiple departments -- and corresponding commanding officers -- tasked with overseeing the details. 

A ship's Science Officer is in charge of research and serves as coordinator of all the ship's specialized science fields. Science Officers must have a head for numbers and objective detail. On the original "Star Trek," Spock served as the Science Officer and the Executive Officer. On "Voyager," Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) served as a Science Officer, and she only held the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer. 

A ship's Chief Operations Officer is like the Science Officer but oversees the technical aspects of the ship, including engineering, the engines, the life support, and other vital systems. Like the Science Officer, it helps that the Chief Ops Officer has a mind for technical details. On "Next Generation," Data served as Chief of Ops and worked closely with the Chief Engineer (which we'll get to in a minute).

Also, because a ship is full of biological organisms, it's important that their health be maintained. Every ship has a medical department overseen by an indispensable Chief Medical Officer , the only officer on the ship who can give orders to the Captain. Each medical department also has a network of experts and nurses, including the Head Nurse like Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) on "Strange New Worlds" or Nurse Ogawa (Patti Yasutake) on "Next Generation." There may sometimes be a Head of Surgery , or perhaps a dedicated pathologist or epidemiologist. For the most part, though, the Chief Medical Officer takes care of many of these things themselves.

Starfleet Security And Combat Positions

Starfleet vessels are dedicated to peace, diplomacy, and study, but there are still violent, antagonistic species in the galaxy, and Starfleet isn't always on the best terms with them. As such, each Starfleet vessel requires experts in on-ship security, ship-to-ship tactics, and weapons operations. 

Every ship will have a Chief of Security , responsible for confronting intruders, enforcing the on-ship laws, and perhaps throwing ruffians into the ship's brig. The Chief Security Officer often also serves as the Strategic Operations Officer , who sits at the tactical position and fires weapons at the captain's command. Worf and Tuvok were in charge of these positions on their respective shows. They tend to go on the most away missions, keeping the other officers safe. They are the only officers on the ship who are always armed. Odo (René Auberjonois) served as chief of security on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," but he wasn't a Starfleet officer. He worked for the Bajoran government, and they implemented a different military system altogether.

As mentioned above, basic security officers are not Starfleet Academy graduates, and typically serve as Petty Officers, answering only to the Chief of Security. 

Starfleet Engineering And Technology Positions

As mentioned above, the Chief Operations Officer coordinates the technical aspects of the ship, but the hands-on officer in charge of a starship's massive engine room is the Chief Engineer , the one who actually makes repairs and oversees all of the other repairmen. No ship can function without a Chief Engineer overseeing all of the other engineers on the ship, busily readjusting and calibrating the physical machinery used to make the Enterprise go. 

The Chief Engineer might oversee technical experts, such as Warp Engineers (who oversee the faster-than-light engines), Impulse Engineers (who oversee the sub-light engines), those who oversee shields, transporters, electrics, life support, food replicators, lighting, gravity, or just about anything with a technical component. Thanks to "Next Generation," Trekkies know all about a dedicated Transporter Chief . There will also be an officer dedicated to Environmental Controls (especially important if your ship hosts species from hotter or colder worlds than Earth), and one devoted to Computer Operations , which might be the "Star Trek" equivalent of the I.T. repair guy. Heck, one might even find an engineer devoted to Holography systems, an expert in repairing holodecks. 

"Star Trek" doesn't feature a lot of tool belts, but if it did, the Engineering department would wear them. 

Kudos to LeVar Burton, who played Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge on "Next Generation." More than any other actor, he needed to memorize Trek's well-worn, multisyllabic techno-jargon. He talked a lot about warp fields, phase coils, plasma inducers, dilithium crystals, and every other high-tech widget on the Enterprise. And of course, everyone loved Scotty (James Doohan) from the original series.

Other Starfleet Positions

All the above departments are devoted to the vital function of a Starfleet vessel and the health of a vessel's crew. There are also various ancillary positions on a ship devoted to either comfort or just basic organization.

In the days before replicators , Starfleet vessels required  Quartermasters or Supply Operations Officers to distribute physical objects to the crew. The Quartermasters would distribute emergency rations, spare uniforms, tricorders, and medical widgets. These would be the ones holding the stock clipboards. Despite "Star Trek" taking place in a technical utopia free of want, there are still only so many scanners and tricorders that can go around. Starships also require dedicated officers to oversee the cargo bays where shuttles and extra supplies are stored, hence a head of  Cargo Operations . 

Being the Waste Management Officer on a starship isn't too terrible, although one does have to clean out the poop filters occasionally. The poop is then salvaged, broken down, and converted into energy. That energy is used in a ship's food replicators. Yes, Starfleet officers eat their own poop . On "Lower Decks," Mariner is seen cleaning the waste filters out of the holodeck on the U.S.S. Cerritos. It's a gross job.

Not every ship has a specialized department for every situation, so other specialists may be called in as needed. During times of war or combat, for instance, a ship may be assigned an Intelligence Officer . This depends on the ship's current mission, of course. For diplomatic envoys, a ship may also be assigned a general Special Services officer to make sure negotiators and treaty signers are comfortable.

And, perhaps most importantly, many ships have a Counselor . On "Next Generation," Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) sits right on the bridge. On other ships, they have their own offices. They take care of a crew's overall mental health, serve as para-diplomats, and work with the Chief Medical Officer.

Which job would you want?

Read the original article on SlashFilm

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Star Trek Just Changed a Classic Next Generation Era Team for the Better

Star Trek: Prodigy goes deep into Star Trek lore to redefine one of the most infamous Starfleet groups.

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This Star Trek: Prodigy article contains spoilers.

Starfleet Academy might be a school for the best and the brightest of the Federation, but it is still a school, complete with its cliques and bullies. That’s what the kids of Star Trek: Prodigy learn in the first episode of the animated series’ long-awaited season two premiere.

Now in the Alpha Quadrant after escaping the Delta Quadrant and the evil Diviner, the Prodigy kids are now on Earth and hoping to gain acceptance to Starfleet Academy. That application gets a boost when Admiral Janeway brings them aboard Voyager for a mission to find the lost Chakotay . But as Voyager ‘s Doctor (once again voiced by Robert Picardo) escorts the kids to their stations, they run into a trio of haughty pre-cadets, who sport fancy insignias.

These three pre-cadets hope to become members of Nova Squadron, a once-forgotten unit that has gotten a lot of attention lately. Certainly, ’90s Trek fans should be very familiar with the significance of this reference.

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Viewers first met Nova Squadron way back in “The First Duty,” one of the most memorable episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Written by Ronald D. Moore and Naren Shankar and directed by Paul Lynch, the season five episode “The First Duty” finds Picard visiting Starfleet Academy and checking up on Wesley Crusher. He learns that Wesley has joined the elite group of pilots known as Nova Squadron, but has also come under scrutiny after one of their members died under mysterious circumstances.

Wesley knows that the cadet died because the Nova Squadron was practicing the Starburst Maneuver, a dangerous configuration that was banned by Starfleet. The Squadron attempted the maneuver under the influence of Nick Locarno , the son of a powerful Admiral. Wesley initially falls in line with the other members of the squadron, omitting the truth, until Picard delivers one of his best speeches, lecturing the young Crusher about a Starfleet member’s first duty.

After “The First Duty,” Locarno was reimagined as Tom Paris for Voyager , but Nova Squadron fell into obscurity. At least until the Squadron returned in the most recent season of Star Trek: Lower Decks , bringing Locarno back with it.

Throughout the fourth season of Lower Decks , a mysterious ship collects lower deckers of various ships. In the final episodes, Mariner discovers that the ship is piloted by Nick Locarno, who wants to form his own Starfleet of the overlooked people. Although motivated by his own hubris, Locarno claims to want revenge for what happened to Nova Squadron.

Although the show does name-check the Cerritos, Prodigy has different plans for Nova Squadron than either Lower Decks or TNG . Most of this new group stays quiet (which is shocking given that one of them is a Lurian— Morn would never shut up), but Vulcan member Maj’el (Michaela Dietz) does play a major role in this season.

Maj’el goes with the Prodigy kids through time on their search for Chakotay. Not only does her devotion to logic help give order to the kids when they’re in disarray, especially encouraging the sometimes erratic Dal, but she embarks on a romance with the Venusian Zero.

But Nova Squadron’s best moment comes later in the season, when a massive ship under the command of Asencia and Drednok fires upon Voyager. The young Nova Squadron, with Dal among them, jumps into their fighter ships and gives fans a sequence more common in Trek ‘s longtime rival Star Wars .

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This version of the Nova Squadron has some commonalities with Locarno’s group, particularly a hot-shot attitude that makes them daring pilots. However, they also show a key quality that Locarno never understood. This Nova Squadron possesses a selflessness that drives them to sacrifice their own safety for the good of others. They understand the first duty of Starfleet Officers, a duty to the truth and to the principle that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

The addition of Nova Squadron to Prodigy continues the show’s look at Starfleet from the outside. As the kids cling to the hope of inclusion that Starfleet and the Federation promise, Nova Squadron presents a warning for the most ambitious among them (read: Dal) that being the best of the best can have its dark side.

Star Trek: Prodigy season two is now streaming on Netflix.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

Landis Trek Team

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Star trek debuts its awe-inspiring council of the gods, confirming members from across franchise history.

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Star Trek Found A Vulcan Way To Honor Majel Barrett Roddenberry

Star trek actor compares working with william shatner & patrick stewart, every star trek ship with an illegal cloaking device.

• Star Trek's Council of the Gods is unveiled in Star Trek #21, composed of beings from across the franchise's history.
• The Council of the Gods meets to discuss matters of universal importance.
• The Pleroma and the Council may not be as safe as they think, with both Kahless and Lore still on the loose.

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #21!

For months, Star Trek has dropped tantalizing hints about the Pleroma, and now it stands revealed in all its glory, and is composed of members from across the franchise’s 58-year history. In Star Trek #21, Captain Sisko and the Theseus enter the Pleroma, and are greeted with an awe-inspiring sight: gods from across the franchise, gathered to decide on matters of universal importance.

Star Trek #21 is written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Megan Levens. Sisko and his senior officers are brought before the gods in the Pleroma, who have gathered to debate on the Organian issue. A text piece, made to resemble a Starfleet briefing, lists each of the gods on the council. Among those present are Trelane, Apollo, Charlie Evans and the Metrons, from the original Star Trek, as well as Kevin Uxbridge from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The Caretaker, who kicked off Star Trek:Voyager, is also among the gods.

Star Trek's Gods Are Facing a Threat Unlike Any Other

The council of gods is a historic development in the star trek universe.

In late 2022, IDW relaunched their line of Star Trek comics, creating a massive, franchise-spanning “god war.” The Klingon Emperor Kahless launched a campaign against the gods, slaughtering them with a powerful weapon. Captains Sisko and Worf were able to stop Kahless’ plans for the time being, but the damage had been done. Sisko and the crew of the Theseus traveled to the Pleroma to help fix the damage, but found themselves faced with a chilly reception. T’Lir, who was revealed to be the last of the god-like Organians, was seeking the restoration of his powers.

The introduction of the Pleroma may rank as one of the most important developments in the Star Trek franchise. In the various shows and movies, the crew often encounter god-like beings, and this stretches back to the franchise’s first days. The Pleroma gives these beings new depth, showing that they are, in many ways, just another race in the Star Trek universe. The gods of the universe have their own laws and governance, much like the Federation. However, the gods are obviously working on a far greater scale, meeting to decide the fates of entire species.

The Pleroma May Not Be the Safe Haven It Appears to Be

Will kahless or lore find the pleroma.

Yet, as Star Trek’s god war has shown, these beings can be killed. Both Kahless and Lore are still on the loose, and the Pleroma would make a highly desirable target for them. Furthermore, Section 31 gave Lily Sato a mysterious device to be used at a later date, perhaps suggesting the shady agency has an interest in the Pleroma. The gods of the Pleroma proceed as if they are invulnerable and infallible, but Kahless has thrown all of this into doubt. Despite its great power and elusive nature, the Pleroma may soon be under siege.

Star Trek #21 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!

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Volkswagen and Trek Spin the Wheels Together

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - As the Summer Olympics prepare for their historic return to the site of the very first Olympiad in Athens, Greece, the continuation of Volkswagen of America, Inc.’s long-time partnership with Trek Bicycles paves the way for a possible run for Olympic gold.  For the eighth straight year, Volkswagen will serve as the exclusive automotive sponsor of Trek’s cycling teams, which includes a Professional Mountain Bike Team with cyclists among those favored to qualify for and compete on the U.S. Olympic team. Since 1996, Volkswagen and Trek have teamed to bring the professional mountain bike team to top competitions across the United States—a pairing that ranks among the longest and best-known automotive/cycling partnerships ever.  In addition to the Pro Mountain team, six regional mountain bike and nine regional road teams—a total of over 120 athletes combined—compete nationwide under the Trek/Volkswagen banner.  In addition, five regional Trek/Volkswagen Demo teams criss-cross the country in five fully loaded Volkswagen Touareg SUVs, carrying a veritable fleet of Trek bicycles for consumers of all abilities to test ride. The 2004 Trek Volkswagen Mountain Bike Team includes some of the world’s top riders; each with a proven history of championship-winning potential, including: Jeremiah Bishop, a member of the Trek/Volkswagen East Coast Regional Team, is currently the points leader in the Olympic chase for American men.  The 28-year-old from Harrisonburg, Virginia, had a breakout year in 2003, including a huge win at the Pan-Am Games in the Dominican Republic. Sue Haywood recently was featured in USA Today as a top contender for one of two Olympic slots available for U.S. Women.  The West Virginia cross-country racer and 2003 NORBA National Champion was also recently voted “North American Female Mountain Bike Racer of the Year” by Velo News.  Haywood has gained significant ground every year and is ready to make this her “career year.” Roland Green, the 2001 World Cup and World Championship titleholder, is optimistic about his return as one of the strongest riders on the circuit, following an injury-plagued 2003 season. Travis Brown has won state cyclocross titles in Colorado and Wisconsin this past winter.  The 1999 NORBA National Champ is ready to attack that circuit again this year, while continuing to provide Trek with research and development data as he tests new products out on the race course. Wade Bootes, recently voted “Australia’s BMX rider of The Year” and the 2001 World Dual Slalom Champion, will once again be battling elbow to elbow with the best gravity riders.  Wade is one of the most personable riders on the circuit and, when he’s not racing his Trek mountain bike, he remains a top BMX racer as well. In addition to these returning riders, Trek/Volkswagen is excited to announce the arrival of its newest team member: the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg.  Although relatively new to the SUV market, the Touareg has already been busy racking up award-winning titles in its rookie year including Motor Trend Magazine’s “SUV of The Year”.  The Touareg is sure to add measurably to the Trek/Volkswagen partnership, which continues to set the standard by which other cross-promotional activities in the cycling industry are measured. Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan.  It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany.  Volkswagen is one of the world’s largest producers of passenger cars and Europe’s largest automaker.  Volkswagen of America and its affiliates employ approximately 3,000 people in the United States and are responsible for the sale and service of Audi, Bentley, and Volkswagen products through retail networks comprising in total more than 900 independent U.S. dealers.  Based in Waterloo, Wisconsin, Trek Bicycle Corporation was founded in 1976 and today is the world’s largest manufacturer of bicycles sold exclusively through Authorized Dealers. Trek employs 1500 people worldwide and produces a full line of bicycles and accessories that are distributed in over 65 countries.  

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Which Riders Didn’t Make the Cut for the 2024 Tour de France?

Here are eight notable riders who will miss this year’s race, from Sepp Kuss to Julian Alaphilippe, and the strategic or unfortunate reasons behind their exclusions.

And it’s become harder than it once was: starting in 2018, grand tour rosters were cut from nine riders to eight. For some teams, the impact was minimal, but for others–especially teams with multiple leaders and/or goals–it caused headaches. Coupled with the fact that riders get sick, hurt, and just plain slow down, one can easily understand the delicate balancing act that team directors face when reconciling egos with aspirations–including the expectations of sponsors and fans.

This year’s Tour was no different, with several riders being left home as rosters were announced in the week leading up to this weekend’s Italian “Grand Depart.”

Here’s a rundown of eight riders who–for various reasons–won’t be riding the 2024 Tour de France:

Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-Quick Step)

France’s Julian Alaphippe won six stages at the Tour de France from 2018 to 2021 and famously wore the yellow jersey for 14 days in 2019, ultimately finishing fifth overall. But it’s since been a rough couple of years for the former two-time world champion, thanks in part to a crash at Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2022 that left him with two broken ribs, a broken scapula and a collapsed lung. After missing the race in 2022, the Frenchman returned to last year’s Tour de France, but was clearly a step or two below where he once was–much to the dismay of his team’s general manager, Patrick Lefevere.

However, things seem to be looking up for the 32-year-old. In May, he took a fantastic stage win at the Giro d’Italia in a ride that called to mind his glory years. But with his team going all-in on Belgian Remco Evenepoel’s bid for a podium finish at the Tour de France, there was no place for the Frenchman.

Chris Froome (Premier Tech)

Four-time winner Chris Froome will not be competing at the Tour de France for the second year in a row. And while it’s sad to see the 39-year-old on the outside looking in, it makes sense: Israel-PremierTech has won three stages in the last two Tours de France and seems to have found a winning formula by coming to the Tour de France with a roster filled with versatile opportunists who can win stages on all sorts of terrain.

And the Briton has done little to earn a spot on the team’s eight-man roster. He’s barely raced this season (or last season, for that matter), and when he has, he’s never come close to the top of the results. Froome’s story seems to epitomize the fragile nature of professional sports stardom: one minute, you’re on the top of your game, and before you know it, you’re an afterthought.

Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates)

American Brandon McNulty raced the Tour de France in support of Tadej Pogačar in 2021 and 2022. Still, the 26-year-old will miss the French grand tour for the second year in a row after the team stacked its roster with three of the team’s other grand tour contenders who will support the Slovenian in his bid to win the Tour de France less than two months after winning the Giro d’Italia.

Missing the Tour again has to be a disappointment for the American, who’s won seven races so far in 2024 and seems to be getting better each season. He’ll likely use the time to prepare for the upcoming Olympic Games, where he’ll shoot for a medal in the individual time trial.

Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quick-Step)

Another casualty of Soudal-Quick Step’s bid to put Evenepoel on the Tour de France podium, Merlier–who won a stage with Alpecin-Fenix in 2021 and three stages at the Giro d’Italia this spring–will miss the French grand tour for the third year in a row. It’s likely that the team was clear with the Belgian that this could be the case when they signed him prior to last season, but it’s an omission worth keeping in mind as we all watch Evenepoel try and become the first Belgian to win the Tour since 1976.

Stage wins are valuable commodities at the Tour de France, but leaving someone like Merlier home is a calculated risk that teams like Soudal-Quick Step feel they must take to finish on the final podium. But if Evenepoel falters–and Quick-Step goes winless at the Tour for the first time since the late 90s–the team’s critics will be justified in asking why the Belgian sprinter was left at home.

Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Kuss was expected to be Jonas Vingegaard’s top lieutenant again at this year’s Tour de France. And with Visma-Lease a Bike besieged by injuries heading into the Tour–including those sustained by Vingegaard himself in a crash at the Tour of the Basque Country in early April–the team needed all the help it could get heading into the Tour.

Well, things went from bad to worse after Kuss–who won last year’s Vuelta a España–abandoned the Critérium du Dauphiné with a cold and then two weeks later was ruled out of the Tour de France after testing positive for COVID-19. It’s a sad turn of events for a rider who played a central role in each of the team’s seven grand tour victories, and hopefully, the 29-year-old can recover in time to prepare to defend his title at the Tour of Spain later in the summer.

Daniel Martínez (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)

Martínez took second at the recent Giro d’Italia–the best grand tour finish of the 28-year-old Colombian’s career–but was still left off the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe roster for the Tour de France. That says less about Martínez than it does about the depth of the German team, which has the luxury of heading to the Tour with Slovenia’s Primož Roglič leading the team and a former Giro d’Italia champion in Australia’s Jai Hindley and the sixth-place finisher at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné, Russia’s Aleksandr Vlasov supporting him.

If it’s any consolation, missing the Tour puts Martínez in the driver’s seat to lead the team at the Vuelta a España–assuming everyone else buries themselves to help Roglič win the Tour.

Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)

O’Connor’s been featured in the first two seasons of the Netflix docuseries Tour de France: Unchained –and the producers haven’t always cast him in the best light. Sensitive, explosive, and sometimes downright bratty, he was a hard rider to like for most of the series–at least until the second half of the second season, in which he finally stopped thinking of himself as a GC rider and instead starting racing to win stages–either for himself or on behalf of his teammates.

But the 28-year-old–who won a stage and finished fourth overall at the Tour de France in 2021–won’t be riding the French grand tour this year after leading the team at the Giro d’Italia this spring. Taking a break from the Tour de France pressure cooker was obviously the right move for the Australian: he finished fourth overall at the Italian grand tour, no doubt increasing his value heading into the off-season. At that point, he’ll be free to sign with another team.

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)

In the last two years, Milan has won four stages and twice won the Points Competition at the Giro d’Italia, which might lead some to think he’s ready to try his hand at winning field sprints at the Tour de France. Well, those folks obviously don’t run the show at Lidl-Trek because the team is waiting at least another year before sending him to the Tour–most likely so he can spend time preparing to win a gold medal on the track at the Summer Olympics.

Since getting hooked on pro cycling while watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship in Philadelphia, longtime Bicycling contributor Whit Yost has raced on Belgian cobbles, helped build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux as an assistant director sportif. These days, he lives with his wife and son in Pennsylvania, spending his days serving as an assistant middle school principal and his nights playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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Pedersen, Stuyven and Simmons lead Trek-Segafredo’s Tour de France line-up

Mollema, Ciccone and Skujiņš all set to chase stage victories

Trek-Segafredo have named their eight riders for the Tour de France , with Quinn Simmons, Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven, Bauke Mollema, Giulio Ciccone and Toms Skujiņš part of an eight-rider roster dubbed ‘The Victorious Vikings’ by the US-registered WorldTour team.

Trek-Segafredo will target stage victories rather than the overall classification, with the early stages in Denmark and northern France objectives for Classics riders such as Pedersen, Stuyven and Simmons. The yellow jersey is a possibility for Pedersen if he can ride a good opening time trial in Copenhagen on Friday.  

Mollema and Ciccone will target the mountain stages, with Skujiņš suited to hilly terrain. Luxembourg’s Alex Kirsch will make his Tour de France debut at the age of 30, while Frenchman Tony Gallopin completes the eight-rider roster.

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“The big goal is to win at least one stage, but I think with the group we have that we can do even more than that,” directeur sportif Kim Andersen said.

“It’s a clear goal for the team and for Mads to go for the stages in Denmark. Firstly, he will try to do a super time trial in Copenhagen, and then we can try to grab some bonus seconds if the yellow jersey is within reach. 

“We have two big riders for the cobbled fifth stage: Jasper and Mads. From there on we will try to be in all the breakaways, and we have smart riders who know how to win from this position.”

Pedersen finished fourth in the Danish national time trial championships and then second in the road race championships.

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Quinn Simmons will make his Tour de France debut at just 21. The former Junior world champion earned his spot with a strong performance at the recent Tour de Suisse where he won the climber’s competition after going on the attack several times.  

Trek-Segafredo team for the 2022 Tour de France

• Giulio Ciccone
• Tony Gallopin
• Alex Kirsch
• Bauke Mollema
• Mads Pedersen
• Quinn Simmons
• Toms Skujiņš
• Jasper Stuyven

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Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters , Shift Active Media , and CyclingWeekly , among other publications.

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Meet the 2024 Driftless crew!

Three new riders are gearing up with Trek to take on the most unique cycling challenges in the world

The Driftless program, Trek’s all-surface adventure racing collective, has added three new riders for the 2024 season. Say hello to Haley Hunter Smith, Russell Finsterwald and Torbjørn Andre Røed (you can call him Toby), three gravel-hardened racers preparing to take on events big and small on some of the most far-out roads and trails this great planet has to offer.  

They’ll join returning rider Paige Onweller at marquee events, including Lifetime Grand Prix races like Unbound Gravel, the Chequamegon MTB Festival and Big Sugar. But beyond the staples of the domestic racing scene, they’ll also take part in unique events they’re passionate about on a personal level, whether that’s XC marathon racing, road racing, or competing in parts of the world they’ve yet to discover. 

Driftless is also saying goodbye to three incredible riders, and founding members of the program, in Kiel Reijnen, Ruth Winder and Amity Rockwell. All three are off to new adventures. In their time with Driftless, they created memories on and off the dirt, and were excellent stewards of both Trek and a still-burgeoning discipline.

The program is undergoing a lot of big changes, but the mission is the same: To empower athletes to have an absolute blast at the most unique races in the world, and to show off cycling’s ability to tell unforgettable stories and build community using just two wheels.

Russell Finsterwald will take on any challenge.

Meet the squad

The draw to Trek for all three incoming riders is simple: Freedom. With Trek, they’ll not only be able to pursue their full athletic potential, with the best equipment and support anywhere, but they’ll also have the flexibility to define their programs in ways that are meaningful to them. 

Finsterwald is a veteran racer at 32 years old. He laughs that he feels like an “old dog” on the circuit of a relatively new discipline. He began regularly taking on gravel events in 2019 after a decorated mountain biking career that included five U.S. national titles, most recently the 2019 XC Marathon national championship. 

He has made a major impact in his time within an increasingly competitive men’s gravel field. In 2023, Finsterwald was fourth overall on the final Lifetime Grand Prix standings (highlighted by a second place finish at the Sea Otter Classic) and won Belgian Waffle Ride California. In 2022, he won Big Sugar, and in 2021, he took second in the vaunted LeadBoat Challenge after nearly 13 hours and 250 miles of racing at SBT Gravel and the Leadville Trail 100 MTB.

In cycling, if you're willing to be a sponge, there's always so much to learn. - Russell Finsterwald

Finsterwald enjoys the challenge of finding new ways to grow and push himself every year, even as a rider who has already experienced so much in his career. 

“In cycling, if you’re willing to be a sponge, there’s always so much to learn,” Finsterwald says. “I’ve started watching a lot of the classics races, just because I feel like they race like a gravel race. In mountain biking, you just go as hard as you can as long as you can, and that’s more or less the tactic. But gravel racing has introduced a lot of different tactics, and I’m understanding why certain breakaways go and why they stay away. I’ve just really tried to be a sponge as much as possible.”

Smith , like Finsterwald, has made an indelible mark in mountain biking. The 30-year-old is a two-time Canadian national champion, winning the XC Marathon title this past year. She was also second at the XC Marathon World Cup race in Snowshoe, a feat that was especially impressive given that she almost got the date wrong .

Haley Hunter Smith is riding with a purpose.

She didn’t take on her first gravel race until 2022, when she raced the mother of them all: Unbound. She was coming off a disappointing performance (by her standards) at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics that had negatively impacted her mental health. She had never done any race as long nor as difficult as the 200-mile gauntlet through Kansas’ Flint Hills. She finished sixth that day. More importantly, she discovered the discipline that perhaps suits her best, due to its emphasis on exploration, community and discovering one’s absolute limits. 

“In every sense of the word, cycling has been my medicine,” Smith says. “And I think it’s a really powerful tool that can be used by people in the same circumstances, but also people who don’t have a formal diagnosis, and don’t know how to cope, or could cope better. That’s kind of what I’ve always tried to use the bike for, is to share how it can support wellness and mental health.”

In 2023, Smith finished third overall on the Lifetime Grand Prix standings, with podiums at Sea Otter and Crusher in the Tushar, and a win at Belgian Waffle Ride BC. But her multidisciplinary talents don’t end with bikes. Smith is also currently doing her masters in science and sports psychology at Queen’s University in Ontario. Her research centers on how physical activity, including cycling, can aid child development.

You're not just competitors, because for events this big, you need each other to get through them. You won't win, let alone finish, on your own. - Haley Hunter Smith

She has found, for example, that cycling strengthens the bonds between children and their parents when they participate together. The finding wasn’t a surprise. Smith, herself, is drawn to gravel racing because of its communal nature. 

“I didn’t know it at the very beginning, but I quickly found out that gravel is pretty cool because you are friends with the people you’re racing with,” Smith says. “You’re not just competitors, because for events this big, you need each other to get through them. You won’t win, let alone finish, on your own. You need other people.”

Røed , just 26 years old, comes to Driftless from Norway via Colorado. He moved to the United States in 2018, following his brother to Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, where Trek Factory Racing standouts Gwendalyn Gibson and Madigan Munro also raced, and where Røed struck up a friendship with Durango-native Riley Amos. During his career, Røed has raced just about every cycling discipline under the sun — from mountain biking, to road, to track — and found his calling in gravel, where his big engine and refined bike skills can truly shine.

In 2023, Røed broke out with a win at Big Sugar in Arkansas. The win revealed a lot to Røed: First, that he has the power and talent to win against the very best in the sport. Second, that he can sprint. The lanky Norwegian had never thought much of his finishing kick, but apparently after a long day of gravel grinding, he’s at his very best. He went heads up with Brendan Johnston, Alexey Vermeulen and Keegan Swenson, and put his wheel ahead of them at the line for one of the biggest wins of his young career.

Torbjørn Andre Røed is on a mission to find the coolest places to ride.

But Røed’s approach to racing is hardly cutthroat. Like Smith and Finsterwald, the discoveries he has made and the relationships he has created through gravel bring him the greatest joy. His best memories of the sport involve getting lost in the scenery with incredible people.

“Like, I remember sitting there in a race with [Christopher] Blevins and Keegan [Swenson], and we’re just chatting it up while we were all taking a break,” Røed says. “We were all just out there to enjoy it, not just to take the edge off each other. It was just a very friendly vibe, and I felt welcome even though I was the young underdog, the odd one out.”

Onweller is one of the most unique athletes in a sport that’s full of great characters. She just finished her first complete season as a full-time gravel racer after eight years working as a physician’s assistant. The season was full of strong results and learning experiences for a rider who is still relatively new to racing. She was a regular presence in the top five, a second-place finish at Garmin Gravel Worlds, and a fourth-place finish at Big Sugar after winning the event in 2022. 

Onweller is on a mission to take the top step at the biggest races, but in a whirlwind year, she learned a lot about patience and the fickle nature of offroad racing. This offseason, she has focused hard on skills training, even moving to Bentonville, Ark., to be closer to some of the best trails in the U.S.

We were all just out there to enjoy it, not just to take the edge off each other. - Torbjørn Andre Røed

“This was my first season racing full time and I learned a lot about communication, sponsors and what brings value to my program,” Onweller said. “I came into the season with high hopes, but learned that racing can be pretty cutthroat and brutal. It was good to experience some lows and to become more well rounded as a person and athlete as a result. I learned who my support system was and learned to give myself grace as a professional athlete, which isn’t always easy.”

Finsterwald, Smith, Røed and Onweller will carry on a legacy of great vibes and community interaction that Reijnen, Winder and Rockwell began as Driftless’ founding members in 2021.

Though the original Driftless 3 will be missed, they’re all moving on to fulfilling new endeavors. 

Reijnen has been “racing with a leg over a Trek bicycle for eight years now,” beginning in 2016 with Lidl-Trek. Though he hasn’t turned his last pedal stroke, he is retiring from full-time racing to redouble his focus on his community. This January, he will begin attending Fire Fighter Academy and EMT School in preparation for a job with the Bainbridge Island Fire Department. He will also attend a few local (and non-local) gravel and mountain bike events, while also pitching in to coach the local middle school/high school MTB team.

Paige Onweller is one of the most unique athletes in gravel.

“What I enjoyed most was the opportunity to make genuine connections with everyone participating in the events and the chance to rekindle many friendships from my early racing days,” Reijnen said. “After 20 years pedaling around the world, it was time to put my energy towards supporting my community and helping others more than just through bikes.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better home and I am so grateful for the support I have received from the Trek organization, and even more importantly from the people behind that organization.”

Winder has already announced the next step of her journey. The talented former Lidl-Trek rider is returning to the world of road racing with Human Powered Health Cycling. You can watch her on her new squad at the Tour Down Under later this month.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ruth Edwards (@ruthwinder8)

The mission

2024 will be the third year of the Driftless program’s existence. In that span, it has become a fixture at major races, inviting anyone and everyone to join the pros on shakeout rides, or visit the retro camper for a cold beer of both the regular and root variety.

Driftless riders set their own racing programs. Expect to see them at many of the well-known events on the adventure circuit, but they may also turn up at tucked away races that showcase their skill sets, or give them unique experiences. For Smith, that means a healthy dose of XC marathon racing. For Røed, that could be a race across lava fields like The Rift in Iceland.

According to Finsterwald, he feels supported by Trek to evolve however he sees fit.

“I feel like Trek really values what you want to do as a rider, and if there’s a means to support you in doing that, they want to help be a part of that,” Finsterwald says. “As I get older, and probably get a little slower, I’d definitely like to look into doing some ultra-endurance stuff, whether that’s the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail, or just some of these neat bikepacking races that are popping up these days. It’s like the next part in my career after gravel racing has come full circle.”

I feel like Trek really values what you want to do as a rider. - Finsterwald

It’s impossible to know where you might bump into a Driftless rider — they might be anywhere — but when you do, expect a warm interaction. This crew is embracing everything that makes gravel racing great. 

“It provides an opportunity to put a little bit more meaning in what we do, and that’s really important for me,” Smith says. “The ability to impact other people has always been a really strong motivator for me.”

Driftless is a program designed to help riders be the best versions of themselves, both as athletes and as human beings. For Smith, Finsterwald, Røed and Onweller, it’s a chance to compete and win, but also to contribute to something beyond themselves and shape a still-burgeoning discipline, and cycling writ large, in their own image.

“I feel very clear about what the spirit of gravel is,” Smith says. “I’ve spent almost a year thinking about this in an academic way. And what we’ve come up with is that the spirit of gravel is whatever it needs to be for anyone. The spirit of gravel is that it’s different for every person.”

Keep your eyes peeled for the Driftless crew in 2024. Wherever they are, adventure will shortly follow.

Adventure ready

In this story.

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