Ribble launches new team, Ribble Rebellion, to 'disrupt the global crit circuit'

Ribble has launched a new road racing team, Ribble Rebellion, with the aim of "disrupting the global crit circuit".

The British squad, announced on Thursday morning, counts among its number Matt Bostock, the former British National Circuit Race champion, Jim Brown, who finished second place at the CRIT Championship in Florida last year, and Joe Laverick, the team's captain.

"Being part of the team that has put Ribble Rebellion together has been a tremendous opportunity," Laverick said in the press release. "We have a set of talented individuals and on the road we'll be racing as one - wanting to do things very differently. That's what this team is all about. Our goals are quite simple - ride to compete, to podium, to win."

Rebellion will be targeting races across the globe, including criteriums in the US and Canada, as well as more traditional road races in the UK and Ireland, like the Lincoln GP and the Ras Tailteann.

Crit racing is hugely popular in the USA, and Ribble are attempting to join the movement of town centre racing, as well as entering road races as a team.

“Ribble Rebellion is the next exciting chapter in our long history of cycle racing," Andy Smallwood, the CEO of Ribble said. "Crit racing is fast, furious and exhilarating, where every performance advantage counts. When you have the fastest riders in the world on the world’s most aerodynamically optimised bike you have something very special.

“This is an exciting opportunity to see our bikes race in the world’s biggest crit races, getting our brand in front of millions of cyclists – we saw that with the crowds watching as the Ultra SL R won the UK National Crit Series last year.

“The team has been created around exceptional riders with the ambition and desire to succeed. It’s going to be an amazing year and I can’t wait to see the team fly”.

The team also counts among its number Ruben Apers, the Belgian a former pro for Flanders-Baloise, Max Rusby and Tom Couzens of the UK, Cam Fitzmaurice and Al Murison from Canada, and Cole Davis from the US.

The team's first race is the Redlands crit in Los Angeles, USA. They will be racing on a conspicuous Ribble Ultra SL R, decked out in an exciting new colourway.

It is the second year in a row that Ribble has launched a non-conventional team. Last year, it backed the Ribble Collective, with the aim of providing support and backing to a group of various British privateer riders across all cycling disciplines. It is understood this will continue in 2024, along with a Ribble Factory Racing Team, the details of which are yet to be revealed.

Laverick was riding for the Collective as a privateer; he revealed in an Instagram post that he would still be tackling gravel and TT events alone, as well as racing for his new road team.

"There’s one big issue with privateering, it flicks you if you want to race on the road and you have to constantly find guest rides," he posted.

"At the back end of summer, the guys at Ribble came to me and asked my opinions on a road team. We spent many hours debating where to put the focus, what races to do, and who to sign. It has been a process. Setting up my own Privateer project was a lot of work, this was next level. Being a part of the behind-the-scenes team has been eye-opening. It’s been tough, plenty of late nights, long phone calls and who knows how many hours. I’m proud of the team we’ve pulled together, a lot of the guys put their trust in my word, and now we’re ready to launch.

"To clear things up. I’m still very much privateering and when racing gravel or TTs - I’m on my own," he continued. Just for the road, I’ll be racing for the Ribble Rebellion. A true win-win. As Hannah Montana would say: 'You get the best of both worlds.'"