THE REGION’S NEWEST PROFESSIONAL SPORTS GROUP
JANUARY 9, 2025
The New Year begins with the establishment of another local professional sports group—Team Winston-Salem. The cycling team will be officially announced at a gathering of team members, city leaders and community supporters on Thursday, January 9. Jon Hamblen—a former professional cyclist and advocate for the Winston-Salem region—will serve as team director.
Comprised of professional cyclists from across the country and headquartered in Winston-Salem, Team Winston-Salem will begin competition in February at the Hincapie Donaldson Crit in Greenville, South Carolina. Following Greenville, Team Winston-Salem anticipates competing in more than 30 races during spring and summer 2025. Included in its first season racing calendar are the Wake Forest Road Race, which takes place in Winston-Salem in March, and the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic, which is in May.
“Team Winston-Salem is fielding a formidable roster of professional cyclists for our first season,” Hamblen said. “Our team includes many of the nation’s most talented riders, and we have our eyes set on quickly emerging as a preeminent Domestic Elite Team.”
Hamblen pointed to Winston-Salem’s legacy of cycling, including the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic and the city’s 2013 Bicycle Friendly Community designation, as key to the basis for establishing the new team in this area. In addition, the region surrounding Winston-Salem has long been known as ideal for training and competition.
“Cyclists from across the country and beyond widely view Winston-Salem as an access point to one of America’s best cycling regions,” Hamblen said. “The diverse road surfaces and the terrain of the region helps us attract elite cycling athletes from around the globe. Team Winston-Salem isn’t here to just play nice—we’re here to train hard, leave our marks where we compete and bring trophies back home.”
Flow Automotive is the title sponsor of Team Winston-Salem. Salem Sports Events and Riazzi, Rhyne & Swaim Investment Group are gold sponsors. Other key sponsors are National Cycling Center, Haro Bikes, Julbo Eyewear and Shelco. The Downtown Grille, American Premium Beverage and The Incendiary Brewing Company provided food and beverage for the launch event at the Pilot View Center at 500 West Fifth Street in Winston-Salem.
“It was important to us to keep our city’s name front and center in our own team’s name,” said Jonathan Kelly, team organizer and avid cyclist. “With the support of Flow Automotive and others sponsors, we were able to make Winston-Salem very prominent in our name as part of our mission to promote the city and region while we’re in other parts of the country.”
Team Director Jon Hamblen is a former professional cyclist and experienced coach with more than 30 years in competitive racing and training. Starting his career in the 1990s, Hamblen raced across the United States, later transitioning into coaching in 2000. He has led junior, collegiate, and professional riders to multiple national championships, including pioneering achievements with Wake Forest University’s cycling team. With a deep passion for cycling and a unique understanding of balancing family, work and training, Hamblen is committed to developing the next generation of cyclists and fostering a vibrant cycling community.
“In addition to coaching at Wake Forest, Jon has operated Velocious Sport, a cycling development league for several years,” Kelly said. “Jon’s experience running Velocious Sport and competing on national and international levels made him an ideal candidate to serve as our team director. He also has a heart for developing youth cyclists who could become competitive cyclists as they get older.”
In role as director for Team Winston-Salem, Hamblen will continue to oversee Velocious Sports as a development league for talent primarily locally but also regionally and nationally. Cyclists with strong abilities as part of Velocious Sport could eventually race at the professional level for Team Winston Salem.