Team Panther is now in its third year of existence, and with the addition of Competitive Cyclist as co-sponsor the squad is armed & ready to be a commanding presence in the elite amateur peloton. The primary focus of the team is its U25 riders, and towards that end ex-pros and billion-time National Champions Paul Martin and Kirk Albers will race alongside the pups to fine tune their tactics and mindset. With 8 riders based out of the upper Midwest, and 4 riders in Arkansas, Team Panther will have a reach as far south as Austin, TX and as far north as Windsor, ONT. The focus of the team is the USA Crits series, the NRC circuit, and the US National Championships.

The team will be riding Ridley’s ProTour-proven Damocles frameset, mated to SRAM Force components, as well as wheels, bars, and stems from Easton. Their heads and eyes will be protected by Giro helmets and sunglasses. And — no surprise here — the entire contents of the service course was delivered to the Competitive Cyclist warehouse by a Panther Expedite freight truck. It’s a long-standing relationship: Panther has moved freight as small as a pallet and as big as multiple containers for Competitive Cyclist throughout the US, as well as from Asia and Europe.