Cynisca Cycling Welcomes Tess Edwards and Gabrielle Lehnert to 2024 Roster

Additions Complete Roster with Majority USA Riders

Cynisca Cycling welcomes USA riders Gabrielle Lehnert and Tess Edwards to complete the team for the 2024 season. Cynisca has increased the number of riders on its roster in 2024 from 12 to 16 to provide opportunities for more women to compete at elite levels. The UCI-registered Continental team now has ten US women on the roster, more than any other Continental or World Tour road team.

“Tess and Gabrielle add impressive talent rounding out our roster for the 2024 season,” says Cynisca general manager Chris Gutowsky. “The team strives to provide opportunities and guidance for young women like Tess and Gabrielle to gain valuable experience and advance in the sport. Our hope is that they will learn and grow with our team.”

Tess Edwards

Tess Edwards is relatively new to cycling but has had an impressive 2023 season. With five wins and 18 top ten finishes, she quickly moved up the ranks of cycling to an elite racer. In 2023, she won two stages in the Intelligentsia Cup races and finished second in three others in the series. Moving into the Pro field, she more recently finished 7th at the Criterium Championships in St. Petersburg, Fla., and 6th at the Berkeley Hills Road Race. And she’s just getting started.

“One day I would love to see if I have the potential to race at the highest level in the World  Tour,” said Edwards. “I know there is a lot of work between today and then that must be done, but I am excited for each step of it. My goal in cycling is to be the best athlete and teammate I can at the highest level I can race.”

“Tess is a new racer but her athletic background in running and triathlon is impressive,” said Cynisca’s lead sports and operations director Robin Farina. “She is eager to dip her toe in European racing and has already shown some natural talent in the sport of cycling. Watch out for her as she represents the Cynisca colors in the early season and at gravel races across the U.S.”

When she isn’t honing her own cycling skills, Edwards can often be found inspiring younger girls to ride. She volunteers as a coach for a mountain bike group of girls ages 6-8 in California. 

Gabrielle Lehnert

Gabrielle Lehnert is a promising young rider recommended to Cynisca from the USA Cycling women’s development program. She began racing bikes when she was 10, going to cyclocross races with her father. Lehnert has competed as a member of the USA Junior National Team, including as a World Championship team member.

Lehnert raced for two years with the Andy Schleck – IMMO Losch team  and in 2023 for DNA Pro Cycling team. She also competed this year in Europe with the USA Cycling Athlete Development Pathway program that is supported by Cynisca Cycling.

“Gabrielle will be a strong addition to the team. She has European race experience and is eager to contribute to the team dynamics,” said Farina. “I have no doubt her love for harder classic-style races will be very useful as Cynisca fights for the podium in Europe and in the USA.”

“There are so many layers to what made me love and continues to make me love bike racing,” said Lehnert, “but I’ll pare it down to: the freedom and adventure of riding a bike, the consistent and rewarding challenge of training/racing, and the amazing opportunities to meet people and see places that it has brought me.”

Lehnert’s talents extend beyond the bike. She is in her senior year studying fashion design at the Savannah College of Arts and Design in Atlanta. As a student, she was a runner-up in the prestigious New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’s college design competition and had her outfit that she designed and made displayed at the MET.

2024 Cynisca Cycling Roster

Cynisca Cycling keeps a roster that is majority USA riders with a goal of giving more North American women opportunities to race in Europe among the best in the world. The 2024 roster includes:

2024 Cynisca Cycling Roster
Cynisca Cycling keeps a roster that is majority USA riders with a goal of giving more North American women opportunities to race in Europe among the best in the world. The 2024 roster includes: