New perspectives for Floyd’s of Leadville team sponsor and its team director
At the Colorado Classic this past August, with sponsorship concerns looming over Gord Fraser’s Silber Pro Cycling squad, the director reconnected with a former teammate. He had raced with Floyd Landis on Mercury Cycling Team in the late ’90s and early 2000s. “I asked him if we wanted to come in the team car to see what we do at Silber,” Fraser said. “He got into the car at the first stage in Vail. I think he really enjoyed his day. I don't know how many times he's been in the follow car – definitely a different perspective for somebody who's been through a lot of perspectives.”
Just before Thanksgiving, a new-team announcement came out. Floyd’s of Leadville, Landis’ cannabidiol-product company, would sponsor an outfit registered in Canada. Fraser would be the director. Scott Mcfarlane, the former Silber principal, and Josh Saint would be the owners. The Silber team was done; this was a new project.
While the new team plans to race in North America, traditional uci stage races and criteriums won’t be the sole focus for riders. Like teams such as Toronto Hustle and EF Education First – Drapac, the Floyd’s of Leadville squad plans to participate in a wider range of cycling events, such as gravel races and gran fondos. Fraser, who is quite skilled at reading and managing road races, admitted he’s not that familiar with gravel events. “I’ll have to do some research,” he said. “Burke Swindlehurst runs the Crusher in the Tushar. He’s a guy I used to race with. It’s an easy phone call. I’ll definitely get a nice education on some of the demands of these new events.”