At 19 years of age, Ezra Caudell landed his first professional job to race as a professional cyclist, earning a two-year deal with Modern Adventure Pro Cycling. he’s one of nine riders between the ages of 18 to 24 on the freshly minted team in 2026 all of them in solid positions for advancement under the tutelage of former WorldTour pro and team co-founder Gorg Back and a trio of former uspro national champions as team directors – Alex Howes, Ty Magner and Joey Rosskopf.
It’s a bold entry into full-time road racing for the youthful BMX and mountain bike swashbuckler. His early days growing up on the red clay of Georgia were spent on homemade BMX track in his backyard and riding on rocky, rooty mountain bike trails around Lake Altoona, north of atlanta. By 2021 at age 15 he secured 14 MTB wins and five more top 10s across 20 USA Cycling sanctioned events, most of them in the southeastern US, and at his first US Pro Cup he finished fourth.
Caudell had a breakout season in 2024,placing fourth at Pan-American Mountain Bike Championships,winning his first US national title at US Marathon MTB championships in the 17-18 division and winning his first UCI MTB races,two in XCO and one in short track.
From Backyard Pump Track to Team USA: The Rise of Ezra caudell
CN: Did you really have a pump track in your backyard growing up?
EC: I did have a pump track in my backyard growing up! When I started racing BMX, a few of the dads told my parents it would be helpful to do some pump track practice. They told us there was one in Roswell, Georgia at Big Creek where we could practice. My parents would take us over and we would practice for hours.
As it was a long drive to Big Creek, my dad came up with the idea of building one in our yard. We sat down and designed it,my dad ordered a couple of dump trucks of dirt,and we used my uncle’s bobcat to build it.To get speed on the first straight we would start in the corner of the back porch, and we built a ramp out of plywood to put over the porch steps.
We redesigned it a few times over the years, but I never stopped playing on it. Actually, we only bulldozed it down in 2024 just before we put our house up for sale to move to Germany.
CN: You moved into mountain bike racing as a teenager, so tell us about your development on dirt and earning spots with Team USA for international competitions.
EC: During 2023 and 2024, MTB was still my primary discipline. I raced NICA from 2018 to 2022 under the Blankets Creek Homeschool Team (in Georgia), but it was hard to fit in the proper training, so I stepped away.
I raced for Gravity Academy in 2023, and that year I was selected to race the Pan-american MTB Championships in Brazil. This was my first race in the USA Cycling National kit. Later that year, I did my first race block in Europe, and I knew then I wanted to be racing in Europe.
I raced for Gravity Collective in 2024 and hit every UCI and US Pro Cup race in the US as possible to earn UCI poin
From BMX Roots to European Roads: Ezra Caudell Joins Modern Adventure Pro cycling
(Image credit: Ezra Caudell)
Ezra Caudell at the start gate for a BMX race in his early years in Georgia
CN: You began some road racing as a junior. Tell us about that and riding the first time at the Athens Twilight Criterium.
EC: In 2022, mountain biking was my focus, with Cadence Devo. During that time my parents bought me a road bike to train on and some of the coaches were big road riders. They worked with the kids that were interested in road by taking us to group rides with Free Flite Bike shop, Tuesday night crits in Marietta, ‘Airport Ride’ for the first time, WBL [winter Bike League out of Athens – op ed].
Once I learned about Athens Twilight, I was super excited to race it. I was stoked to win the 15-16,but the main goal was to make it into the Cat. 1,2,3 race that night and just hang on as long as I could. I made it in, I didn’t last long, but it was chaos and I loved it!
CN: In 2025, you had a number of top 10s with Team California in Belgium and Spain, including a victory at Campeonato de Navarra road race.Tell us about being part of that program, since you did not go through a typical road development team for racing.
EC: I was still committed to MTB in 2025, but I had hoped to get an chance to race on the road with USA Cycling when they came over to Europe and I was now living in Germany. That opportunity came in march of this year after Alex Pasqualina (USA Cycling Mountain Bike Director) put me in contact with Tanner Putt (USA Cycling Road Director). I was able to do a race block in Belgium with the USA Team and made some grate connections. I continued to race MTB and did three World Cup races with USA Cycling.
I got connected with Team California and was invited to race in Spain over the summer. I had been feeling like I wanted to move to road, and the race block with Team California solidified that for me.
CN: What did you like about racing in Europe, and what was most challenging?
I have always preferred to challenge myself. So, an easier race that I place well in doesn’t feel as rewarding if I can’t see how it made me better or pushed me. What I have found racing in Europe for the past year and a half is the depth of talent is insane. There are no ‘easier’ races. At every race there are heavy hitters from different countries. It really gives you respect for the culture and how seriously they take the sport of cycling.
I feel like it’s the equivalent of how American football is in the US where it’s such a mainstream sport that the pool of talent is just massive. The other aspect I like but it is indeed also a challenge is the fact that they race hard the entire time, and there is never a dull moment. There’s action the whole time and you have to be ready to react quickly.
When I called my parents after my first European race in 2024, they asked how it was. I said ‘it was crazy’! It was a super aggressive race and it felt like mass chaos, but I could not wait to do it again!
CN: Modern Adventure Pro Cycling has three team directors, and each was asked to find US talent. Did you have a connection with Magner or Rosskopf in particular, as they are both from Georgia? How did you get an invitation to join the team?
EC: I didn’t have a close connection with Ty or Joey, but once I got into road, I knew who they were. They probably wouldn’t remember it, but I met them a few times at group ride
Summary of Ethan Cate’s Interview
This text is an interview with Ethan Cate, a young cyclist recently signed to a new American proteam started by the Hincapies. Here’s a breakdown of the key takeaways:
* Background: cate transitioned from a dedicated mountain biker to road cycling, achieving good results and catching the attention of the Hincapies. He previously met Joey Hincapie at group rides in Georgia as a teenager.
* Team Opportunity: Joey Hincapie initially reached out, leading to a two-year contract offer from George hincapie. Cate is grateful for the opportunity and excited to grow as a rider.
* 2026 Goals: Cate’s primary focus for his first year is gaining experience in the pro peloton, learning his role, and staying healthy. He’s open to road and gravel racing, with potential for mountain biking in the future.
* Riding Style: He identifies as a breakaway rider, particularly suited to Classics-style races like Paris-Roubaix and Strade bianche (which are on his “must-do” race list).
* Strengths: Cate believes his biggest asset is his confidence and lack of pressure on the road, stemming from a feeling of having less to prove compared to his mountain biking background.
* U23 Goals:
* Learn from experienced riders and staff.
* Explore time trialing (he believes his physique is well-suited).
* Demonstrate that there are alternative pathways to becoming a professional cyclist beyond traditional development teams.
* off-Bike Interests: Cate enjoys trail building (previously in Georgia), traveling (especially exploring castles and cafes in Germany), hiking, and baking with his sister.
In essence, the interview portrays Ethan cate as a promising, adaptable, and keen young rider with a unique background and a strong desire to learn and succeed in the professional cycling world.