Lauren Stephens Launches Aegis x LOE, Aiming for Life Time Grand Prix Success

Gravel, mountain bike and road racing converge for Lauren Stephens as she embarks on her 14th professional season with a newly formed team, Aegis by Leaders of Enchantment (Aegis x LOE). The Texas native will captain the multi-rider road team and, for the first time, have teammates at Life Time Grand Prix races.

After a year with Aegis Cycling Foundation as an off-road privateer and a composite group for road races, Stephens and her husband, Mat Stephens, established Aegis x LOE as a dedicated road team for 2026. The team will debut its novel kits this weekend at the two-day La Primavera in Lago Vista, Texas. Cyclingnews reports that Stephens’ 2025 season was marked by significant achievements, including GC titles at the Tour of the Gila and Tour de Bloom, a win at Levi’s Gran Fondo The Growler road race, and a silver medal at the USPro road race nationals.

Her off-road success included a third US Gravel national title, second place at Big Sugar Gravel, third at SBT GRVL, and fourth on GC at Gravel Burn. “I mean, this has been my dream to start a team,” Stephens told Cyclingnews. “We are a road team, and we are supporting our athletes on gravel and mountain bike.”

Team Structure and Sponsorship

Aegis x LOE has secured commitments for road equipment from ENVE (bikes and wheels) for two years, Shimano (drivetrain), Vittoria (tyres), and Capo (cycling apparel). The team currently has setups for eight riders and will begin the season with Stephens and six others.

Core road riders include U23 athletes Kylee Hanel and Marien Lawson, the lone Canadian, along with Grace Arlandson, Jamie Chapman, and Katey Krisky. Development riders Jocelyn Gamulcek, Kate Rhyne, and 18-year-vintage Natalie Rehklau will likewise be supported.

Off-Road Collective and Key Partnerships

Joining Stephens in the Life Time Grand Prix series will be Emma Langley, the 2022 USPro road race champion. Langley will compete with her own Ventum bikes and DT Swiss/Kenda equipment. VCP Cycling notes that Langley finished second at Crusher in the Tushar and seventh at US Gravel Nationals last year.

Twenty-year-old Kylee Hanel will also compete in the under-23 programme. Should Hanel finish in the U23 top 10 for women after the first two LTGP races, she would earn free entries for the other four series events.

Stephens emphasized the collaborative spirit of the team, stating, “On the off-road side, that’s where Emma Langley comes into things. She has her own personal sponsors, but she’s part of our off-road collective. We’re going to be on different equipment, and we’ll show that we can still be friends and race together.”

Life Time Grand Prix Focus and Team Goals

Stephens sees the partnership with Langley and Hanel as a boost for morale and resource utilization in the Grand Prix series. She will debut her gravel season at The Mid South on March 13 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, followed by a defense of her Rattlesnake Gravel Grind title in Texas. The team’s road racing schedule ramps up in April with the Redlands Cycling Classic and the start of the LTGP campaign at Sea Otter in Monterey on April 16.

The road team’s primary support comes from Aegis Cycling Foundation, a non-profit focused on using cycling as a healing tool for victims of human trafficking. Leaders of Enchantment, who supported Stephens at the Tour of the Gila last year, has become a co-title sponsor.

Lee Whaley, formerly with DNA Pro Cycling, will serve as team manager and advisor. Stephens’ long-term goal is to develop riders and prepare them for racing in Europe. “My goal with this team is to develop riders, teaching them on the road the tactics and the savviness of cycling, to get them over to Europe,” Stephens explained. “And then we’ll race the gravel and mountain bike stuff to get the grit. Place those two things together, and then you get your Europe.”

As VeloNews reports, Stephens joins a blockbuster roster for the 2026 Life Time Grand Prix, alongside mountain bike megastar Keegan Swenson and off-road stalwart Sofia Gomez Villafañe.