New American Cycling Team Wins First Race in Europe

Modern Adventure Pro Cycling — the new American road cycling team debuting in 2026 — won its first race in Europe on Tuesday.

Ben Oliver won a rain-soaked bunch kick in stage 2 at the 47th Ethias-Tour de Wallonie, a 2.Pro race in Belgium. American racer Riley Sheehan (NSN Pro Cycling) crossed the line third.

“We were chasing stage wins this week and to get that on the second stage after a close day yesterday with fourth,” Oliver said. “The boys had my back all day. Me and Riley were in a good position for the sprint then him and Paul got me out of trouble with 1500m to go. We got the job done – a wicked day for the team.”

The win carries broader significance for American cycling.

Modern Adventure is the first major U.S.-backed elite men’s team with serious European ambitions in more than a decade.

The victory is a milestone for the U.S.-backed cycling team that’s been steadily making inroads across Europe all spring.

After a string of close calls and high-profile race invitations, including Paris-Roubaix, the team won its first pro race as a team at the Tour of the Gila in May.

“So happy for the guys. So happy for the organization. We’ve been telling the team for months to commit to each other, commit to the plans, commit to being a team, and results will follow,” said Modern Adventure sport director Ty Magner. “From day one in AlUla the guys showed what was possible, and it’s only taken six months to take our biggest win in Europe.”

Tuesday’s win in a top-ranked European race underscores how quickly the team has developed since ex-pro George Hincapie and his co-founders launched the program this season.

First European win for new American team

It is also the first professional win for Oliver, 29, of New Zealand. With time bonuses, he moves into the overall leader’s jersey.

“I’m also just extremely happy for Ben. This time last year he was racing crits in the States, and for him to have these opportunities now is one reason this team was founded,” Magner said. “A bike racer will always be a bike racer. We’ll enjoy this one!”

The team will be racing to defend the lead and have another shot at a win in Wednesday’s 176.9km third stage from Habay to Vaux-sur-Sûre.

It won’t be easy. The stage is a hilly profile across the Belgian Ardennes, with four rated climbs, including a first-category climb midway through the stage. The stage finishes on a circuit with a tricky finale at 2.9km at 2.4 percent.

Corbin Strong (NSN Pro Cycling) is defending champion and Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) won here in 2021. Neither are racing here this week.

The team will be busy this month racing at the Tour of Slovenia (June 17-21) as well as nationals in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain in June.

Tour de Wallonie stage 2 results