We're all team Winston-Salem. But now there's officially Team Winston-Salem — a new professional cycling team headquartered here in the Twin City.

In the saddle

A group of local cycling enthusiasts got together to make it a reality. In an announcement Jan. 8, Team Director Jon Hamblen said the Twin City's reputation for ideal training and competing conditions played a major role in creating the team.

“The diverse road surfaces and the terrain of the region helps us attract elite cycling athletes from around the globe," Hamblen said. "Team Winston-Salem isn’t here to just play nice—we’re here to train hard, leave our marks where we compete and bring trophies back home.”

Male and female professional cyclists from around the country have joined the sports group, including Winston-Salem native Will Hardin. The team will be made up of 30 riders.

The team is already gearing up for competition. They'll head to Greenville, SC (Hey, GVLtoday) in February for their first event. You can see the team at home in March during the Wake Forest Road Race, and in May during the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic (aka Gears & Guitars). In all, the team plans to compete in more than 30 races during their first season.

All roads lead home

The city's legacy of cycling includes hosting the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic and being designated as a Bicycle Friendly Community in 2013. Jonathan Kelly, who serves as one of the team's organizers, said selling Winston-Salem as a great place to live, work, and play will be an important team goal as they hit the road.

“With the support of Flow Automotive and others sponsors, we were able to make Winston-Salem very prominent in our name as part of our mission to promote the city and region while we’re in other parts of the country.”

Team members, community supporters, and city leaders will gather Thursday, Jan. 9 to celebrate the team launch. You can show your support by purchasing merch online through Friday, Jan. 31.