According to a recent announcement from the Canyon media centre, a significant new team is hitting the off-road racing scene. Global bicycle brand Canyon, in partnership with long-time partner DT Swiss, has unveiled Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing, affectionately nicknamed "The Wildcards." This new professional off-road racing team is designed to embrace the evolving nature of modern cycling, moving beyond the confines of single disciplines.
Comprising 13 riders from five nationalities, the team embodies a discipline-free approach to off-road performance. They will tackle a wide spectrum of events, from gravel and ultra-endurance to cyclocross and marathon mountain biking. The core philosophy centres on adaptability, allowing riders to pursue performance across diverse surfaces and distances, reflecting how top athletes like Mathieu van der Poel and Puck Pieterse already compete. The diverse roster includes names such as Bradyn Lange, Carolin Schiff, Jasper Ockeloen, Mathijs Loman, Alex McCormack, and Juri Hollmann. The team will be managed by Vincent Durand.
The team's 2026 season is set to kick off at Santa Vall, Girona, participating in the opening round of the UCI Gravel World Series. Main objectives for the season include major gravel events like The Traka and Unbound. Ultra-endurance riders such as Alex McCormack and Marei Moldenhauer will also target longer distances like Unbound XL and Traka 560, before heading into multi-day off-road challenges like Tour Divide and the Mountain Races.
For equipment, the team will primarily use a range of Canyon Factory Racing (CFR) bikes, with the Grail CFR serving as the main all-terrain machine. For ultra-endurance and marathon mountain bike races, riders will opt for Canyon MTBs such as the Exceed CFR or Lux World Cup CFR. All bikes will feature top-of-the-line DT Swiss wheels, and the Grail CFR will have the option of a specific DT Swiss F 132 ONE gravel suspension fork. Shimano provides premium components, including DURA-ACE, XTR, and the gravel-specific GRX groupsets, all with Di2 electronic shifting. The team's distinctive kit is supplied by Ryzon.
Beyond competition, Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing will also function as a rolling R&D test lab for Canyon and its material partners. This initiative aims to integrate product development closer to racing, with experienced gravel privateer Pete Stetina playing a key role in linking rider needs with engineering. The team's core philosophy is simple: "fast goes anywhere."
Source: Canyon Media Centre