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Zach Bell will return to Team SmartStop next season.

The 31-year-old cyclist from Watson Lake will lead a 13-man roster unveiled earlier this week.

Bell is the captain of the team, which turned heads on the UCI Professional Continental circuit last season.

鈥淚t was a good season, but it was a little bit of an unfinished project at this point,鈥濃�圔ell told the Star. 鈥淲e did some really good things, but I don鈥檛 think we fully realized the potential of the team.

鈥淲e went from being a bottom-of-the-market team to really one of the best teams in North America to be on.鈥�

Bell did explore other opportunities before making his decision, but said the returning core means SmartStop will remain competitive in 2015.

鈥淪ince they were able to keep the vast majority of the guys, for me, that was the big incentive,鈥� the Yukoner admitted.

鈥淚鈥坘ind of waited to sign until we knew what the group was going to look like.鈥�

SmartStop director Michael Creed said the return of Bell is crucial to the team鈥檚 success next season.

鈥淶ach is the centrepiece of our team,鈥� Creed said. 鈥淲hen I hired Zach for 2014, I didn鈥檛 expect to get what he provided. I thought I was going to get someone with experience, speed and a level head. And while I鈥坓ot all that, I also got possibly the greatest team captain in the sport.鈥�

Bell鈥檚 vast experience allows him to speak with authority, Creed said. He quickly earned the respect of his teammates and keeps the team level-headed and on point during races.

鈥淪ometimes, when riders take on the captain鈥檚 role, they also lose ambition and desire for their own results,鈥� Creed added.

鈥淟uckily for us, Zach is a true professional and is often the go-to rider for that day鈥檚 stage. I鈥坈ouldn鈥檛 be happier to have him back on board.鈥�

Creed hopes to put Bell in a position to win a UCI race next season.

Bell said working with Creed has been 鈥渙ne of the best professional relationships鈥� in his career.

鈥淚f things stay good, I could happily ride out the rest of my career with Creed for sure,鈥� he said.

Other members of Team SmartStop for 2015 include: Rob Britton, Chris鈥圔utler, Kristofer Dahl, Flavio De Luna, Even Huffman, Shane Kline, Jure Kocjan, Julian Kyer, Travis Livermon, Eric Marcotte, Travis McCabe and Bobby Sweeting.

Marcotte is the current U.S. champion, while Butler, Huffman, and Sweeting are new additions.

Terms of Bell鈥檚 one-year deal were not disclosed.

Next month, he plans to visit the territory for the Sport Yukon awards night and to work on his Zach Bell Rural Youth Sport Initiative.