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END OF AN ERA 鈥 Yukon cyclist Zach Bell races for Team SmartStop at the Tour of Utah last month. The professional cycling team disbanded after last week鈥檚 Tour of Alberta. Photo courtesy of JONATHAN DEVICH/epicimages.us

Bell unsure of future after Team SmartStop folds

Two-time Yukon Olympian Zach Bell isn鈥檛 sure where his bicycle wheels will take him next season.

By Marcel Vander Wier on September 9, 2015

Two-time Yukon Olympian Zach Bell isn鈥檛 sure where his bicycle wheels will take him next season.

The 32-year-old professional road cyclist saw his team disband this week following the Tour of Alberta.

Bell has served as captain for upstart Team SmartStop during the last two seasons.

The UCI鈥圕ontinental team based out of North Carolina lost its title sponsor for the 2016 season.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the end of a really good program,鈥濃圔ell told the Star from Calgary yesterday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 sad to see it go, for sure.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a special quality to certain programs ... and that鈥檚 the case here. To see it go away is going to be detrimental to the North American scene and the developmental scene.鈥

On Monday, team director Michael Creed told Cyclingnews.com that the squad has been unable to nail down a title sponsor for next season and would not return.

鈥淭here is an outside chance, and I鈥檓 still working on things,鈥濃圕reed told the website. 鈥淏ut I think that it鈥檚 only fair for the riders and the staff to let them know that there is nothing.

鈥淚f the team continues, it won鈥檛 be in its current form,鈥 he added.

鈥淲hile I am hopeful, it鈥檚 better to say that this team as we know it is over.鈥

The team first announced its troubles in July, when the sale of SmartStop Self Storage to Extra Space Storage Inc. resulted in a non-renewal of the team鈥檚 cycling contract.

Ultimately, the team was unable to find a new title sponsor.

Last year, Bell excelled in the program though this season was a struggle as he found himself continually sapped for energy, even sitting out the month of May.

In four years, Team SmartStop won four national championship titles, among other highlights.

Last season, Bell capped the team鈥檚 year with a win at the Thompson Bucks County Classic in Pennsylvania 鈥 a victory he dedicated to his late son.

Bell lauded Creed for his dedication and vision for Team SmartStop.

鈥淗e told us: We were all a group of guys that no one else was willing to bet on. Everyone had given up on us at athletes. And we came together and not only had an impact 鈥 we actually forced them all to up their game,鈥 Bell said of Creed鈥檚 closing message for the team at the Tour of Alberta, where Team SmartStop finished 11th overall in classification rankings.

鈥淭hat attitude permeated down through the whole culture of the team,鈥濃圔ell said. 鈥淎nd we had athletes that were open and willing to buy into that.鈥

The team鈥檚 upheaval leaves Bell without a club next year. He admitted his cycling future is up in the air.

鈥淚鈥檝e been working on a lot of different projects that I鈥檝e been directing more and more attention to,鈥 he said, including Northern Lytes, a project supporting youth in the territory.

鈥淩ight now, I鈥檓 in a position where I鈥坵ant to be a part of a program like (SmartStop). One that has some meaning, one that has some structure and some guys with some really good potential that I can help to excel in the sport,鈥濃圔ell said.

鈥淚鈥檓 not just going to throw my line in and fish for a paycheque.鈥

The two-time national champion said he has drawn interest from teams, but 鈥渋t remains to be dealt with.鈥

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