We were thrilled to be able to offer the To Be Developed Grant again this year and it’s great to see the applicant pool keep growing. All the kids are getting so fast, you’re really killing us, smalls (and you’re probably even too young to get that reference).

With this, the third year of operation for the TBD grants, we have now distributed more than $30,000 as part of more than twenty separate grants, all with the goal of supporting youth cycling and growing the sport, especially cyclocross. We plan to continue running the grant program for years to come and if you want to hear more about it, you can listen to TBD’s own Shane Ferro on the CXHairs podcast!

Here’s this year’s recipients.

Euro Cross Academy

Last year, a few members of TBD took part in the great Belgian cyclocross tradition of Kerstperiode and one of our favorite parts was seeing so many of the kids we’d raced against (read: demolished us) out racing in ECA kit at some of the biggest professional races.

EuroCrossAcademy (ECA) is a highly regarded cyclocross student-athlete development program, based both in the U.S. and in Europe. Founded by Geoff Proctor in 2003 and now a non-profit 501(c)(3), ECA trains aspiring, young student-athletes, ages 14-20, through summer domestic preparation camps and European competition opportunities.

They focus on long-term, holistic development through both a character-driven curriculum and a process-to-performance philosophy.

Sequentially, ECA provides a critical experiential step in the cyclocross development pathway, from domestic racing to international competition. In this way, ECA acts as a bridge to, potentially, the national team and U23 and professional opportunities.

ECA’s overarching charge is to use the forum of bike racing to teach valuable life-skills and cultivate a spirit of giving back that student-athletes can then apply to their professional and community lives. Through this process, ECA encourages its alumni to act as life-long participants, ambassadors, and advocates for cycling sport.

ECA is committed to a culture where all student-athletes, coaches, and personnel feel deep meaning, a strong sense of purpose, and a high level of joy. ECA’s programs are open to all applicants, regardless of race or gender, who demonstrate a regional/national competitive cyclocross level, and who are focused on the long-game: preparation + relationship-building over time = best outcome.

Find out more about ECA on their website and follow them on Instagram!

More Than Racing

Now in their second year, MTR has built a solid core of riders and have had some serious success at USCX races like Rochester. We’re excited to follow the rest of their season.

There are great programs in existence today that support the sport of cycling in the community. However, there is a gap between the beginner and elite racing tiers. We want to provide the opportunity for continued growth that helps those that are making the jump from the beginner/early development to elite racing teams. That is where ‘More Than Racing’ comes in.

Why is it called ‘More Than Racing’? What is the goal of this team? This is a question that needed to be answered before the name even existed. At the end of the season, the race, the day, there is one thing we can all agree on - that being a good human is most important. Riding bikes and racing is a conduit to learning life lessons, building camaraderie, and creating a community of inclusion, growth, and opportunity. When all is said and done, being a good human that promotes healthy competition helps set the stage for everything else that follows.

Why is it important to fill this gap and what do we have to offer? Cycling is expensive to get into and hard to stay on top of, with coaching, equipment, and travel being just a few of those pieces. We want to lower that barrier as much as possible by offering more support through equipment sharing and buying opportunities, coaching plans to guide each individual's growth towards their goals, and traveling support to regional and national events.

You can find out more on their website and follow them on Instagram.

Vulcan

Look, we might be biased here since Vulcan was started by a long-time TBD member, but watching Vulcan grow since it’s first season has been so much fun and we love seeing new devo teams that help develop healthy competition between young riders in our region.

Vulcan Cycling is a youth off road cycling team based in New York & New Jersey. The team was formed in the winter of 2024/25 by a group of families who met racing cyclocross together and wanted to create an off road youth cycling team that required no monetary commitment, but still offered a great bike racing experience. We offer clinics, group rides and race support that come with a "choose your own adventure" style time commitment for young riders looking to enter and grow in the sport. The goal was to add another, differentiated option to round out the fantastic roster of tri-state junior bike racing teams with a new welcoming and supportive setting, whether a cyclist is just looking for a race tent with friendly faces or support to compete at Nationals.

Going into the fall of 2026 we have grown to 12 riders ranging from 8 to 16 years old, racing everything from the 9/10 junior fields to some of the more elite open fields. You will find our racers at weekly training races like Otto's in Hillsborough, NJ, all the local races like Bubblecross and Pineapple Crush Cross and especially larger races like Charm City in Baltimore and even Nationals in Arkansas.

In 2025, our team won multiple cyclocross and short track XC state championships as well as two top ten finishes at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships in Fayetteville, AR!

We hope people come to our tent to say hi as we are always looking to add riders who align with our goals. And we are incredibly appreciative of TBD for the grant to help us launch and continue our mission!

You can find out more on their website and follow them on Instagram.

NJCX

What can we say about NJCX that we haven’t said before? We have watched so many of them develop as racers and competitors since they were little Belgians. I’m sure there is video evidence of us absolutely losing our minds and our voices cheering for former and current NJCX riders in Belgium.

At 10 years old, NJCX Project is New Jersey’s premier developmental cyclocross racing program for juniors ages 8 through high school. We create a fun, professional, and competitive environment that supports athletes from their first cyclocross race through international competition.

Growth has always been central to our mission. We believe our knowledge, resources, skills, and reach must continually evolve. Through our recruiting efforts within NJ NICA, we’ve connected with a growing group of South Jersey racers who want to join NJCX.

This is more than a geographic expansion. It’s an opportunity to fulfill the promise we made from day one: to give young cyclists across New Jersey access to exceptional coaching, meaningful competition, and a community that believes in them.

For ten years, we’ve encouraged our athletes to embrace difficult courses, uncertain conditions, setbacks, and new experiences—because that’s where growth happens. Now, we must challenge ourselves in the same way. We’ll travel farther, build new partnerships, recruit coaches and volunteers, and develop programming for a larger region while strengthening the culture that makes NJCX special: competing fiercely, supporting one another unconditionally, and measuring success by more than podium finishes.

If we do this well, more young people will discover cycling, more families will join our community, and more athletes will develop confidence, resilience, leadership, and lifelong friendships.

To every athlete, parent, coach, volunteer, sponsor, and supporter who helped build NJCX: thank you. Everything we’ve accomplished over the past decade belongs to you.

Our first ten years established who we are. The next ten will reveal what we’re capable of becoming.

Learn more on the NJCX Project website and follow us on Instagram. And while you’re at it, pick up a pair of the Challenge/NJCX collab anniversary blue tires.

Shark River Devo

We might sounds like a broken record, but Shark River Devo has not only developed some serious talent, but are generous with their time, their tent, and their mechanic. We have loved tearing around their local trails with them, even as it gets harder and harder for us to keep up. We can’t wait to see what they do this year.

Shark River Devo is a Junior and U23 cycling race team from Monmouth County, NJ. Our mission is to create opportunities for youth athletes to develop a passion for cycling, improve riding skills, and create a supportive and fun team atmosphere; preparing them to thrive in competitive races. In a small team setting, the athletes receive individualized attention, and work with each other to improve their skill set in an open learning environment.

We offer two programs to grow and support our athletes. Our Cyclocross Foundations program is designed for riders new to cyclocross looking to learn the essential skills needed to succeed in beginner-level racing. The 365 Performance program is for advanced Junior or U23 cyclists looking to elevate their development and racing year-round.

Though we're race-focused, we're also committed to being active in our cycling community. We believe cycling is for everyone and aim to share our experiences and time to help others fuel their passion—creating an inclusive environment for all. This ethos is integral in building a strong and lasting community that provides opportunities for all cyclists.

Shark River Devo is a New Jersey non-profit organization and a federally recognized 501(c)(3) charity.

Learn more about Shark River Devo on their website and follow their season on Instagram.

Terra Cycling Junior Team

An offshoot of a local NICA team in North Carolina, Terra cycling is a team for 8 - 14 year-olds getting into cyclocross. The goal is simple: teach kids that cyclocross is fun, and ensure it is fun by developing a group of riders who enjoy riding and racing together. Cyclocross is a team sport!

Grasshopper Race

The Grasshopper Kids Race is a low key mountain bike race for kindergarten through 8th grade kids, held in Cedar Grove, NJ. After a one year hiatus the 2025 Grasshopper Kids Race returned on September 6, 2025 and the response was overwhelming. The goal of the Grasshopper Race is to provide a safe and welcoming, but also challenging, environment for kids to bridge the gap between the simple Little Belgians cyclocross races and the challenging middle / high school courses of NICA. Here’s a short note about the 2026 event from one of the organizers (and we hope to bring you more because this is really what it’s about!)

We had 80 kids show up to the race this year!!!!! Mostly K-3rd graders. I just wanted to extend a special thanks to all of you and to the TBD grant. This race is so special to the community and to see it grow each year is very exciting!

A little girl (kindergarten) who won her field asked me if when she is old enough can she help with the race. She also said when she is big enough she wants to come bike race the big races with us.

I NEEDED to share the joy of what your support allows us to pass on to the next generation. SO cool to see all these young kids who wanted to race. The support really alleviated any concerns over cost on our end and showed us how much people care about supporting kids racing in the area.Thank you!