The Quad is the first ever professional cycling team to specialize entirely in self-supported ultra-distance bikepacking events and will be officially launched at Spin Cycling Festival this weekend.

The Quad — the first of its kind bikepacking race team — consists of Lee Craigie, Rickie Cotter, Emily Chappell and Paula Regener. It was launched as a part of The Adventure Syndicate, a collective of female cyclists dedicated to inspiring, encouraging and enabling other people to challenge what they think they are capable of.

With the support of title sponsors Leigh Day Cycling, Apidura, Exped and Findra, the team will be racing in some of the most challenging events of the ultra-distance calendar, including the Highland Trail 550, the TransAtlanticWay, and the Tour Divide. They will also remain dedicated to The Adventure Syndicate’s social aims, and are arriving at Spin fresh from a week-long roadshow around the Scottish Highlands and Islands, visiting schools and youth groups, to promote active travel in remote communities.

Adventure Syndicate Race Team, The Quad, Bikepacking
  • Adventure Syndicate Race Team, The Quad, Bikepacking
  • Adventure Syndicate Race Team, The Quad, Bikepacking

To set the tone for their boundary-breaking year ahead, The Quad, together with Leigh Day Cycling, will be hosting a Friday evening discussion panel, on the knotty subject of fear – how it motivates us, how it holds us back, and how it can distort our self-belief if we let it. Joining in the discussion will be London cycling legends Jools Walker and Maria David, alongside adventurers Helen Lloyd and Sarah Outen, none of whom is a stranger to overcoming fears.

Adventure Syndicate Race Team, The Quad, Bikepacking

“Although we’ll be racing at the highest level, there’s so much more to The Quad than just competition,” says team director Lee Craigie, (former British Mountain Bike Champion and member of Team GB). “We believe passionately that everyone has more in them than they realize, if they can just overcome the fears that are holding them back, and we’ll be sharing our own doubts and anxieties throughout our adventures, to demonstrate that no one is fearless, and help people discover their own courage.”

Photos by James Robertson

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