In only its second year as a domestic elite team, Best Buddies Racing has emerged as a consistent contender on the American road racing scene. Dressed in lime green kits, the riders will clash with L39ON, the Los Angeles criterium champions.

Last weekend at the Birmingham Hammerfest in Birmingham, Alabama, which kicked off the criterium racing season in the U.S., Best Buddies Racing put Alfredo Rodriguez, the high-profile winner of the L39LION of Los Angeles Justin Williams one step below him on the podium, while Michael Hernandez finished fourth. The two then jumped in the car with Brian Gomez and headed 10 hours to Florida for the Chain of Lakes Cycling Classic, where they quickly swept the podium.

"What I'm aiming for is the good guys fighting the Legion of Doom," Craven told Cycling News with a laugh. I know everyone on their team, and I say hi to Justin, and L39ON has put together a great program."

"I enjoy racing competitively and the drama. I love a good motorcycle race. It's fun to watch and fun to participate in." [Craven spent more than eight years as manager of various Hincapie Racing teams before the Hincapie Racing team disbanded two years ago. After a long hiatus from formal work with road teams, Craven took the reins of Miami-based Best Buddies Racing.

Craven, who competed professionally for Schwinn and the 7-Eleven team in the 1990s, said he "can't shake off the cycling virus completely" and agreed to help Best Buddies Racing for 2022.

"Last year I followed the race via live stream and attended several events. Personally, the Best Buddies team had a number of guys who used to run for me [at Hincapie Racing]," he said of Ben Wolfe, Ruben Compagnioi, and Brian Gomez.

"So during the season I was watching the races and asking them what the hell happened, why I didn't win, this and that. And they followed up with me. And then at the end of the year, Mike Hernandez contacted me a couple of times and said it would be cool to be involved with them again for 2022."

Hernandez, who raced in Ebolo for three years, including the 2019 U23 U.S. Criterium National Championships, earned 20 podium finishes last year; the 25-year-old has since moved to Miami in 2020 to join Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver's He explained that he met his son, Best Buddies International founder Anthony Shriver, and an elite team was born.

"Anthony himself is a big cyclist. At the end of the day, he raised money for the Best Buddies mission and offered the opportunity to use the team and the wins to spread awareness," explained Hernandez, who managed the majority of the team in its first year in addition to racing.

"As a bike racer and manager, the daily time consumption was daunting for me last year. Thomas has the knowledge. His organization on logistics, his experience in dealing with racers of different ages and backgrounds, and the way he develops and conducts races is good for this team. His personality is very laid back, but at the same time very solid.

"I have always been a fan of the game of bike racing, the game of chess, and he is a very good player. He brings a lot to the table both on and off the bike. He likes to speak his mind, but I appreciate his experienced opinion," Hernandez added about his new boss.

Craven hopes that this season all riders will focus solely on racing and race strategy and not be distracted by logistics and sponsorship. It also relieved his disappointment in standing on one side of the fence and just peeking over. The team finished 2021 as the top team in the USA CRITS series, and Danny Summerhill was the men's lap leader.

"Going into 2022, we can make things happen that will expand our chances of winning on the race course. Last year, one team was so dominant. I mean, it's great that the race is back, but it's a shame that it was so one-sided," he said, noting that L39LION had 75 wins last season, most of them in criteriums, including wins for men and women. [But] we had the advantage in Birmingham and could have won if only we hadn't made a few mistakes. Everyone is great and my partners are great. It's going to work out.

"We've built our team around criteriums. We have people we've worked with in the past, people we've raced against in the past, and some new people we don't know at all. I don't think we can add or subtract any more. It's a work in progress, that's for sure."

He said the team's focus this year will be on the 10 American Criterium Cup titles, which offer a total of $100,000 in prize money and support, split equally between the elite men and women. The series kicks off on April 9 at the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama. Hernandez was runner-up in the event last year, and Best Buddies Racing has added men's champion Tanner Ward to its roster.

He noted that as director since late January, he has two main jobs for his team: "To race and to go home." One year at the Tour of the Gila, Hincapie's team lost six bikes in one day and four the next day. So while he is cautious with his equipment this time of year, he is not without talent.

"It's hard to have everything in place at this time of year, like equipment, and it limits your ability to choose wheels, frames, and everything else. I don't think we have the equipment to do many races outside of criteriums. Jo Martin (stage race) is the only stage race in the US," Craven added.

From March 30-April 3, the team will travel to Panama to compete in the Classica Panama RPC, a four-day omnium race where now-retired Best Buddies Racing's Travis McCabe won two stages and the GC last season. Danny Estevez, who won two stages in Butcher Box Cycling, is on this year's Best Buddies roster.