Canyon-SRAM announced Friday that its roster for the 2020 season is nearly complete and has signed 15 riders. In a team press release, coach Ronnie Lauke noted that the team boasts the youngest average age of the top UCI women's teams for 2019 and has focused on building a team of talented and passionate riders with a mix of youth and experience.

"When we started building this group in 2016, we specifically wanted to hire young riders who have shown occasional results but who we felt had more potential than their current results. We wanted to give them time," Lauke said.

"This was made possible by the support of our partners and their faith in us during a time when things were not going well. This kind of sponsorship is rare. Thank you to all."

Canyon-SRAM was formed in 2016 from the previous T-Mobile, Team Columbia, HTC-Highroad, Specialized-lululemon and Velocio-SRAM. Co-title partners Canyon and SRAM have already extended their partnership with the team beyond 2020.

Canyon-SRAM is one of eight teams applying to be part of the top level of women's racing in 2020. The new two-tier team system, which includes a world team and a continental team, is part of a new reform of women's professional cycling that will begin next year.

Ale BTC Ljubljana, CCC-Liv, FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope, Mitchelton Scott, Movistar Team Women, Team Sunweb, and Trek Segafredo will join the highest ranked teams.

The teams have already announced the return of several players who signed multi-year contracts in previous seasons, including Tiffany Cromwell and Hannah Barnes. Last year's Zwift Academy winner Ella Harris will also return.

They include returning teammates Alena Amialusik, Alice Burns, Elena Cecchini, Tanya Ellas, mountain bike world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Rotem Gafinowitz, Lisa Klein, Hannah Ludwig and will be joined by Kasia Nieviadoma, Krista Riffel, Alexis Ryan, and Omer Shapira.

The 2020 roster will total 16 riders, with the final riders to be announced after the 2019 Canyon-SRAM Zwift Academy finals, which begin today at the team's training camp in Malaga, Spain.

"The goal is to compete for the number one spot," Lauke said. I believe the team is ready to take on that challenge. The last four seasons have had their ups and downs, but each time they have bonded.

"I believe a solid foundation has been built between them based on trust and growing experience. They have experienced many failures, but they have also experienced many good things. We want to capitalize on that even more."

This year, Canyon-SRAM won the Amstel Gold Race, the Healthy Aging Tour, and the BeNe Ladies Tour, as well as stage wins in the OVO Energy Women's Tour and Giro Rosa.

Lauke is realistic about the roster's capabilities, but is confident that the team can also achieve its 2020 goals.

"Our goal is 20+ wins next season, with a higher percentage of those wins coming from World Tour wins.

"We want to be smart, confident, efficient, and a team effort going into each and every bike race. Overall, we aim to be the dominant force in every race and the least uncomfortable competitor possible."

"We may not be the strongest in the high mountains, but we will be highly competitive in whatever else the terrain requires in this sport. In those disciplines and races, we want to create situations where tactics are unpredictable.

"This requires riders to work with each other in any race situation, which I believe has already been defined and fine-tuned in past seasons.

The 2020 Canyon-SRAM roster: Alena Amialyshik (Belarus), Alice Barnes (UK), Hannah Barnes (UK), Elena Cecchini (Italy), Tiffany Cromwell (Australia), Tanya Ellas (Germany ), Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (France), Rotem Gafinowitz (Israel), Ella Harris (New Zealand), Lisa Klein (Germany), Hannah Ludwig (Germany), Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland), Krista Riffel (Germany), Alexis Ryan (USA), Omer Shapira (Israel).