Velocio Sports announced on Monday that it will cease operation of Velocio-SRAM at the end of the 2015 season. Team owner, Kristy Scrymgeour, has run various iterations of the women’s team since she first partnered with Bob Stapleton at Highroad in 2007. When Stapleton’s program folded, Scrymgeour kept the women’s team alive as Specialized-lululemon. From Specialized-lululemon came Velocio-SRAM. And now, nine years after running women’s teams, Scrymgeour – a former professional cyclist and two-time Australian national champion – says she’s ready for new challenges.

“It’s been a rewarding time,” Scrymgeour said in a team statement. “I’ve enjoyed the challenge and the people we’ve worked with and I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved over the years.”

In the team’s first year as a stand-alone team, Specialized-lululemon won 48 UCI races, including the team time trial at the 2012 World Championships. The team has won an additional 73 races under Scrymgeour’s watch, including two additional team time trial titles. The programme has produced multiple national, European and world champions year-after-year.

“I’ve been lucky to work with people who bring passion and energy to the sport,” said Scrymgeour. “I’ve enjoyed watching them dedicate themselves to the goals of the team first and foremost and their individual goals after that. Together they’ve had tremendous success this year winning the Aviva Women’s Tour, Tour of California, stages wins at the Giro, Thüringen, multiple national titles and more. I’ll continue to cheer them all on in the future years.”

Scrymgeour plans to stay involved in the sport through the Velocio Apparel and Ally’s Bar – companies she co-founded in 2014. And she remains committed to her team and riders for the remainder of the season.

“We still have two months left of exciting racing, and the team is focussed on trying to defend their World TTT Championship title,” said Scrymgeour. “This was a hard decision for me, but I’m announcing early to give the riders a clear opportunity to find other teams for next year. I believe in these riders, and I believe in women’s cycling, and I will continue to advocate for growth in this sport.”

Ella CyclingTips had previously reached out to Scrymgeour and sport director Beth Duryea for comment on the future of the team – and will continue to seek comment from team management and riders for this developing story.