The group of eight young road racers was selected by Giant and Team Kern Pharma to be part of the 2025 Grassroots program, which kicked off its third year with a two-week training camp in Spain.
This year’s Grassroots team looks to build on the success of past years. Earlier this year, one of the 2024 participants, Daniel Yip from Hong Kong, won the Junior Men’s race at the 2025 Asian Road Cycling Championships in Thailand.
“It’s exciting to see our Grassroots program continue to grow and evolve,” said Giant Group CEO Phoebe Liu. “We’re starting to see the results of our efforts to offer riders from different parts of the world an opportunity they might not otherwise have. With the help of Team Kern Pharma and their world class coaching staff, these riders now have a chance to reach their highest potential.”
This year, 58 riders applied for the program. The information of those riders—including their ages and power profiles—was then submitted to Team Kern Pharma coaches, who evaluated them in collaboration with Giant sales companies around the world, and narrowed the list down to the group of eight for the first camp.
In the next phase, three or four of the eight riders attending the training camp will be selected to ride with Team Kern Pharma’s amateur development squad, Team Finisher, at select races later this year.
“The Grassroots program is a unique tool that allows us to share our cycling culture around the world,” said Team Kern Pharma general manager Juanjo Oroz. “Talent knows no borders, and through this program we strive to offer equal opportunities to riders from different backgrounds.”
The eight riders chosen for the 2025 Grassroots program include:
- Junu Jang, 17, Korea
- Mads Schulz Jørgensen, 19, Denmark
- Will Mitchell, 17, Great Britain
- Thanapat Sakuntae, 17, Thailand
- Gordon Tsang, 17, Hong Kong
- Huang Wei-Cheng, 18, Taiwan
- Junjie Wu, 22, China
- Ye Syuan You, 20, Taiwan
The first camp of the year was held June 1-14 in Pamplona, Spain. The setup was similar to a pro team training camp, with nutritionists, massage therapists and team management on hand. The riders trained on a variety of terrain, from flat roads to big mountain climbs. They were put through a battery of tests and practiced specific workouts including technical skills and team time trials.
Based on their performances and potential, as evaluated by team coaches, three or four riders will move on to the next phase of the program—a chance to train and race with the Team Finisher team later this year. From there, one or two riders can earn a chance to continue rising through the ranks and race with Team Finisher, with the ultimate goal of making it to the Kern Pharma UCI ProTeam squad in the future.
For more on the Giant Grassroots program, visit our teams and riders page here.
