USA Cycling is expected to officially announce the retirement of President and CEO Rob DeMartini later this week. The Sports Business Journal (opens in new tab) reports that after three years at the helm of the federation, DeMartini will move to Purple Innovation, a mattress and comfort products manufacturer, where he will serve as both CEO and director.

DeMartini has worked for several consumer goods companies, including Procter & Gamble, and was president and CEO of New Balance, a global apparel and footwear company with 8,200 employees and more than $4 billion in sales, for more than a decade, giving USA Cycling a brand He brings to USA Cycling a long history of leadership.

In another move by the U.S. governing body, it announced six days ago that it has hired Erica Lehman as chief marketing officer. She replaces Matt Heitmann, who served as CMO for only a few months this summer.

DeMartini faced a year in which even the National Championships schedule was canceled due to health restrictions caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus.

When events began to resume in the spring of this year, he became embroiled in controversy related to the state of Arkansas and its legislature's stance on anti-transgender legislation that many see as an attack on the LGBTQ community. Arkansas became the third state in the nation, along with Tennessee and Mississippi, to sign a law prohibiting transgender girls and women from participating in school sports according to their gender identity.

It is unclear whether Arkansas' new law will affect the UCI-sanctioned mountain bike races to be held in the state in March and the road and cyclocross races scheduled for later in the year, and USA Cycling has been under pressure from its members to address the situation. In an interview with Singletracks.com, USA Cycling CEO Rob Demartini did not support the boycott and later stated on social media that his comments were "poorly worded by me and do not reflect USA Cycling's position."

During his tenure with USA Cycling, DeMartini formed the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in January 2020 to expand grassroots participation in the sport of cycling.