44 ATHLETES NAMED TO TEAM USA FOR MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLDS NEXT MONTH
Colorado Springs, Colo. (August 14, 2017) – USA Cycling announced today the 44 athletes that will represent the United States at the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, September 5-10 in Cairns, Australia.
“I have high hopes of earning medals in cross-country, downhill and 4X at Worlds this year,” said USA Cycling’s Mountain Bike Program Director, Marc Gullickson. “We have an exceptionally strong team with a number of obvious contenders and the depth of our young riders is outstanding.”
Reigning cross-country national champion Howard Grotts (Durango, Colo./Specialized Racing) will headline Team USA in the elite men’s cross-country race. The 2016 Olympian will be joined by number-two in the 2017 Pro XCT rankings, Keegan Swenson (Park City, Utah/Cannondale-3Rox Racing) and by national championship bronze medalist Payson McElveen (Durango, Colo./Team RideBiker). In the elite women’s cross-country, a pair of 2016 Olympians will kit up in the red, white and blue. Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Clif Pro Team), who earned silver at Worlds last year, and Chloe Woodruff (Prescott Ariz./ Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team) will be joined by Americans Erin Huck (Boulder, Colo./Cannondale-3Rox Racing), Rose Grant (Columbia Falls, Mont./Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team) and Alexis Skarda(Grand Junction, CO/Stan’s-Kenda) at the start line.
Well-known strongwoman Kate Courtney (Kentfield, Calif./Specialized Factory Racing) will lead Team USA’s U23 women’s contingent in Australia. With three World Cup wins under her belt so far in 2017, she’ll be one to watch on course. The gold and silver medalists from this year’s national championships - Haley Batten (Park City, Utah/Clif Pro Team) and Hannah Finchamp (Kennewick, Wash./Clif Pro Team) – will also put their wheels to the line for the USA in the U23 women’s event. On the men’s side, reigning U23 national champ and two-time Pro XCT event winner this year, Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo./Axeon Hagens Berman) will race for the USA. He’ll join forces with teammates Luke Vrouwenvelder (Chapel Hill, N.C./Bear Development Team), Sandy Floren(Berkeley, Calif./Bear Development Team), Jerry Dufour (Birmingham, Ala./Bear Development Team), and Cole Paton (Cashmere, Wash./Giant Co-Factory Off-Road Team).
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To stay up-to-date on Team USA’s performances in Cairns, follow @UCIMTBAustralia and #mtbworldscairns on Twitter.
Learn more on the event website or view the schedule here. 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Cairns, Australia – September 5-10, 2017 Team USA Roster Elite Men XCO Howard Grotts (Durango, Colo./Specialized Racing) Payson McElveen (Durango, Colo./Team RideBiker) Keegan Swenson (Park City, Utah/Cannondale-3Rox Racing) Elite Women XCO Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Clif Pro Team) Rose Grant (Columbia Falls, Mont./Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team) Erin Huck (Boulder, Colo./Cannondale-3Rox Racing) Alexis Skarda (Grand Junction, CO/Stan’s-Kenda) Chloe Woodruff (Prescott Ariz./ Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team) U23 Men XCO Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo./Axeon Hagens Berman) Jerry Dufour (Birmingham, Ala./Bear Development Team) Sandy Floren (Berkeley, Calif./Bear Development Team) Cole Paton (Cashmere, Wash./Giant Co-Factory Off-Road Team) Luke Vrouwenvelder (Chapel Hill, N.C./Bear Development Team) U23 Women XCO Haley Batten (Park City, Utah/Clif Pro Team) Kate Courtney (Kentfield, Calif./Specialized Factory Racing) Hannah Finchamp (Kennewick, Wash./Clif Pro Team) Junior Men XCO Gaelen Kilburn (Burlington, VT/Hot Tubes) Connor Patten (Park City, Utah/Summit-Competitive Cyclist MTB Team) Caleb Swartz (Madison, WI/Linear Sport-Trek) Kevin Vermaerke (Rancho Santo Margarita, Calif./Whole Athlete p/b DNA) Calder Wood (Anacortes, Wash./Rad Racing NW) Junior Women XCO Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif./ Bear Development Team) Katja Freeburn (Durango, Colo./ Bear Development Team) Gwendalyn Gibson (Ramona, Calif./NORCO) Ezra Smith (Breckenridge, Colo./ Competitive Cyclist MTB Team) Source usacycling.org: https://www.usacycling.org/44-athletes-named-to-team-usa-for-mountain-bike-worlds-next-month.htm |
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