Grotts delivers a USA Cycling first

The Union Cycliste Internationale Mountain Bike World Cup series made its first stop of the year on American soil in Windham, N.Y. The riders from USA Cycling's National Development Program took the opportunity to defend their home turf and produced stellar results.

MOUNTAIN BIKE

Howard Grotts became the first-ever American to win a junior men's cross-country World Cup by winning at Windham. (Photos by Rob Jones, www.CanadianCyclist.com)

A contingent of riders from USA Cycling's National Development Program contested the Union Cycliste Internationale Mountain Bike World Cup in Windham, N.Y.

After Mountain Bike and Cyclo-Cross Program Director Marc Gullickson last week expressed hope that the team would improve its results with a World Cup held on American soil, the riders largely delivered.

In the junior men's cross-country race, Howard Grotts (Durango, Colo./Durango Development) became the first-ever American to win a junior men's cross-country World Cup, finishing in 1:10:50. Keegan Swenson (Park City, Utah/Whole Athlete-Specialized) placed fifth in the same race, 2:39 behind Grotts. Ryan Standish (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) became the third American rider in the top 10, placing eighth. Casey Williams (Big Bear City, Calif.) and Tyler Coplea (Fountain, Ariz./AZ Devo) placed 12th and 13th while Payson McElveen (Austin, Texas) was 16th. Nathaniel Williams (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Connor Bell (Harrisonburg, Va./Gripped Racing) were 20th and 21st.

"Howard's win is a significant for our program not only because of the way he won but also because we have worked toward this goal since the junior World Cup races were introduced,” Gullickson said. “It's great to see an American jersey on the top step of a World Cup Cross-Country podium again."

AliciaRose Pastore placed second in the junior women's cross-country race at Windham. (Photos by Rob Jones, www.CanadianCyclist.com)

In the junior women's cross-country race, AliciaRose Pastore (Durango, Colo./Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory DEVO Sweet Elite) finished second and Alexis Ryan (Ventura, Calif./THE TEAM-SoCalCross) placed fourth.

In the men's U23 cross-country contest, Thomas Sampson (Plymouth, N.H.) placed 23rd. Seamus Powell (Round Top, N.Y.) finished 27th, Pete Ostroski (Intervale, N.H./Wild Things-Rocky Mountain) was 29th, Zachary Valdez (Hemet, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized) was 34th and Noah Tautfest (Northfield, Vt./Bicycle Express-Kona) was two laps down.

In the women's U23 cross-country race, Erica Zaveta (Erwinna, Pa./BMC Mountain Bike Development Team USA) placed 15th.

COMING UP

The following group of six women will represent USA Cycling at the Tour of Bretagne-Feminin, a road race in France from July 14-17:

Kaitlin Antonneau (Racine, Wisc./Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12)
Jackie Crowell (Maitland, Fla./Team Type 1 Development)
Ashley James (Dousman, Wisc./Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder)
Cinthia Lehner (Greer, S.C.)
Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif./Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12)
Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif./VRC-NOW MS Society)

The following of six riders will represent USA Cycling at the U23 Tour of Liege, a five-day race in Belgium from July 18-22:

Adam Liebowitz (Indianapolis, Ind./OUCH Pro Cycling)
Eamon Lucas (Pacific Grove, Calif./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)
Ty Magner (Athens, Ga./Team Type 1 Development)
Conor O'Leary (Belt, Mont./Montana Junior Cycling Foundation)
Tanner Putt (Roswell, Ga./Team Type 1 Development)
Mike Stone (Monroe, Ga./Hincapie Development)

The following five riders will attend a European Race Camp for 15-16-year-old riders under the tutelage of Jon Heidemann:

Grayson Brookshire (Hendersonville, N.C./DIY Music p/b Asheville Youth Cycling)
Noah Granigan (Cape May, N.J./Specialized-Rising STARS p/b Bicycling)
Zeke Mostov (San Francisco, Calif./San Jose Bicycle Club)
Philip O'Donnell (Suwanee, Ga./Team Specialized Racing)
Matthew Valencia (Los Altos, Calif./Team Specialized Racing)

CAMPS

Track cyclists are invited to attend USA Cycling’s Summer Sprint Camp, Sept. 5–13 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The instructional clinic is open to all riders under the age of 25 wishing to improve their sprinting on the track.

Space is limited and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information contact Jamie Staff.

From July 25-28 at Carroll College in Helena, Mont., Geoff Proctor will hold a Cyclo-cross development camp for selected riders. The camp is designed to work on skills, technique, training and set short-term as well as long-range goals.

Proctor is a top-level coach and a member of the Union Cycliste Internationale Cyclo-cross commission who served as coach for U23 and Junior World Championship teams from 2002-11.

"This camp is designed to provide transitional training and mental refreshment in a non-competitive, but focused environment," Proctor said. "We will start the day with early morning conditioning, then move to morning cyclo-cross skill development, and follow up with afternoon training group rides. We will be doing some beautiful rides in and around the Continental Divide in addition to our drills on a scenic cyclo-cross circuit in the foothills above Helena.

"At this summer camp, we will not be doing formal testing or racing. Other than the friendly contests that come out of our training together, our emphasis will be on the big picture."

The riders expected to attend the camp are:

Stephen Bassett (Knoxville, Tenn./Micro Metals-Bike Zoo-Sunspot)
Landen Beckner (Helena, Mont./Montana Velo)
Tyler Coplea (Fountain, Ariz./AZ Devo)
Jordan Cullen (Hudson, Wisc./Minneapolis Bicycle Racing Club-Flanders)
Drew Dillman (Fairdale, Ky./Red Zone Cycling)
Spencer Downing (Boulder, Colo./Horizon Organic-Panache Elite Cycling)
John Francisco (Louisville, Ky./Red Zone Cycling)
Zane Godby (Louisville, Colo./Clif Bar Development Cross Team)
Cypress Gorry (Payson, Ariz./AZ Devo)
Luke Haley (Louisville, Ky./Prochain Cycling)
Ian Haupt (Whitefish Bay, Wisc./Planet Bike)
Sam O'Keefe (Baltimore, Md./Charm City Cycling)
Spence Peterson (Mill Valley, Calif./Above Category Racing)
Lionel Rocheleau (Waukesha, Wisc./Team Geargrinder)
Curtis White (Delanson, N.Y./Bay Hill Capital-CLNoonan p/b Corner Cycle Cycling Club)

USA Cycling's National Development Programs are supported by the USA Cycling Development Foundation. Support the future of American cycling with an online donation now.