USA Cycling names riders to compete in UCI Mountain Bike World Championships
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Print Colorado Springs, Colo. (Aug. 7, 2013) — USA Cycling on Wednesday announced the 35 riders that will represent the United States in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, at the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships from Aug. 26-Sept. 1, and the three riders competing for the U.S. at the 2013 UCI Four-Cross Mountain Bike World Championships, to be held Sept. 20-21, in Saalfelden Leogang, Austria.
Cross-Country
The three-man elite men’s unit features two automatic selections – Stephen Ettinger (Bozeman, Mont./BMC Mountain Bike Racing Team) and Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Racing XC) – and one discretionary selection – Michael Broderick (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-Stan’s No Tubes).
Ettinger earned his automatic selection by winning the elite men’s race at the 2013 USA Cycling Cross-Country Mountain Bike National Championships at the Bear Creek Resort in Macungie, Pa., on July 20. Wells secured his spot by being in the top three of the USA Cycling Professional Cross-Country Tour (Pro XCT) men’s standings. Wells topped the final standings with 1,560 points.
Broderick, who also represented his country at the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships in Kirchberg, Austria, on June 29, placed 25th in the men’s race at the 2013 Pan American Continental Championships. He also placed 60th at the 2012 UCI Cross-Country Mountain Bike World Championships.
The elite women’s squad features three automatic selections (all Olympians) and a pair of discretionary choices. Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Specialized Factory Racing XC), who earned an automatic nomination after winning the elite women’s national championship, recently finished first in this year's Pro XCT women’s standings and is also sitting in 21st in the UCI’s overall ranking. Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna Pro Team), who finished third in the elite women’s race at the 2012 UCI Cross-Country Mountain Bike World Championships, is sitting in 16th in the UCI overall ranking. The third automatic selection was earned by Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-Stan’s No Tubes), who is holding 28th place in the UCI overall rankings Davison represented the U.S. at the 2012 Olympic Games along with Gould, who also was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. McConneloug competed in the 2004 Games.
Chloe Woodruff (Tucson, Ariz./Crankbrothers Race Club) and Judy Freeman (Littleton, Colo./Crankbrothers Race Club) are two discretionary selections after each performed well in Macungie. Woodruff, who finished second in the women’s standings of the Pro XCT, finished fourth in the elite women’s cross-country race while Freeman placed 38th at the second UCI Cross-Country Mountain Bike World Cup race in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic. Freeman also finished seventh in the national championship race.
Howard Grotts (Durango, Colo./Specialized Racing), Kerry Werner (Banner Elk, N.C./BMC Mountain Development Team) and Russell Finsterwald (Colorado Springs, Colo./Trek Factory Racing) lead the four-man U23 men’s contingent. Those three automatic selections are joined by 19-year-old Keegan Swenson (Park City, Utah/Cannondale Factory Racing) as a discretionary selection. Grotts earned his automatic selection by placing seventh in the U23 men’s contest at the second UCI Cross-Country Mountain Bike World Cup race in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic, and by winning the race at the Hammer Nutrition Missoula XC at Marshall Mountain in Missoula, Mont. Werner earned his selection when he rode away from the other two riders to win the U23 men’s race at the 2013 Cross-Country Mountain Bike Nationals. Finsterwald finished fifth in the Subaru Cup Day 1 XC in Mt. Morris, Wis., to secure an automatic selection. Swenson recently placed 13th in the U23 men’s race at the recent world cup race in Vallnord, Andorra, and was a factor in the U23 race at nationals in Pennsylvania.
Shayna Powless (Roseville, Calif./BMX Mountain Bike Development Team) and Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif./Team Jeep South Africa) will represent their country in the U23 women’s race. As the winner of the U23 women’s national championship race, Powless earned an automatic selection. Ryan, who is a discretionary selection, is leading the South African cross-country series and is sure to be a local favorite.
Lucas Newcomb (Nicasio, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized) is the lone automatic selection among the juniors men. He earned his spot by winning that group’s national championship race in Macungie and by winning the juniors men’s 17-18 race at the US Cup Fontana City National in Fontana, Calif. Newcomb will be joined by three discretionary selections. Luke Vrouwenvelder (Chapel Hill, N.C./Cycle Youth), Sean Bennett (El Cerrito, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized) and Neilson Powless (Roseville, Calif./Folsom Bike-VW-Raley's), who placed second, third and fourth in the juniors men’s 17-18 race in Pennsylvania.
Kate Courtney (Kentfield, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized), who was an automatic selection, and Kaylee Blevins (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo) will represent America in the juniors women’s race in South Africa. Courtney recorded a pair of top-five results at UCI World Cup races this year, placing third in Albstadt, Germany, and fifth in the second world cup race in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic. Blevins was the runner-up to Courtney in the juniors women’s 17-18 cross-country national championship race in Pennsylvania.
Downhill
The Americans’ downhill contingent is led by Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash./Team Norco International-Red Bull) who collected a pair of Stars-and-Stripes jerseys at the 2013 USA Cycling Gravity Mountain Bike National Championships in Angel Fire, N.M. Kintner earned automatic nominations to contest the downhill and the four-cross in Austria in September after winning the downhill and dual slalom national championships in New Mexico.
Joining Kintner in red, white and blue in South Africa as automatic nominees to the elite women’s downhill squad are Jacqueline Harmony (Tucson, Ariz./A Culture of Speed) and Anne Galyean (Frederick, Md./Integrity Racing-Deity). Harmony is ranked 26th in the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup rankings. Galyean earned an automatic nomination by being the top-ranked rider in the Pro GRT women’s rankings.
The United States will be represented by five men in the elite competition. Three of those – Logan Binggeli (Saint George, Utah/KHS Factory Racing), Aaron Gwin (Wildomar, Calif./Specialized Racing DH) and Neko Mulally (Reading, Pa./Trek World Racing) – earned automatic selections to the squad. Gwin and Mulally qualified by being ranked 11th and 15th, respectively, in the UCI’s Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup rankings, while Binggeli tops the USA Cycling Professional Gravity Tour (Pro GRT) men’s standings to earn his spot on the team.
Two discretionary selections fill out the remainder of the men’s elite roster. Kevin Aiello (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./KHS Factory Racing) finished fourth at the national championships in Angel Fire, N.M., and placed 68th in the elite men’s downhill at the 2013 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Val di Sole, Italy. Mitch Ropelato (Ogden, Utah/Factory Specialized DH) also received a discretionary selection after he placed 37th at the world cup race in Vallnord, Andorra.
The juniors men downhill unit is comprised of six riders, including Luca Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C./Specialized Gravity DH), who, with his brother Walker Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C./Specialized Gravity USA), Richard Rude Jr. (Redding, Conn./Yeti-Fox Factory Racing) and Luca Cometti (San Diego, Calif./Nema Nukeproof), received an automatic nomination. Luca Shaw received an automatic nomination by placing third in the juniors men’s downhill at the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Val di Sole, Italy. Walker Shaw received his automatic nomination after winning the 17-18 men’s national championship in Angel Fire, N.M. Rude received his automatic nomination by placing second in the juniors men's downhill at the 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Leogang, Austria. Cometti earned his automatic nomination after steady performances in Pro GRT races coupled with a strong ride at the national championships. Jay Fesperman (Davidson, N.C./Yeti Fox National Team) joins the team after placing 16th at the year’s first UCI Downhill Mountain World Cup in Fort William, Great Britain, and 42nd at the second world cup in Italy. Cole Picchiottino (Murrieta, Calif./Trek-Southridge Racing) is another discretionary selection after finishing atop the juniors at the Reaper Madness DH at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City, Nev., and sixth at the Chile Challenge in Angel Fire.
Michelle Pederson (Los Alamos, N.M./Bike n Sport Racing) topped the juniors women’s 15-18 downhill podium at nationals after dusting her field by over two minutes to secure the Stars-and-Stripes jersey and earn an automatic nomination to represent her country at the world championships.
Four-Cross
The United States will be represented in Austria by automatic nominee Barry Nobles (Sun City, Calif./Sun City, Calif./Airborne Cycles) and discretionary selection Blake Carney (Camarillo, Calif./Supercross BMX) in the men’s four-cross contest. Kintner received an automatic nomination to compete in the women’s competition. Nobles, who represented the United States at the 2013 UCI BMX World Championships in New Zealand from July 27-28, topped the professional men’s dual slalom field in Angel Fire the following weekend to earn his automatic nomination. Carney finished 18th in four-cross at the 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.
For more information, including the complete schedule, please visit the event website.
2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Aug. 26-Sept. 1
Cross-Country
Elite Men
Michael Broderick (Chilmark, Mass./ Kenda-Seven-Stan’s No Tubes)
*Stephen Ettinger (Bozeman, Mont./BMC Mountain Bike Team)
*Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Racing XC)
Elite Women
*Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Specialized Factory Racing XC)
Judy Freeman (Littleton, Colo./Crankbrothers Race Club)
*Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna Pro Team)
*Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./ Kenda-Seven-Stan’s No Tubes)
Chloe Woodruff (Tucson, Ariz./Crankbrothers Race Club)
U23 Men
*Russell Finsterwald (Colorado Springs, Colo./Trek Factory Racing)
*Howard Grotts (Durango, Colo./Specialized Racing)
Keegan Swenson (Park City, Utah/Cannondale Factory Racing)
*Kerry Werner (Banner Elk, N.C./BMC Mountain Development Team)
U23 Women
*Shayna Powless (Roseville, Calif./BMX Mountain Bike Development Team)
Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif./Team Jeep South Africa)
Juniors Men
Sean Bennett (El Cerrito, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized)
*Lucas Newcomb (Nicasio, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized)
Neilson Powless (Roseville, Calif./Folsom Bike-VW-Raley's)
Luke Vrouwenvelder (Chapel Hill, N.C./Cycle Youth)
Juniors Women
Kaylee Blevins (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo)
*Kate Courtney (Kentfield, Calif./Whole Athlete-Specialized)
Downhill
Elite Men
Kevin Aiello (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./KHS Factory Racing)
*Logan Binggeli (Saint George, Utah/KHS Factory Racing)
*Aaron Gwin (Wildomar, Calif./Specialized Racing DH)
*Neko Mulally (Reading, Pa./Trek World Racing)
Mitch Ropelato (Ogden, Utah/Factory Specialized DH)
Elite Women
*Anne Galyean (Frederick, Md./Integrity Racing-Deity)
*Jacqueline Harmony (Tucson, Ariz./A Culture of Speed)
*Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash./Team Norco International)
Juniors Men
*Luca Cometti (San Diego, Calif./Nema Nukeproof)
Jay Fesperman (Davidson, N.C./Yeti Fox National Team)
Cole Picchiottino (Murrieta, Calif./Trek-Southridge Racing)
*Richard Rude Jr. (Redding, Conn./Yeti-Fox Factory Racing)
*Luca Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C./Specialized Gravity DH)
Walker Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C./Specialized Gravity USA)
Juniors Women
*Michelle Pederson (Los Alamos, N.M./Bike n Sport Racing)
2013 UCI Four-Cross Mountain Bike World Championships
Saalfelden Leogang, Austria
Sept. 20-21
Men Four-Cross
*Barry Nobles (Sun City, Calif./Airborne Cycles)
Blake Carney (Camarillo, Calif./Supercross BMX)
Women Four-Cross
*Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash./Team Norco International-RedBull)
* - Automatic nomination
This Article Updated August 11, 2013 @ 02:55 AM For more information contact:
