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From Dream to Development: Olympian Haley Batten's eyes are on the gold

By: Haley Batten  December 20, 2023

With the 2024 Olympics right around the corner, Olympian Haley Batten recently shared her story about how USA Cycling has impacted her professional cycling career. By supporting non-profits like the USA Cycling Foundation with your donations, you help make the future champion’s dreams become a reality.

“I feel that my trajectory has followed through all stages of the USA Cycling development pathway, and I am very thankful for all the support. When I was 14 years old, I attended my first USA Cycling development trip to Europe, where we raced in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. This is where I was introduced to the level and thrill of racing that I am currently so passionate about, with technical courses and the highest competition of mountain bike racing. Ever since the Olympic team was announced for London 2012, my sights were set on the Olympic pursuit.

USA Cycling invited me to development camps at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs and to skills camps in Bellingham, Washington. I continued to learn, progress, and excel. I earned my first medal at World Championships with Team USA in the relay event. We finished with silver, and it was the first medal in that event since 2007. In 2022, I joined the relay team to win another medal at the World Championships, this time bronze, and I earned another bronze medal in the following XCO event. It was one of the most incredible events of my career, thus far. But what stood out to me in all of those events were the countries that stood beside us on those podiums. Switzerland and France, the best nations in cross country mountain biking, consistently winning World Cup and world championships titles, year after year. I believe that we can be the best nation in this sport. We want to win, and we can.

As we continue to pursue these big goals, we must continue to win with the character we stand for. To support the next generation of young cyclist, to support more cycling-friendly communities, to support female cycling, and to win with heart, determination, and humility. As the 2024 Olympics stand before us, I believe that all USA cyclists will continue to rise to new heights and support each other to continue bringing the nation and next generations with us. Thank you, USA Cycling, for your support throughout my development, and I look forward to more gold ahead.”

To support athletes like Haley, donate today to the USA Cycling Foundation: Visit this link.