USA Cycling announced today the athletes that will be representing the United States at the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets, France on August 23-28, 2022.
After impressive results this past weekend at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Snowshoe, W.V., the team is in a great position heading to the World Championships.
Defending Short Track World Champion Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialized Factory Racing) won his first elite XCO World Cup in Snowshoe in 2021 and came back this year to take his first Short Track World Cup win in front of the home crowd. He is in great shape heading into the World Championships to defend his title.
Gwendalyn Gibson (Ramona, Calif.; Norco Bicycles) and Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Orange Seal Off-Road Team) have had incredible results the past few weeks as well with Gibson winning the UCI Short Track World Cup and Blunk powering to her first Elite Cross-Country National Championship win. Both ladies also placed in the Top-10 at Snowshoe in their first-year racing in the elite XCO category.
XCO veterans and Olympians Haley Batten (Park City, Utah; Specialized Factory Racing) and Kate Courtney (Kentfield, Calif.; SCOTT-SRAM Factory Racing) have been showing strong form recently and are looking to have a great end to their season.
In the U23 Men’s category, Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing) and Bjorn Riley (Boulder, Colo.; Team Trek VAUDE) are two of the favorites going into the men’s race. Amos has landed on several World Cup podiums this season, even becoming the first-ever American male to win a U23 World Cup in 2021. Unfortunately, he broke his collarbone at the National Championships, but is looking to make a quick recovery and be back in time for Worlds. Bjorn Riley went on to win the U23 National Title then narrowly missed out on a win in Snowshoe landing in second place on his first World Cup podium.
The U23 women’s category will be headlined by Madigan Munro (Boulder, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing) who powered to her first U23 World Cup podium last weekend in Snowshoe after winning the U23 Cross-Country National Championship earlier in the week at Winter Park, Colo.
Jesse Anthony, USA Cycling’s Director of Cyclocross and Mountain Bike said, “The USA Cycling National Team showed what we’re capable of at Snowshoe, and the athletes are well-prepared for this World Championships. The U.S. mountain bike athletes have had a relatively quiet season on the World Cup circuit, and we have been slowly building momentum toward the end of the season. We are in an excellent position going into the World Championships, and U.S. fans have a lot to be excited about as the team heads to Les Gets.”
The downhill team has been showing impressive results this season with the usual heavy hitters like National Champion Dakotah Norton (Oliver Springs, Tenn.; Intense Factory Racing), Aaron Gwin (Morongo Valley, Calif.; Intense Factory Racing), and Luca Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C.; Canyon Cllctv). The next generation has been making a splash in the Elite category with Dante Silva (Chula Vista, Calif.; Canyon Cllctv Pirelli), Austin Dooley (Yucaipa, Calif.; Commencal USA), and Christopher Grice (Brevard, N.C.; Specialized Factory Racing) all continuously improving their results week after week on the World Cup circuit. On the Elite women’s side, Anna Newkirk (Riehen, Switzerland; Beyond Racing) and Abby Hogie (Heidelberg, Germany; Beyond Racing) just came off of their best results of the season at the Snowshoe World Cup finishing 9th and 12th, respectively.
The Team USA roster is as follows:
Cross-Country
Elite Men
Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialized Factory Racing)
Elite Women
Haley Batten (Park City, Utah; Specialized Factory Racing)
Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Orange Seal Off-Road Team)
Kate Courtney (Kentfield, Calif.; SCOTT-SRAM Factory Racing)
Gwendalyn Gibson (Ramona, Calif.; Norco Bicycles)
Hannah Otto (Salt Lake City; Pivot Cycles/ DT Swiss)
Kelsey Urban (Kentfield, Calif.; Team 31: Outride)
U23 Men
Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing)
Austin Beard (Middlesex, Vt.; Bicycle Express Racing)
Robbie Day (Evergreen, Colo.; Bear National Team)
Brayden Johnson (Littleton, Colo.; Bear National Team)
Bjorn Riley (Boulder, Colo.; Team Trek VAUDE)
U23 Women
Ruth Holcomb (Durango, Colo.; Bear National Team)
Lauren Lackman (Wausau, Wisc.; Rib Mountain Cycles)
Madigan Munro (Boulder, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing)
Sofia Waite (Littleton, Colo.; WE Development)
Junior Men
Daniel English (San Ramon, Calif.; Bear National Team)
Cayden Parker (Hot Springs, Ark.; Bear National Team)
Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.; Bear National Team)
Brady White (Laguna Beach, Calif.; WE Development)
Junior Women
Lauren Aggeler (Durango, Colo.; Team Segment 28)
Bailey Cioppa (Durango, Colo.; Bear National Team)
Chloe Fraser (Boulder, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling)
Downhill
Elite Men
Austin Dooley (Yucaipa, Calif.; Commencal USA)
Christopher Grice (Brevard, N.C.; Specialized Factory Racing)
Aaron Gwin (Morongo Valley, Calif.; Intense Factory Racing)
Neko Mulally (Pisgah Forest, N.C.; Frameworks Racing)
Dakotah Norton (Clinton, Tenn.; Intense Factory Racing)
Luca Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C.; Canyon Cllctv)
Dante Silva (Chula Vista, Calif.; Canyon Cllctv Pirelli)
Elite Women
Ella Erickson (Hayden, Idaho; NW Gravity Collective)
Abby Hogie (Heidelberg, Germany; Beyond Racing)
Anna Newkirk (Riehen, Switzerland; Beyond Racing)
Junior Men
Andrew Driscoll (Bow, N.H.; Defiant Racing)
Colin McElyea (Scottsdale, Ariz.; Evolve Racing)
Evan Medcalf (Albuquerque, N.M.; Evolve Racing)
Alden Pate (Snohomish, Wash.; Transition)
Ryan Pinkerton (Aliso Viejo, Calif.; GT Factory Racing)
Tyler Zenoni (Short Hills, N.J.)
Junior Women
Riley Miller (East Burke, Vt.; Commencal USA)
E-MTB
Men
Dave Harrison (Sun Valley, Idaho)
Nat Ross (Golden, Colo.; Tough Guy Productions)
Women
Shane Ferro (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Ashley Hendershot (Mansfield, Ohio)
*Updated 8/15/22
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