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Final week, USA Biking introduced the definitive record of cyclists who’re sure for the Paris Olympics, July 26-August 11.
23 American athletes will don the Staff USA package this 12 months throughout the 5 biking disciplines. 13 ladies and 10 males will race in opposition to the world’s greatest in highway, mountain bike, observe, BMX racing, and BMX freestyle.
Of the 23 riders, 12 of them are returning to the Olympic Video games. This would be the fourth look for 33-year-old Olympic silver medalist Alise Willoughby (Saint Cloud, Minn.; Staff Toyota/ Daylight Cycle Co.) and a 3rd look for Olympic medalists Chloé Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; CANYON//SRAM Racing) and Jennifer Valente (San Diego; Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24).
This 12 months’s Olympic biking group represents 18 states throughout the nation. Headlining the group are 4 present world champions – Dygert (Street – Time Trial), Valente (Observe – Omnium), Willoughby (BMX Racing), and Hannah Roberts (BMX Freestyle).
Street – Easy methods to watch
The boys’s highway group is represented by three riders who’ve all celebrated WorldTour wins or podiums this 12 months. Brandon McNulty (Phoenix; UAE Staff Emirates) and Magnus Sheffield (Pittsford, N.Y.; Ineos Grenadiers) will each compete within the time trial and highway race, whereas Matteo Jorgenson (Boise, Idaho; Staff Visma – Lease a Bike) will symbolize Staff USA on the highway.
“The Olympics had been all the time part of my childhood,” Jorgenson mentioned. “I keep in mind spending whole summers watching sports activities I had by no means heard of and admiring the athletes. For certain it had a giant impact on me and was one of many causes I made a decision to pursue a profession as a professional athlete. With the ability to race in Paris, particularly following one of the best 12 months of my profession, is a dream come true.”
On the ladies’s facet, Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.; Trek Manufacturing unit Racing) will likely be competing in two sports activities on the Video games – biking and triathlon. Knibb will be a part of Dygert within the time trial race, whereas Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF-Oatly-Cannondale) and Dygert will symbolize Staff USA within the highway race.
Mountain Biking – Easy methods to watch
The mountain bike group exhibits critical medal rivalry with 4 riders who’ve dominated the 2024 UCI World Cup collection.
The ladies’s Paris squad is made up of Haley Batten (Park Metropolis, Utah; Specialised Manufacturing unit Racing) and Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon-Ford Racing Staff). Batten has two World Cup wins already this 12 months, whereas nationwide champion Blunk has stood on World Cup podiums 3 times this season.
Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialised Manufacturing unit Racing) and Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Manufacturing unit Racing) will symbolize the boys for Staff USA. Amos stays undefeated within the U23 Cross-Nation Olympic (XCO) World Cup occasions this 12 months, whereas Blevins received the opening World Cup XCO race in Mairiporã, Brazil.
“The magnitude of the Olympics is among the most particular issues to expertise as an athlete,” Blevins mentioned. “Being part of Staff USA is a celebration that extends past your self, and there’s an entire group giving their greatest within the sport we love. I used to be proud to make it to Tokyo in 2021, and possibly much more so to make my second Olympic video games, with the chance to present it all the things for a medal on July 29 in Paris. The game of mountain biking is rising at an thrilling fee within the States, and I do know this Video games will likely be one other step in that course.”
Observe – Easy methods to watch
On the observe, Omnium olympic champion Jennifer Valente scored 5 Nations Cup podiums this 12 months, two of which had been within the Madison with teammate Lily Williams (Tallahassee, Fla.; Human Powered Well being). With the assistance of Valente, Williams, and Dygert, the group has been onerous at work constructing the Staff Pursuit program with newcomers Kristen Faulkner and Olivia Cummins (Fort Collins, Colo.; DNA Professional Biking).
On the boys’s facet, Grant Koontz (Houston, Texas; Star Observe Biking) will compete within the Olympic Omnium.
“The Olympics has been a lifelong obsession of mine, and I’m extremely grateful to be named to the group,” Koontz mentioned. “I nonetheless can’t fairly consider I’ll be representing Staff USA in Paris this summer time. It’s actually a dream come true, and I’ve 1,000,000 folks to thank for serving to me get there. However for now, it’s again to coaching and retaining to the grind that helped me get right here within the first place. See y’all in Paris!”
BMX Racing – Easy methods to watch
Along with Willoughby’s monumental BMX World Championship win in Rock Hill, Staff USA had 4 ladies in the principle occasion on the world championships, together with Felicia Stancil (Lake Villa, In poor health.; Manufacturing unit SSquared/Reply) and Daleny Vaughn (Tucson, Ariz.; Biolab Sciences/ DK Bicycles).
Earlier this 12 months, Kamren Larsen (Bakersfield, Calif.; Manufacturing unit SSquared/Reply) scored his first elite World Cup podium in Tulsa whereas Cameron Wooden (Bozeman, Mont.; Mongoose/USA BMX Basis) certified for a number of World Cup finals after coming back from shoulder accidents.
“Blessed, honored, and proud is understatement after being named to the 2024 US Olympic Staff in Paris,” Wooden mentioned. “There was a number of challenges and loads of adversity confronted in the course of the qualifying course of. It feels rewarding to have confronted these challenges head on, develop as an athlete and individual, and finally earn my manner in. It has been a dream of mine for a very long time to symbolize my nation within the Olympics and provides it my all.”
BMX Freestyle – Easy methods to watch
The BMX Freestyle Olympic Qualifier Collection was the last word preview of the Video games. On the final spherical in Budapest, Roberts and Perris Benegas (Reno, Nev.; Haro BMX) completed first and second, together with 21-year-old Marcus Christopher (Canton, Ohio; DK Bicycles) taking silver.
The identical group repeated their podium appearances at X Video games Ventura shortly after. Roberts and Benegas competed within the first-ever ladies’s park contest ending one-two once more and Christopher received his first X Video games gold. 2018 World Champion Justin Dowell (Virginia Seashore, Va.; Hyper BMX) has been driving sturdy this 12 months, routinely qualifying him for the Video games by means of the Olympic Qualifier Collection.
“I’m so happy with everybody and excited to be heading to Paris with this crew,” Benegas mentioned. “It’s such an honor to make my second Olympic group and symbolize Staff USA and BMX on the massive stage. It’s much more particular to be on this journey with Hannah by my facet. I’m so excited for this chance. Paris, right here we come!”
2024 U.S. Olympic Biking Staff
Street
Girls:
Chloé Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; CANYON//SRAM Racing) – Time Trial and Street Race
Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.; Trek Manufacturing unit Racing) – Time Trial
Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF-Oatly-Cannondale) – Street Race
Males:
Brandon McNulty (Phoenix; UAE Staff Emirates) – Time Trial and Street Race
Magnus Sheffield (Pittsford, N.Y.; Ineos Grenadiers) – Time Trial and Street Race
Matteo Jorgenson (Boise, Idaho; Staff Visma – Lease a Bike) – Street Race
Mountain Bike
Girls:
Haley Batten (Park Metropolis, Utah; Specialised Manufacturing unit Racing)
Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon-Ford Racing Staff)
Males:
Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialised Manufacturing unit Racing)
Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Manufacturing unit Racing)
Observe
Girls:
Jennifer Valente (San Diego; Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24) – Staff Pursuit, Madison, Omnium
Chloé Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; CANYON//SRAM Racing) – Staff Pursuit
Lily Williams (Tallahassee, Fla.; Human Powered Well being) – Staff Pursuit, Madison
Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF-Oatly-Cannondale) – Staff Pursuit
Olivia Cummins (Fort Collins, Colo.; DNA Professional Biking) – Staff Pursuit
Males:
Grant Koontz (Houston, Texas; Star Observe Biking) – Omnium
BMX Racing
Girls:
Alise Willoughby (Saint Cloud, Minn.; Staff Toyota/ Daylight Cycle Co.)
Daleny Vaughn (Tucson, Ariz.; Biolab Sciences/ DK Bicycles)
Felicia Stancil (Lake Villa, In poor health.; Manufacturing unit SSquared/Reply)
Males:
Cameron Wooden (Bozeman, Mont.; Mongoose/USA BMX Basis)
Kamren Larsen (Bakersfield, Calif.; Manufacturing unit SSquared/Reply)
BMX Freestyle
Girls:
Hannah Roberts (Buchanan, Mich.; Hyper BMX)
Perris Benegas (Reno, Nev.; Haro BMX)
Males:
Marcus Christopher (Canton, Ohio; DK Bicycles)
Justin Dowell (Virginia Seashore, Va.; Hyper BMX)