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Final week, USA Biking introduced the definitive record of cyclists who’re certain for the Paris Olympics, July 26-August 11.
23 American athletes will don the Group USA equipment this yr throughout the 5 biking disciplines. 13 ladies and 10 males will race in opposition to the world’s finest in street, mountain bike, monitor, 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.; Group 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 yr’s Olympic biking group represents 18 states throughout the nation. Headlining the group are 4 present world champions – Dygert (Street – Time Trial), Valente (Monitor – Omnium), Willoughby (BMX Racing), and Hannah Roberts (BMX Freestyle).
Street – Easy methods to watch
The lads’s street group is represented by three riders who’ve all celebrated WorldTour wins or podiums this yr. Brandon McNulty (Phoenix; UAE Group Emirates) and Magnus Sheffield (Pittsford, N.Y.; Ineos Grenadiers) will each compete within the time trial and street race, whereas Matteo Jorgenson (Boise, Idaho; Group Visma – Lease a Bike) will symbolize Group USA on the street.
“The Olympics have been at all times part of my childhood,” Jorgenson stated. “I keep in mind spending complete summers watching sports activities I had by no means heard of and admiring the athletes. For positive it had an enormous 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 the most effective yr of my profession, is a dream come true.”
On the ladies’s facet, Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.; Trek Manufacturing facility Racing) might be competing in two sports activities on the Video games – biking and triathlon. Knibb will be part of Dygert within the time trial race, whereas Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF-Oatly-Cannondale) and Dygert will symbolize Group USA within the street 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 facility Racing) and Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon-Ford Racing Group). Batten has two World Cup wins already this yr, whereas nationwide champion Blunk has stood on World Cup podiums 3 times this season.
Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialised Manufacturing facility Racing) and Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Manufacturing facility Racing) will symbolize the boys for Group USA. Amos stays undefeated within the U23 Cross-Nation Olympic (XCO) World Cup occasions this yr, whereas Blevins received the opening World Cup XCO race in Mairiporã, Brazil.
“The magnitude of the Olympics is without doubt one of the most particular issues to expertise as an athlete,” Blevins stated. “Being part of Group USA is a celebration that extends past your self, and there’s an entire group giving their finest within the sport we love. I used to be proud to make it to Tokyo in 2021, and perhaps much more so to make my second Olympic video games, with the chance to offer it all the things for a medal on July 29 in Paris. The game of mountain biking is rising at an thrilling charge within the States, and I do know this Video games might be one other step in that route.”
Monitor – Easy methods to watch
On the monitor, Omnium olympic champion Jennifer Valente scored 5 Nations Cup podiums this yr, two of which have 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 laborious at work constructing the Group 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 Monitor 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 stated. “I nonetheless can’t fairly imagine I’ll be representing Group USA in Paris this summer time. It’s actually a dream come true, and I’ve one million individuals to thank for serving to me get there. However for now, it’s again to coaching and maintaining 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, Group USA had 4 ladies in the primary occasion on the world championships, together with Felicia Stancil (Lake Villa, Unwell.; Manufacturing facility SSquared/Reply) and Daleny Vaughn (Tucson, Ariz.; Biolab Sciences/ DK Bicycles).
Earlier this yr, Kamren Larsen (Bakersfield, Calif.; Manufacturing facility 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 Group in Paris,” Wooden stated. “There was a number of challenges and quite a lot of adversity confronted through 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 robust this yr, mechanically qualifying him for the Video games by means of the Olympic Qualifier Collection.
“I’m so pleased with everybody and excited to be heading to Paris with this crew,” Benegas stated. “It’s such an honor to make my second Olympic group and symbolize Group 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 Group
Street
Ladies:
Chloé Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; CANYON//SRAM Racing) – Time Trial and Street Race
Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.; Trek Manufacturing facility Racing) – Time Trial
Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF-Oatly-Cannondale) – Street Race
Males:
Brandon McNulty (Phoenix; UAE Group Emirates) – Time Trial and Street Race
Magnus Sheffield (Pittsford, N.Y.; Ineos Grenadiers) – Time Trial and Street Race
Matteo Jorgenson (Boise, Idaho; Group Visma – Lease a Bike) – Street Race
Mountain Bike
Ladies:
Haley Batten (Park Metropolis, Utah; Specialised Manufacturing facility Racing)
Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon-Ford Racing Group)
Males:
Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialised Manufacturing facility Racing)
Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Manufacturing facility Racing)
Monitor
Ladies:
Jennifer Valente (San Diego; Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24) – Group Pursuit, Madison, Omnium
Chloé Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; CANYON//SRAM Racing) – Group Pursuit
Lily Williams (Tallahassee, Fla.; Human Powered Well being) – Group Pursuit, Madison
Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF-Oatly-Cannondale) – Group Pursuit
Olivia Cummins (Fort Collins, Colo.; DNA Professional Biking) – Group Pursuit
Males:
Grant Koontz (Houston, Texas; Star Monitor Biking) – Omnium
BMX Racing
Ladies:
Alise Willoughby (Saint Cloud, Minn.; Group Toyota/ Daylight Cycle Co.)
Daleny Vaughn (Tucson, Ariz.; Biolab Sciences/ DK Bicycles)
Felicia Stancil (Lake Villa, Unwell.; Manufacturing facility SSquared/Reply)
Males:
Cameron Wooden (Bozeman, Mont.; Mongoose/USA BMX Basis)
Kamren Larsen (Bakersfield, Calif.; Manufacturing facility SSquared/Reply)
BMX Freestyle
Ladies:
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)
