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Final week, USA Biking introduced the definitive checklist of cyclists who’re sure for the Paris Olympics, July 26-August 11.
23 American athletes will don the Group USA package this 12 months 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 12 months’s Olympic biking crew represents 18 states throughout the nation. Headlining the crew are 4 present world champions – Dygert (Street – Time Trial), Valente (Observe – Omnium), Willoughby (BMX Racing), and Hannah Roberts (BMX Freestyle).
Street – How one can watch
The boys’s street crew is represented by three riders who’ve all celebrated WorldTour wins or podiums this 12 months. 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 signify Group USA on the street.
“The Olympics had been all the time part of my childhood,” Jorgenson mentioned. “I keep in mind spending complete summers watching sports activities I had by no means heard of and admiring the athletes. For certain 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. Having the ability to race in Paris, particularly following the perfect 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 probably 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 signify Group USA within the street race.
Mountain Biking – How one can watch
The mountain bike crew reveals severe medal competition 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 Group). 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 signify the boys for Group 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 without doubt one of the most particular issues to expertise as an athlete,” Blevins mentioned. “Being part of Group USA is a celebration that extends past your self, and there’s an entire crew giving their finest 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 offer it every thing 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 probably be one other step in that route.”
Observe – How one can watch
On the monitor, 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 crew has been exhausting 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 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 crew,” Koontz mentioned. “I nonetheless can’t fairly consider I’ll be representing Group USA in Paris this summer season. 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 – How one can watch
Along with Willoughby’s monumental BMX World Championship win in Rock Hill, Group USA had 4 ladies in the principle occasion on the world championships, together with Felicia Stancil (Lake Villa, Ailing.; 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 getting back from shoulder accidents.
“Blessed, honored, and proud is understatement after being named to the 2024 US Olympic Group in Paris,” Wooden mentioned. “There was a number of challenges and a variety 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 in the end earn my manner in. It has been a dream of mine for a very long time to signify my nation within the Olympics and provides it my all.”
BMX Freestyle – How one can watch
The BMX Freestyle Olympic Qualifier Collection was the final 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 Seaside, Va.; Hyper BMX) has been driving robust this 12 months, mechanically 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 crew and signify Group USA and BMX on the large 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
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 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
Girls:
Haley Batten (Park Metropolis, Utah; Specialised Manufacturing unit Racing)
Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon-Ford Racing Group)
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) – 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 Observe Biking) – Omnium
BMX Racing
Girls:
Alise Willoughby (Saint Cloud, Minn.; Group Toyota/ Daylight Cycle Co.)
Daleny Vaughn (Tucson, Ariz.; Biolab Sciences/ DK Bicycles)
Felicia Stancil (Lake Villa, Ailing.; 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 Seaside, Va.; Hyper BMX)
