Seven Wins in One Day for the Whole Athlete/Specialized Team!

From NorCal to SoCal, Whole Athlete/Specialized riders stood atop podiums in every race entered this weekend, earning a total of seven wins and nine podium finishes. 

In his debut U23 season, Casey Williams took his first professional win in the searing heat of the Sycamore Canyon US Cup, Shane Skelton won the Cat 1 Junior 17/18 race, and Cole Avery continued his perfect 2013 Spring with his fifth consecutive win and the Under-15 race victory. 

Casey Williams earns his first-ever win as a U23 Professional.

Shane Skelton took his fourth win of 2013 on Sunday.

Cole Avery has been unstoppable thus far in 2013 (photo: Mark Avery).

Meanwhile in the NorCal High School Series Finals, Lucas Newcomb and Jacob Albrecht went 1-2 in the highly competitive Varsity race, with Sean Bennett rounding out the podium in 5th. Kate Courtney earned her seventh consecutive victory of 2013 with the Varsity Girls win, while Steffen Andersen and Tyler O'Neal both took respective victories and overall series titles in the Junior Varsity and Sophomore Divisions. 

Lucas Newcomb, Jacob Albrecht, and Sean Bennett go 1st, 2nd, and 5th in Varsity.

Kate Courtney has been flawless in 2013.

Thus far in 2013, Whole Athlete/Specialized riders have earned 31 wins.
Check out all the team's top-10 results here>

Next up for the young Whole Athlete/Specialized riders are the World Cups in Abstadt, Germany and Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, and the NICA California State High School Championships - all happening next month. Stay tuned for more exciting news!

---

Sea Otter Success for Whole Athlete/Specialized Team

Three wins and five podium finishes marked the Whole Athlete/Specialized Cycling Team's 2013 Sea Otter Classic Campaign. Led by newly crowned Pan American Champion Kate Courtney with victories in both the Junior Women's MTB Cross Country and Road Race, Whole Athlete/Specialized riders were a common sight on podiums throughout the weekend.

Kate Courtney wins the Junior Women's XC.
Less than 24 hours later, Courtney took the Road Race title as well.

Not to be outdone by his older teammates, Cole Avery earned his fourth consecutive win of 2013, adding the Under-15 Sea Otter cross country victory to his growing palmares. 

A focused Cole Avery on his way to winning the Junior 13-14 XC.

The Junior Men's 17/18 field was one of the biggest and most competitive ever, and Whole Athlete/Specialized riders came ready to race. Sean Bennett battled hard for a close second place finish while Lucas Newcomb rounded out the podium in third. 

 

The unsung heros behind the scenes, dedicated staff and superbly supportive sponsors, underscore the true team effort of the program. Thank you!

Ace mechanic Josh Snead dials in the team's race machines.

Fueling the frenetically fast metabolisms of teenage athletes.

Top-10 Team Results

Kate Courtney - 1st Junior Women XC
Kate Courtney - 1st Junior Women Road Race
Cole Avery - 1st Junior 13-14 XC
Sean Bennett - 2nd Junior Men 17/18 XC
Lucas Newcomb - 3rd Junior Men 17/18 XC
Marcus Segedin - 5th Junior Men 17/18 XC
Steffen Andersen - 6th Junior Men 15/16 XC

Next up for the young Whole Athlete/Specialized riders are the World Cups in Abstadt, Germany and Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, and the NICA California State High School Championships - all happening next month. Stay tuned for more exciting news!

Courtney Wins Pan American Mountain Bike Championships

Earning her second international victory, Kate Courtney won the Pan American Junior Women's title today in Tucuman, Argentina with a dominant ride that saw her take the early lead and never look back.

The Pan Am MTB Junior Women.

 

Teammate Lucas Newcomb also rode well with a solid 5th place finish in the Junior Men, even after an early race crash required him to overtake the majority of the field by the finish. Both Courtney and Newcomb will be heading to Europe next month to race the first two rounds of the World Cup in Abstadt, Germany and Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. 

In the meantime, the next stop for the Whole Athlete/Specialized Team is the Sea Otter Classic on April 18-21. Stay tuned for more exciting news!

---

Phenomenal Fontana for Whole Athlete/Specialized Team

The Fontana ProXCT marked the third stop on the US Pro Cross Country Tour and the Whole Athlete/Specialized Cycling Team came ready to play. The young riders showed their class at the national event earning victories in both the Junior Men and Women, a 1-2-3 sweep by the Under 23s, and the Under-15 top honors.

Zach Valdez, Casey Williams, and Jacob Albrecht make it an all-Whole Athlete/Specialized U23 podium.

Lucas Newcomb and Shane Skelton on the top two podium steps. (photo: Max Houtzager)

 

Lucas Newcomb and Shane Skelton led the charge, going 1-2 in the Junior 17/18 race while Kate Courtney took a convincing win the the Junior Women's race. The U23s faced off against the country's top Pros, with Zach Valdez in 8th, Casey Williams 10th, and Jacob Albrecht 18th, finishing as the top three under-23 riders amid a national-class field. The following day, Valdez and Albrecht earned two more Pro top-10s with 6th and 9th in the short track. Cole Avery and Dylan Fryer finished out the team's successful weekend with 1st and 2nd respectively in the Cat 2 and Cat 3 under-15 races. 

Kate Courtney on top in the Junior Women's race.

Cole Avery earns his third consecutive win in as many races.

At only 12-years-old, Dylan Fryer hits the podium in his first race with the team.

 

The Junior Men's field ready to rock.

 

Casey Williams on his way to his first top-10 finish in his first pro season.

Zach Valdez takes his second 8th place ProXCT finish this spring. (photo: Max Houtzager)

Kate Courtney takes the win.

Teammates Shane Skelton and Lucas Newcomb happy with their 1-2 finish.

 

Fontana ProXCT - Top-10 Team Results

Junior 17/18 Men
Lucas Newcomb 1st
Shane Skelton 2nd
Sean Bennett 6th
Marcus Segedin 10th

Junior 15-18 Women
Kate Courtney 1st

Junior 15/16
Steffen Andersen 4th

Junior Under 15 Cat 2
Cole Avery 1st

Junior Under 15 Cat 3
Dylan Fryer 2nd

 

Pro Men XC
Zach Valdez 8th (1st U23)
Casey Williams 10th (2nd U23)
Jacob Albrecht 18th (3rd U23)

Pro Men Short Track
Zach Valdez 6th
Jacob Albrecht 10th 

Pro Men Super-D
Casey Williams 5th
 
Next stop for the Whole Athlete/Specialized Team is the Sea Otter ProXCT on April 18-21. Stay tuned for more exciting news!