The
US National Championships have always been a major target for the Whole
Athlete Development Team, and 2018 was no exception. Keeping a
decade-long streak of National titles alive, Whole Athlete p/b DNA
riders earned four victories and six podium finishes over two days of
racing on the technical trails of Snowshoe, West Virginia. Savilia Blunk was crowned Women's U23 National Champion, Quinn Simmons did the double, earning both Junior 17/18 XC and STXC titles, while Gabbi Richardson
dons the stars and stripes with the Junior Women's 11-16 STXC victory.
Ten years and 26 Junior & U23 National Titles...What a ride!
Blunk is the Women's U23 National Champion! (photo: Shane Johnson)
Blunk's
U23 victory comes just one year after winning the Junior title,
underscoring an impressive first-year U23 season that has seen her on
multiple ProXCT podiums.
Blunk on her way to her biggest win yet. (photo: Ann Beckett)
Kelsey Urban
also featured at the front of the race with a solid 4th place ride as
she battled for the podium throughout. She followed on Sunday with 9th
place in the Elite Women's STXC. Urban and Blunk now head to Vermont
for the next stop on the ProXCT series this weekend, then just two
weeks later to World Cup #6 in Mont St. Anne, Canada.
Urban followed her 4th place U23 XC finish with a top-10 in the Elite Women's STXC.
Splitting his time between the road and dirt this season, Quinn Simmons
has shown impressive versatility with success in both disciplines and
in both Europe and the US. He can now add two Junior 17/18 National MTB
titles to his growing palmares. Following the Junior 15/16 XC title won
on a similar course at Snowshoe last year, Simmons took the 2018 Junior
17/18 XC race head on, attacking early and building an insurmountable
lead. The battle for the podium behind Simmons was a tight one, with
teammate Nolan Jenkins holding on for a hard-fought 4th place.
Simmons attacked early in the XC and never looked back. (photo: Simmons)
Simmons and Jenkins were again very active in the short track the following day, joined by teammate Finn Gullickson,
as the three battled a highly competitive Junior 17/18 field. Riding
both a strong and effective team race, Simmons capped off an impressive
weekend with his second win in two days, while Jenkins landed a 5th
place podium finish and Gullickson hung tough for 9th. All three riders
head to the Road National Championships this week in Hagerstown, MD,
excited for more opportunities to shine.
Simmons and Jenkins set the early pace. (photo: Simmons)
After shifting her focus from cross country running to cross country MTB racing this past Fall, Gabbi Richardson
has taken on an ambitious race schedule in 2018. She's successfully
balanced NICA high school Varsity racing with a full calendar of
national-level XC races, earning multiple victories and podium finishes
throughout. Snowshoe marks Richardson's first-ever National
Championships participation and she embraced the challenge, landing on
the podium in the Junior 15-16 XC in 5th, while taking it a step
further winning the Junior 11-16 STXC title the very next day.
Richardson is Junior STXC National Champion. (photo: Richardson)
Women's U23 XC podium. (photo: Whole Athlete p/b DNA)
Junior 17/18 Men's XC podium. (photo: Whole Athlete p/b DNA)
Junior Women's 11-16 STXC podium. (photo: Whole Athlete p/b DNA)
Next up for Whole Athlete p/b DNA:
07/28: Julbo Eastern Grind ProXCT - Catamount, VT
08/12: World Cup #6 - Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec, Canada
09/03: World Championships - Lenzerheide, Switzerland
07/28: Julbo Eastern Grind ProXCT - Catamount, VT
08/12: World Cup #6 - Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec, Canada
09/03: World Championships - Lenzerheide, Switzerland
Stay tuned for more exciting news!
