Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Wraps Up Nationals Camp with Win at Missoula XCT

After four weeks of travel and racing that included a Junior National Championship Title, a World Cup victory and literally dozens of podium appearances, the Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team's summer race camp comes to a close with solid performances at the Missoula ProXCT.

Casey Williams earns his second Junior XCT win of the 2012 season.

Casey Williams earned his second Junior XCT victory of the season with an impressive ride in Missoula amid a strong 23-rider field, while newly crowned 15/16 National Champ Marcus Segedin honored the title with a solid 4th place in the Junior 15-18 combined race.

Marcus Segedin rides to a strong 4th place finish.

The Missoula XCT marked the fourth consecutive race weekend for the team and the final stop of the Team's 2012 Nationals Race Camp. Check out the video recap >>

Click image or here to view the video recap of the team's 2012 Nationals Camp.

Meanwhile, on the road side of racing the U23s have been ripping it up as they head into their target event of the season this Friday, the Cascade Stage Race. Cody Tapley and Coach Charlie Schneider each recently took wins in the Apple Pie Criterium and Colavita Grand Prix, as Nick Newcomb and Alex Yeh come off a slew of top finishes this Spring, aiming for the podium at Cascade.

Cody Tapley on his way to winning the Apple Pie Criterium.

Stay tuned for more exciting team news...

National Champions, Seventeen Podium Places Punctuate Team's Success at the 2012 US MTB National Championships

The Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team made a strong impression on the 2012 US Mountain Bike Cross Country National Championships, earning the Junior 15/16 National Title, seventeen podium placings and 25 top-10 finishes. 

Podium finishers on Day 1: Zach Valdez, Casey Williams, Tony Smith, Lucas Newcomb, Kate Courtney, Marcus Segedin and Josie Nordrum.

Marcus Segedin earned his biggest result of the year, winning the Junior 15/16 National Title. Sean Bennett, Ben Spurr and Silas Blunk took 6th, 7th and 8th on the challenging course.

Marcus Segedin shows the determination that won him the Junior 15/16 title.

Lucas Newcomb rode a superb race in the extremely competitive, over 60 rider-strong Junior 17/18 field to take 2nd place behind multiple World Cup podium finisher and Whole Athlete-Specialized alum Keegan Swenson. Casey Williams took the final podium spot in 5th place. Jacob Albrecht and Shane Skelton rounded out the top-10 in 6th and 9th.

Lucas Newcomb rides to the silver medal in the extremely competitive Junior 17/18 race.

In the Junior Women's 17/18 race, a crash and resulting mechanical cost Kate Courtney the win, but she battled back valiantly to take a strong 3rd place, followed closely behind by Josie Nordrum in 4th, Mackinzie Stanley in 7th and Sarah Ogden in 9th. 

Kate Courtney leads teammates Josie Nordrum and Mackinzie Stanley on the start lap of the Junior 17/18 Women's race.

The Whole Athlete-Specialized U23s were equally impressive, with Zach Valdez and Tony Smith both earning hard fought finishes in 4th and 5th, amid a World Cup-level podium.

Zach Valdez digs deep in the U23 race.

Following the impressive performances in cross country on the first day, the Juniors went to work on day 3 in the Short Track and Super-D races with Casey Williams landing two more podiums with 3rd in both events, while Mackinzie Stanley took 3rd and Silas Blunk 9th in their respective Super-D races.

Junior 15-18 Short Track Cross Country podium: Casey Williams 3rd.

Even the coaches and mentors showed they came prepared as Helene Drumm took the Short Track Women's Cat 1 title, Team Director Dario Fredrick earned his 4th consecutive Cat 1 40-44 cross country title, Victoria Yoham took 2nd in both women's 19-24 cross country and super-D, while Matt McCourtney landed on the podium in his first XC Nationals in 5th.

Junior 15/16 XC podium: Marcus Segedin 1st.

Junior 17/18 XC podium: Lucas Newcomb: 2nd, Casey Williams: 5th.

Junior Women 17/18 XC podium: Kate Courtney 3rd, Josie Nordrum 4th.

U23 XC podium: Zach Valdez 4th, Tony Smith 5th.

Whole Athlete-Specialized 2012 National MTB Championships Top-10 Results

Day 1:

Cross Country
Marcus Segedin Junior Men 15/16 1st
Lucas Newcomb Junior Men 17/18 2nd
Kate Courtney Junior Women 17/18 3rd
Josie Nordrum Junior Women 17/18 4th
Zach Valdez U23 4th
Tony Smith U23 5th
Casey Williams Junior Men 17/18 5th
Jacob Albrecht Junior Men 17/18 6th
Sean Bennett Junior Men 15/16 6th
Mackinzie Stanley Junior Women 17/18 7th
Ben Spurr Junior Men 15/16 7th
Silas Blunk Junior Men 15/16 8th
Shane Skelton Junior Men 17/18 9th
Sarah Ogden Junior Women 17/18 9th

Short Track
Helene Drumm Cat 1 Women 1st

Day 2:

Cross Country
Dario Fredrick Cat 1 40-44 1st
Victoria Yoham Cat 1 Women 19-24 2nd
Helene Drumm Cat 1 Women 40-44 3rd
Matt McCourtney Cat 1 30-34 5th

Day 3:

Short Track
Casey Williams Junior Men 15-18 3rd
Jacob Albrecht Junior Men 15-18 6th

Super-D
Victoria Yoham Women 19-29 2nd
Casey Williams Junior Men 3rd
Mackinzie Stanley Junior Women 3rd
Helene Drumm Women 40-49 5th
Silas Blunk Junior Men 9th

The season is far from over for Whole Athlete-Specialized as racing continues this coming weekend at the ProXCT in Missoula, MT. Stay tuned for more exciting team news...

Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Ready for MTB National Championships

The Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team heads into the 2012 US Mountain Bike National Championships this Friday with motivation and confidence.

Fourteen Junior and U23 team riders will contest the cross country event, including Windham Junior World Cup winner and two-time Junior 15/16 National Champ Kate Courtney, 2011 Junior 15/16 Champ and top-5 Windham World Cup finisher Lucas Newcomb, and U23 Pro standout Zach Valdez.

Kate Courtney wins the Windham World Cup.

Lucas Newcomb rides to a top-5 World Cup finish.

Zach Valdez has five pro wins and a ProXCT podium finish in 2012.

Whole Athlete-Specialized 2012 National Championship XC Team

Junior Men 17/18
 Jacob Albrecht
Lucas Newcomb
Shane Skelton
Casey Williams

Junior Men 15/16
Sean Bennett
Silas Blunk
Marcus Segedin
Ben Spurr

Junior Women 17/18
Kate Courtney
Josie Nordrum
Sarah Ogden
Mackinzie Stanley

U23 Elite
Tony Smith
Zach Valdez

Check out the schedule of events and course details here, and stay tuned for more exciting news from Sun Valley, ID!

WORLD CUP WIN! Courtney victorious in Windham, Newcomb 5th, Williams 10th. Teammates follow suit with 5 wins at the Galena Grinder XC

After knocking on the door with two World Cup top-10s in her last three races, Kate Courtney lands squarely on the top step of the podium, taking a well-deserved victory at the Windham World Cup.

Kate Courtney wins the Windham World Cup.

Courtney in action.

Meanwhile in the Junior Men's race, Lucas Newcomb took an impressive 5th place in only his second World Cup, while Casey Williams earned his best international finish yet with 10th. 

Lucas Newcomb rides to a top-5 World Cup finish.

Casey Williams with a top-10 World Cup ride.

While Whole Athlete-Specialized Juniors were making waves in Windham, the rest of the team was putting the final touches onto their form for Nationals at the Galena Grinder XC. The team took five wins and nine podium finishes, including Zach Valdez taking a convincing Pro win, and Marcus Segedin and Josie Nordrum earning the top Junior honors.

Zach Valdez takes his 5th Pro win of the 2012 season.

Marcus Segedin 1st, Sean Bennett 3rd, Silas Blunk 4th.

Junior Girls Sweep: Josie Nordrum, Mackinzie Stanley and Sarah Ogden.

 

Check out all the team's top-10 results here.

Next up, the US National Championships in Sun Valley, ID this weekend. Stay tuned for more exciting news!

Another World Cup Top-10, XC Podiums for Nationals Camp Riders

Kate Courtney rides to another World Cup top-10 finish in Monte Sainte Anne, Canada, finishing in 6th despite torturous conditions on the wet, extremely technical course. Lucas Newcomb followed suit with a strong 13th place in his first-ever World Cup. 

Lucas Newcomb rides to 13th in his first-ever World Cup.

A determined Kate Courtney.

Meanwhile, as the rest of the riders prep for Nationals at the team's high elevation training camp, the first test at the Sawtooth Challenge in Truckee (Lake Tahoe) saw the junior boys sweep the podium and junior girls go 1st and 3rd.

The Junior Boys sweep the Sawtooth podium, with Sean Bennett, Silas Blunk and Marcus Segedin 1-2-3.

Sean Bennett and Silas Blunk in action.

Mackinzie Stanley and Sarah Ogden go 1st and 3rd in the Sawtooth Challenge.

 

Next stop for the team is the World Cup in Windham, NY for Kate Courtney, Lucas Newcomb, Jacob Albrecht, Casey Williams and Shane Skelton, while the rest of the team will compete in the Galena Grinder XC in Sun Valley, ID as final prep for the National Championships next week.

Next stop, Sun Valley, ID!

Stay tuned for more exciting developments from Windham, NY and Sun Valley, ID here.

Five Juniors World Cup-Bound, Team Preps for Nationals with High Elevation Camp

No fewer than five Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Juniors will compete at the highest level of the sport at the two upcoming North American World Cups on June 24th and 30th in Monte Sainte Anne, Canada and Windham, NY. 

The Junior Women's World Cup start in LaBresse, France.

Coming off a top-10 at her first-ever World Cup in Nove Mesto, CZE, Kate Courtney looks to build on her breakout result with strong rides in Canada and New York. 

Kate Courtney rides to a World Cup top-10 finish in Nove Mesto, CZE

2011 US World Championship team member and World Cup veteran Casey Williams also looks to earn valuable UCI points and make the 2012 World's Team selection with his performances.

Casey Williams negotiates the rock garden in the Pietermaritzburg, RSA World Cup

Shane Skelton and Lucas Newcomb also seek to take their recent successful European race experience up a notch, while NorCal High School Varsity Champ Jacob Albrecht steps his ever-improving game up to the international level. 

Shane Skelton on his way to the top step of the podium in the Bonelli Park ProXCT short track

Lucas Newcomb rides into the top-10 in the Swiss Cup in Bern

NorCal High School Varsity Champion Jacob Albrecht in his best season yet

Meanwhile, the rest of the team will be working equally hard to prepare for the rigors of racing at the National Championships in Sun Valley, ID with the team's fourth annual three-week high elevation training camp. Starting in South Lake Tahoe then onto Sun Valley, ID, the young riders will follow a schedule of daily yoga, epic riding, optimal nutrition and team camaraderie.

Lake Tahoe provides the backdrop for the team's fourth annual altitude camp

Load 'em up and and move 'em out!

Follow the team's adventures over the next few weeks here.
Stay tuned for more exciting developments!

Valdez Wins Big Bear US Cup Final, Newcomb and Nordrum Top-10 in Europe

Zach Valdez takes his fourth win of the season at the Big Bear US Cup Final Pro Cross Country Race. At only 20, Zach has already established himself as one of the most promising U23 riders in the country.

Zach on his way to a fourth Pro victory in his best season yet.

Meanwhile across the Atlantic, Josie Nordrum, Lucas Newcomb and Shane Skelton were busy competing with some of the world's best Juniors in Belgium and Switzerland. 

Lucas works his way into the top-10 on the muddy course.

 

In her first European Foray, Josie took two top-5 finishes with 4th and 5th in Malmedy (BEL) and Bern (SWI), while Lucas took a hard-earned 7th in a cyclocross-like mudfest in Bern. Shane rode a strong, consistent race to finish 12th in the highly competitive Malmedy XC.

Josie gets psyched up for a tough race ahead.

Check out all the team's 2012 top-10 results here.

Next up is the high altitude team training camp in preparation for the XC National Championships in Sun Valley, ID. Stay tuned for more info!