Whole Athlete - Specialized Cycling Team Named 2012 Mountain Bike Club of the Year!

For the second year in a row, the Whole Athlete / Specialized Cycling Team has received the prestigious award of USA Cycling's 2012 Mountain Bike Club of the Year.

One of the top Junior / U23 development programs in the country, in 2012 the team earned 88 wins, seven US National Titles, five top-10 World Cup finishes, and the first-ever World Cup victory by a US Junior Woman. And in it's short four-year history, the team has qualified no fewer than nine riders to the World Championships. 

Kate Courtney with her historic win at the Windham, NY World Cup

Marcus Segedin wins the Junior 15/16 National Cross Country Title

 

The Whole Athlete / Specialized Cycling Team is poised to enter the 2013 season with a superb roster of aspiring young cyclists, taking on a National- and World Cup-level race schedule.

To follow all the team's progress, "like" the Whole Athlete Cycling Team on Facebook.

Gorry Strikes Again with Turkey Day 'Cross Victory

Just a few short weeks after earning back-to-back Collegiate National Titles on the mountain bike, Cypress Gorry has successfully transitioned to 'cross season with a win at the 'Cross Off Turkey Day Cyclocross Extravaganza in Raleigh, NC.

Cypress leads the charge on the twisty course.

Gorry has shown the dedication that defines the Whole Athlete / Specialized development program by back from an injury that kept him out of most of the 2012 season. Now at full health and with building form, he has his sights squarely set on Cyclocross U23 Nationals next month.

Stay tuned for more exciting news...

Gorry Wins Two Collegiate National Titles!

After being sidelined with injury for much of 2012, Cypress Gorry is back in a big way, earning both the Cross Country and Short Track D2 Collegiate National Championship Titles in Angel Fire, New Mexico over the weekend.

Cypress goes two for two, winning the short track the day after taking the cross country title.

After a strong start to 2012, Gorry's season was cut short with a leg injury sustained at the La Bresse World Cup in France. True to the Whole Athlete philosophy, his dedication was undeterred as he endured the long process of recovery and retraining back to race form.

Challenging conditions at the technical World Cup course in La Bresse, France.

Gorry's comeback shows the true nature of athletic potential, and he is one of three Whole Athlete-Specialized riders to come back from injury to win a National Title in 2012!

National Champion, Cypress Gorry.

 

As the rest of the team prepares for the 2013 race season, Gorry heads straight into the cyclocross season this fall with renewed confidence and motivation. 

Stay tuned for more exciting news...

Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team Wraps up Best Season Yet

What an amazing season 2012 has been for the Team: 

85 wins, including the first-ever US Junior Women's World Cup victory, four World Cup top-10s, multiple National Champions, seven ProXCT wins, four California State Champions, three Juniors named to the US World Championship Team, and countless podium appearances.

2012 US National medalists: Zach Valdez, Casey Williams, Tony Smith, Lucas Newcomb,
Kate Courtney, Marcus Segedin, & Josie Nordrum

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TEAM MISSION - ACCOMPLISHED

And while the results alone are impressive, the foundation of the team's success truly comes from its underlying mission of dedication, integrity and fun.

Dedication: Riders endure cold rain and hail during the team's January traning camp.

Integrity: Kate Courtney is the first-ever US Junior Woman to win a World Cup.

 

Fun: Cypress Gorry celebrates his Sea Otter Success.

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GIVING BACK

Giving back to the community and resources that sustain us is a key part of the team's mission and recipe for success. Each rider volunteers time to trail-work days, habitat restoration, and service to the community. 

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GRATITUDE

We would like to express our overwhelming gratitude to the program's 2012 sponsors. Your generosity and support have been fundamental to the team's success. Thank you!! 

Whole Athlete

Specialized

Velo Development Foundation

Marin Cyclists

USA Cycling Foundation

Violich Farms

SRAM

Squadra

GU Energy

ProBar

Oakley

Tam Bikes

Rock Tape

Enduro Bearings

Elemental Herbs

Genuine Innovations

NoTubes

LaMarch Sports Chiropractic

Marin Natural Medicine Clinic

Andrea Smith, CMT

RestWise

Bungalow Munch Organic Granola

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2012 TEAM NEWS IN REVIEW

What an amazing season.

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_01-06-12.html

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http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_02-27-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_03-04-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_03-11-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_03-19-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_04-02-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_04-15-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_04-22-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_04-30-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_05-07-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_05-15-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_05-21-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_06-04-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_06-11-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_06-27-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_07-01-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_07-04-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_07-09-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_07-15-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_08-07-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_08-20-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_09-16-12.html

http://wholeathlete.com/team/team_news_flash_09-24-12.html

Team Kickoff Camp Video (January 2012): 

Click image for video

Team Nationals Camp Video (July 2012):

Click image for video

Stay tuned for more exciting news as we approach the 2013 season. In the meantime, you may see us out there emphasizing more of the "fun" part of our mission...

Team Coaches Step Up at Marathon Nationals

With the cross country season having come to an end for the Juniors and U23s, Whole Athlete-Specialized coaches carried the torch this time for one more big event at the USA Cycling MTB Marathon National Championships in Bend, OR.

Take 54 miles of dirt, add over 6000 feet of climbing, and do it at race pace above 5000 ft. elevation and you get the 2012 Marathon Nationals race. The challenging course was truly worthy of a national championship: almost entirely singletrack, a healthy dose of climbing, plenty of sand, dust, and sprinkled with occasional technical rock challenges.

And the team coaches did not disappoint. Every one landed on the podium, including two with national titles.

Helene Drumm earned the 40-49 women's title in convincing fashion, while Liz Pinsker finished with a solid 3rd place.

John Hunt rode to a strong 3rd place finish in only his second MTB event this season.

Matt McCourtney took his second podium in a 2012 National Championship event with a solid 5th place in the very competitive 30-34 field.

Team Director Dario Fredrick successfully defended his 2011 Marathon title on the much more challenging 2012 course.

California State Junior Road Champion, Multiple XC Podiums Highlight Weekend for Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team

From Northern to Central California to Wisconsin, and from road to dirt, Whole Athlete-Specialized Juniors topped podiums across states and disciplines.

Already a 2012 California High School Varsity MTB State Champ, Josie Nordrum earned her second state title, this time in the Junior Road Race at San Ardo.

Josie Nordrum, CA Junior State Road and High School MTB Champ.

On the other side of the US in Mt. Morris, Wisconsin, Casey Williams, Jacob Albrecht, Shane Skelton and Silas Blunk all earned podium finishes in the XCT cross country and short track races. 

Casey Williams and Jacob Albrecht take 2nd and 3rd in the Short Track.

Casey Williams 4th, Shane Skelton 5th and Silas Blunk 2nd with their XC podium medals.

Meanwhile back in Santa Rosa, CA, Sarah Ogden earned a victory in the Annadel XC Junior Women's race as Marcus Segedin and Ben Spur took 2nd and 3rd in the Junior Men's field.

Sarah Ogden leads the charge.

Ben Spurr leads teammate Marcus Segedin as they make their way through the field.

Next up, the Junior XC World Championships in Austria Sept. 7-8. Stay tuned for more exciting news!

Three Whole Athlete-Specialized Juniors to Race 2012 World Championships in Austria

 

Kate Courtney, Lucas Newcomb and Casey Williams will be heading to Leogang, Austria next month to represent the US at the 2012 Mountain Bike World Championships. 

Courtney comes off a big win at the Windham World Cup, aiming for a high finish in Austria. Newcomb and Williams also showed their class in Windham, taking 5th and 10th respectively. All three riders go into the World Championships with strong 2012 seasons, European experience, and solid World Cup results. 

Kate Courtney in action at the Nove Mesto (CZE) World Cup.

Lucas Newcomb negotiates the rock garden at the Mont Sainte Anne (CAN) World Cup.

Casey Williams tames the rocks at the Pietermaritzburg (RSA) World Cup.

Stay tuned for more exciting team news!

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!