Under-23s Come of Age at Missoula, O'Neal & Newcomb Shine at Skyline

In only their first year racing the professional ranks, Under-23s Casey Williams, Cypress Gorry, and Jacob Albrecht took on a very elite field at the Missoula ProXCT and showed they belong, finishing 12th, 16th and 21st respectively. The professional race held at the Marshall Mountain Ski Area boasted the best talent in North America, including former Olympians, World Cup winners, and National Champions. 

Gorry negotiates one of the many switchbacks on the fast descent.

Williams on the hunt.

Valdez shows good form on the A-line gap jump.

Albrecht speeds through the tech/feed zone.

Meanwhile back in California, Tyler O'Neal and Lucas Newcomb honed their form for XC Nationals on the former World Cup course in Napa at the Skyline Classic. O'Neal took a convincing win in the Junior race, while Newcomb took on former Tour de France rider Levi Leipheimer and other fast, local pros, landing on the podium with a strong third place finish.

Newcomb on the Pro podium.

And while Whole Athlete/Specialized riders stand out in races across the US, Sean Bennett, Marcus Segedin, and Haley Batten head to Europe this week to race three UCI races in two weekends in Holland, Belgium, and Germany. 

 

Next up this weekend: The Windham, NY ProXCT and the Landgraaf International UCI C2 in the Netherlands. 

Stay tuned for more exciting news!

Juniors Europe-bound as Batten Wins in Colorado, Avery Takes Silver in California

Haley Batten may be only 14 going on 15, but you wouldn't know it seeing her race. A mid-season addition to the Whole Athlete/Specialized Development Program, the 2012 Under-15 National Champ has already earned two wins with the team at the Intermountan Cup in Draper, UT and the KMC Classic Colorado State Championships in the Junior 15-18 field. Batten heads to Europe at the end of this month with fellow teammates Sean Bennett and Marcus Segedin to race three UCI races in two weekends in Holland, Belgium, and Germany.

Batten ready on the start line in Colorado.

Meanwhile, Cole Avery continues his steady season success adding a California State Championship silver medal to his five 2013 Junior Under-15 XC wins and the overall series title in the Kenda US Cup West. 

Avery on the podium with silver.

Next up: Whole Athlete/Specialized riders head to Marshall Mountain in Montana to race the Missoula ProXCT this weekend. 

Stay tuned for more exciting news!

Williams Goes Two-for-two at Big Bear, Avery Steps Up, as Both Take Overall US Cup Series Titles

Casey Williams is on a breakout season. At only 19, the first-year pro has already scored two cross country wins in 2013. And on his way to taking the overall series title in the hotly contested Kenda US Cup West, Williams did the double at the series finale in Big Bear with victories in both Super-D and XC.

Williams wins both Pro XC and Super-D at Big Bear.

Cole Avery is also on an impressive season with no fewer than five Junior Under-15 XC wins and the overall series title in the Kenda US Cup West as well. And the summer has just begun... 

Avery with the series overall honors.

Next up: Round three of the World Cup on June 15th in Val di Sole where Casey Williams, Kate Courtney, and Zach Valdez will race the world's best in the mountains of Northern Italy. 

Stay tuned for more exciting news!