Four Junior National Titles!

The Whole Athlete/Specialized Cycling Team showed its class at the 2013 Cross Country National Championships with four Junior national titles and ten top-3 podium finishes. The young riders truly rose to the occasion at the biggest US event of the season.

Day 1 medalists: Haley Batten, Kate Courtney, Lucas Newcomb, and Sean Bennett.

On a technical and demanding course, Lucas Newcomb, Kate Courtney, and Haley Batten kicked off the team's weekend with cross country victories in Junior 17/18 men & women, and Junior 15/16 women. Sean Bennett took the bronze medal to complete a 1-3 Whole Athlete/Specialized Junior 17/18 podium.

Newcomb and Bennett go 1-3 at the XC National Championships.

Courtney adds a well-deserved national title to her impressive palmares.

Newcomb celebrates the result of hard work and dedication.

Batten rode a flawless race to take the Junior 15/16 XC title.

And if three cross country titles weren't enough, in the short track race Kate Courtney and Haley Batten rode away from the Cat 1 women's field for an impressive 1-2 finish and yet another national title.

An amazing weekend for the Batten-Courtney dynamic duo.

There were many notable performances by Whole Athlete/Specialized riders over the weekend, including Cole Avery's Junior Under-15 bronze medal in his first-ever short track race, Casey Williams with 3rd in the Pro Super-D and 12th in the Pro short track that saw only 13 of 60 riders finish on the leader's lap, Kate Courtney taking silver in the Junior Women's Super-D, and the U23s Cypress Gorry, Jacob Albrecht, and Casey Williams with solid 5th, 6th, and 7th places in cross country.

Avery with the bronze medal in the Under-15 short track.

Williams 3rd in Super-D, showing tremendous consistency in his first year as a pro.

Courtney and Batten on top of the Women's Cat 1 short track podium.

Gorry celebrates a solid 5th place finish in the highly competitive Under-23 XC race.

One of the behind-the-scenes reasons for the team's success exemplified by the tech/feed zone setup.

Congratulations to all the Whole Athlete/Specialized riders who competed at the 2013 National Championships. It was an inspiring showing of dedication, integrity, and fun.

Whole Athlete/Specialized Team - 2013 National Championships Top-10 Finishes

1st Lucas Newcomb - Junior 17/18 XC
1st Kate Courtney - Junior 17/18 XC
1st Kate Courtney - Cat 1 STXC
1st Haley Batten - Junior 15/16 XC
1st Dario Fredrick - Cat 1 40-44 XC
1st Liz Pinsker - Cat 1 45-49 XC
2nd Haley Batten - Cat 1 STXC
3rd Sean Bennett - Junior 17/18 XC
3rd Casey Williams - Pro Super-D
3rd Cole Avery - Junior 14 & Under STXC
5th Cypress Gorry - U23 XC
6th Jacob Albrecht - U23 XC
6th Cole Avery - Junior 14 & Under XC
7th Casey Williams - U23 XC
7th Lucas Newcomb - Junior 15-18 STXC
7th Steffen Andersen - Junior 15/16 XC
7th Matt McCourtney - Cat 1 35-39 XC

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

Next up: The Catamount Classic ProXCT in Vermont in two weeks, followed by the Monte Sainte Anne World Cup in Quebec. Stay tuned!

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Five Wins at Subaru Classic ProXCT!

The Whole Athlete/Specialized Cycling Team put the finishing touches on their preparation for the Cross Country National Championships this weekend with the Subaru Classic ProXCT in Mt. Morris, WI. Five wins for the race weekend included Lucas Newcomb and Kate Courtney in Junior 17/18, Haley Batten in Junior 15/16, and Courtney doubling up with the Cat 1 short track victory.

Courtney does the double with back-to-back wins in the cross country and short track.

Newcomb on top in the final tune up for XC Nationals. 

Batten coming off a successful European race campaign, ready for XC Nationals.

Steffen Andersen hit the podium with 4th in a competitive Junior 15/16 field.

Courtney motors the challenging short track course.

Newcomb, Batten, and Courtney warm up with KewlFit cooling vests to beat the Wisconsin heat.

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

Next up: July 19-21 - The Cross Country National Championships at Bear Creek Mountain, PA. 

Stay tuned...

Batten Wins in Belgium, Gorry & Albrecht Top-10 at Marathon Nationals

After a strong 2nd place in the Junior Women's Landgraaf International in the Netherlands, just a week later Haley Batten took the victory at the Sankt Vith Grand Prix in Belgium - then followed it up with another 2nd place at the Shark Attack in Saalhausen, Germany the very next day!

European racing clearly agrees with Batten: A win and two second place finishes in three races. 

 

Sean Bennett also rode well in his first foray into European racing, with 8th place among a strong Junior Men's field in Belgium.

Bennett earns a top-10 in his first European race experience.

Meanwhile back in the US, U23 Neo-pros Cypress Gorry and Jacob Albrecht also earned top-10 finishes at the Marathon National Championships in Sun Valley, ID with 7th and 10th respectively. The young riders faced a deep Pro field stacked with Olympians and World Cup contenders. Even a broken wheel and flat couldn't stop Albrecht from finishing in the top-10.

 

Gorry and Albrecht take top-10 finishes in their first Marathon Championships.

Next up: The Subaru Classic ProXCT in Mt. Morris, Wisconsin and Cross Country National Championships at Bear Creek Mountain, PA.

Batten Scores European Podium, U-23s Ready for Marathon Nationals

In her first foray into European racing, Haley Batten is already turning heads with an impressive 2nd place in the Junior Women's Landgraaf International in Holland. At racing age 15, Batten was the top 15/16 finisher in the combined 15-18 field.

Batten's first European race and first Euro podium.
(Annemarie Worst 1st, Haley Batten 2nd, Kaylee Blevins 3rd)

 

Batten battles eventual winner Annemarie Worst on the muddy, technical course.

Meanwhile, Cypress Gorry and Jacob Albrecht prepare at high elevation to take on the country's top pros this weekend at the Marathon National Championships in Sun Valley, ID. 

Gorry and Albrecht enjoying the high elevation trails of Sun Valley.

Next up: Marathon National Championships (Sun Valley, ID), the Sankt Vith Grand Prix, in Belgium, and the UCI Category 1 Saalhausen Bundesliga in Germany.