Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Kicks Off 2012 with Winter Training Camp

As it enters its fourth season, the Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team held its first training camp of 2012 at the Whole Athlete Performance Center in Marin County, California. Fourteen juniors, six U23s, three athlete-mentors, and five coaches came together to take part in the holistic methodology that defines the successful development program.

Photo: Through My Eyes Photography

Riders were treated to organic food, yoga classes, sport psychology workshops, kinesiology taping, foam rolling techniques, and of course epic training rides in West Marin and on Mt. Tamalpais. After an unusually dry Northern California winter the skies opened up just in time to douse the camp. Despite the timing, the cold, wet weather could not dampen the riders' high spirits.

Photo: Through My Eyes Photography

 

Having just earned the distinction of USA Cycling's 2011 Mountain Bike Club of the Year and a recipient of the Center of Excellence award, the Whole Athlete-Specialized Team looks to build on its continued success as it forges ahead. For the 2012 season, the team's focus continues to be the US ProXCT series and National Championships, as well as the two North American World Cups and qualifying riders to the World Championships for the fourth straight year.

Photo: Through My Eyes Photography

Among the returning riders for 2012 are 2011 Junior 15/16 MTB Cross Country National Champions Lucas Newcomb and Kate Courtney, both entering the Junior 17/18 field this year. New additions to the team include 2011 MTB and Cyclocross World Championship Team member Cypress Gorry, and NorCal High School League Frosh Series Champion Sean Bennett.

Photo: Through My Eyes Photography

Guided by their philosophy of "dedication, integrity and fun", the Whole Athlete-Specialized Development Team is a non-profit funded program providing young cyclists avenues to the highest levels of the sport.

The mission of the Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team is to invest in the future of our youth and the sport of cycling by supporting development of junior & U23 cyclists, providing a program where young cyclists can race and ride together guided by a defining philosophy of dedication, integrity and fun. This mission is enabled by our coaches, mentors, volunteers and contributions to the non-profit Velo Development Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.

The 2012 Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team is generously supported by the Velo Development Foundation, Violich Farms, Marin Cyclists, SRAM, GU Energy, ProBar, Oakley, Tam Bikes, Rock Tape, Elemental Herbs, Genuine Innovations, LaMarch Sports Chiropractic, Andrea Smith, CMT and Bungalow Munch Organic Granola.

Special thanks to Good Earth Natural Foods and Taco Jane's for their generous nutritional support of the 2012 kickoff camp, and to Through my Eyes and Off the Back Photography for their dedicated work in the cold and wet conditions.

Cross Nationals Podium!

Cypress Gorry reached his goal of making the podium at the Cyclocross National Championships with a strong third place finish.
 

photo: Lyne Lamoureux

After a softening front tire resulted in a bike change on the first-lap, Cypress worked his way back through the field all the way to the front, and was just outsprinted for second by Tobin Ortenblad.

We're keeping our fingers crossed on his selection for the US World Championship team, to be announced soon.

The Off-Season is On for Cypress Gorry

While most of the team is deep in training mode for the upcoming 2012 race season (soon to start in early March), Cypress Gorry has been racing hard all winter as he builds toward the US Cyclocross National Championships this weekend in Madison, WI.

 

Gorry focused through the Belgian mud at Azencross Loenhout. -- Photo: Tom Robertson

Not only has Gorry been racing cyclocross consistently in the US over the past few months, he recently returned from the Euro Cross Camp, where he raced half a dozen International and World Cup events throughout the month of December.

One of the many run ups at Namur, France -- Photo: Tom Robertson

 

Recently interviewed in Cyclocross Magazine.com, Gorry noted how exciting and popular cyclocross racing is in Europe, even on the coldest of winter days. He describes his final European race of the season in Loenhout, Belgium: "What on first glance appears to be an open flat field actually makes for an incredible race. Many added features, some of which include a flow section, some jumps, and a massive rideable flyover, add to the excitement for both the spectators and the racers. With another large field, the race was very exciting..."

Mentally focused at the startline at Diegem, Belgium -- Photo: Tom Robertson

This weekend will be the next big test for Gorry as he faces the best US junior cyclocross talent at the National Championships in wintery Wisconsin. With an eye on the World Championship Team selection, Gorry hopes to land on the podium in Madison and head back to Belgium for the biggest race of the 2011-2012 season at Cyclocross Worlds in Koksijde, January 28th.

Coverage of the Junior Cyclocross National Championships can be found on Cyclocross Magazine.com, Cyclingnews.com and Velonews.com. Stay tuned for more exciting news from Madison!

And to really get a taste of world-class cross racing, check out the video recaps of the most recent World Cups and elite European races:

Namur World Cup

Diegem Superprestige

Zolder World Cup

Azencross Loenhout

Whole Athlete-Specialized named USAC 2011 Mountain Bike Club of the Year!

The Marin-based Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team has just been handed one of its most important wins to date, as “Mountain Bike Club of the Year” for 2011. The award was given by USA Cycling, the national governing body for competitive cycling in the US.

As one of the top junior development programs in the country, team Whole Athlete-Specialized provides coaching, training support, bike fitting, nutritional counseling, sport psychology, and skills training to top-level athletes, including two of Marin’s Junior National Champion athletes, Lucas Newcomb and Kate Courtney.

Newcomb, 16 of Nicasio, Calif., is the reining boys’ 15/16 Junior National XC Champion, his first national title in bike racing. Courtney, 16 of Kentfield, Calif., is the current girls’ 15/16 Junior National XC Champion for the second straight year.

2011 has proven to be an exceptional year for Whole Athlete-Specialized, claiming 71 victories and seven national titles overall. And in its three years as a team, it has always qualified riders to the US World Championship Teams.

“It’s truly an honor to be recognized as Mountain Bike Club of the Year, and even more so to have the opportunity to work with such dedicated young athletes, sharing in their collective development and success.” says Team Founder / Director, Dario Fredrick.

The Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team forges on as they enter the 2012 season with a full roster of aspiring young cyclists, taking on a National-level race schedule.

Gorry takes first 'cross win of 2012 season

Steadily building toward Junior Cyclocross Nationals and the World Championships in January, Cypress Gorry took a step forward with a win at the Cylcle-A-Cross the Globe in Globe, AZ. Gorry was one of the last men standing in the pro field that saw many riders flat out of the race.

Upcoming for Gorry on the cyclocross calendar are the Derby City (KY) and Bend (OR) USGP races in Nov and Dec, then six races via the USAC European cyclocross camp, followed by Nationals in Wisconsin and the World Championships in Belgium in January.

Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Wraps Up Most Successful Season Yet

Young Team Comes of Age

In just three seasons the Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team has established itself as one of the most notable junior mountain bike development programs in the country. In addition to earning three Junior 15/16 National Championship titles (Kate Courtney, 2010 & 2011; Lucas Newcomb, 2011), the team has qualified riders to the US World Championship Team for cross country each year thus far (John Bennett, 2009; Zach Valdez, Will Curtis, Tony Smith, Sofia Hamilton, 2010; Keegan Swenson, 2011). Not a bad start for a program just getting its wheels off the ground.

2011 Cross Country National Championships podium finishers: Keegan Swenson, Lucas Newcomb, Kate Courtney, Sofia Hamilton, Josie Nordrum & Max Houtzager

Team founder and director Dario Fredrick says it’s a matter of setting the right standards, and the results follow. “Our team philosophy is defined by ‘dedication, integrity and fun’, and when the kids focus on the process rather than the outcome, they find success happens.” Success has indeed been happening for the young team. In 2011 alone, Whole Athlete-Specialized juniors have swept cross country podiums from Fontana to the Sea Otter to the Downieville Classic, and earned 13 junior podium appearances at the National Championships in Sun Valley, ID in cross country, short track and super-D combined.

Sea Otter Classic podium: (L-R) Tony Smith, Keegan Swenson & Max Houtzager

Yet Fredrick is quick to point out that it's not all about winning. "I emphasize to the kids that it's not necessarily the win that's most important, but the effort that goes into it. As long as each kid does his or her absolute best, that's success in my book." In fact, the program emphasizes much more than just riding bikes fast. True to its name, the Whole Athlete Team promotes a holistic system in which the riders learn about nutrition, sport psychology and yoga, in addition to proper training.

Video interview with Team Director Dario Fredrick about the development program

This year the team expanded to include a few U23 riders. As the young athletes progress through the program, those who are ready to take the next step from the junior ranks have an opportunity to rise to the challenge and compete as pros. But it's a big step at the national level, even for the formerly top juniors. Other than at the National Championships and World Cups where separate U23 races are offered, in ProXCTs the young guns go up against the country's best pros. It's a daunting task for a 19-year-old to start at the back of a 60-rider pro field, but as Fredrick points out, they have to start somewhere. "We don't expect our first year U23s to be competitive at the ProXCT level, but as long as they are making forward progress, that's what cycling development is about."

The program itself has also made steady progress. Having started out as many teams do as a modest endeavor, the Whole Athlete-Specialized Team has evolved into a national player and shows no signs of slowing down. With multi-year commitments from Whole Athlete and Specialized, the non-profit funded program is on track to continue developing national-caliber junior and U23 riders for years to come.

For more information and to learn how you can help support junior cycling development, go to www.wholeathlete.com/team.htm.

Team Video - Singletrack.com