USA Cycling Announces Additions to the USA Cycling National Team

Aug 06, 2018

Written by Bart de Jong

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USA Cycling announced today the addition of seven athletes to the 2018 USA Cycling National Team across multiple disciplines: Brooke Crain (Visalia, Calif.) in BMX Supercross; Luca Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C.) and Dakotah Norton (Davidson, Mich.) in Mountain Bike; and Katie Hall (Saratoga, Calif.), Alexis Ryan (Ventura, Calif.), Jonny Brown (Covington, Tenn.), and Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo.) in Road. Each rider joins the team based on top results this year that meet the objective performance-based criteria. “We are excited to be able to extend the benefits of the USA Cycling National Team to additional riders. Having more athletes qualify for support by meeting the challenging objective standards means that our depth as a nation is increasing,” said Scott Schnitzspahn Vice President of Elite Athletics for USA Cycling.

Crain, a two-time Olympian (2012, 2016), finished eighth overall after advancing to the final round at the 2018 UCI BMX World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Her top performance at the World Championship came on the heels of a successful first half of 2018 racing around the U.S. and also qualified her to receive the silver level of support on the National Team.

2018 USA Cycling National Team Additions:

Jonny Brown (Covington, Tenn.), Road

Brooke Crain (Visalia, Calif.), BMX Supercross

Katie Hall (Saratoga, Calif.), Road

Dakotah Norton (Davidson, Mich.), Mountain (Downhill)

Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo.), Road

Alexis Ryan (Ventura, Calif.), Road

Luca Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C.), Mountain (Downhill)

In December 2017, USA Cycling announced the launch of the USA Cycling National Team, comprised of individuals who have been identified as top-performing, world-class athletes in their disciplines based on objective performance-based criteria. That criteria is unique to each discipline and is designed to select only those athletes who are performing at the very top of the world in their discipline. The initial National Team announcement featured 51 athletes. Four riders were added in February, and seven more riders join the team now.

Being on the USA Cycling National Team does not provide automatic access to World Championships teams or the Olympics, as those opportunities must be earned according to a clearly defined selection process open to all athletes. However, it does provide year-round access to USA Cycling’s highest level of athlete support, which may include:

Direct funding and health insurance
Access to U.S. Olympic Training Centers
Access to sport performance services: physiology, nutrition, sport psychology, strength and conditioning, technology and sports medicine
Access to U.S. Olympic Committee national medical network
Support from a USA Cycling Performance Director in partnership with the athlete’s personal coach, professional team, and extended support network
Travel support to attend National Team projects, qualifying events, and camps
High performance clothing and equipment provided by USA Cycling partners

USA Cycling has outlined clear athlete development pathways for each discipline to help aspiring athletes of all abilities understand the process and expectations. All information is available on the usacycling.org/team.