Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team Blog

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

2012-01-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

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!

2012-01-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-06T07:10:00.000-08:00

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:

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

2011-12-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

The Marin-based WholeAthlete-Specialized Cycling Team has just been handed one of its most importantwins to date, as “Mountain BikeClub of the Year” for 2011. The award was given by USA Cycling, the nationalgoverning body for competitive cycling in the US.

As one of the top juniordevelopment programs in the country, team Whole Athlete-Specialized providescoaching, training support, bike fitting, nutritional counseling, sportpsychology, and skills training to top-level athletes, including two of Marin’sJunior 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 nationaltitle 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 anexceptional year for Whole Athlete-Specialized, claiming 71 victories and sevennational titles overall. And in its three years as a team, it has always qualifiedriders to the US World Championship Teams.

“It’s truly an honor to berecognized as Mountain Bike Club of the Year, and even more so to have theopportunity to work with such dedicated young athletes, sharing in theircollective development and success.” says Team Founder / Director, DarioFredrick.

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

Gorry takes first 'cross win of 2012 season

2011-10-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Newcomb Top-10 in Switzerland, Swenson Ready for World Championships

2011-08-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

Fresh off his Junior 15/16 National Championship win, Lucas Newcomb was off to Europe with USAC's Junior Race Camp to experience world-class competition at the Ekz Cup in Eschenbach, Switzerland. In his first-ever international race, Newcomb finished a strong 7th place and will have another chance to shine this coming Saturday at the Racer Bikes Cup in Basel.

Lucas Newcomb ready to rock in Switzerland

Also headed to Switzerland is standout Junior Keegan Swenson to race in his first World Championships in Champery on September 1st. At just 17, Swenson's breakout season includes three Junior wins in the ProXCT series, second at the Racer Bikes Cup in Granichen, Switzerland, and silver medals at the Junior 17/18 National Championships in both cross country and short track.

Keegan Swenson in action

All the team's top-10 race results can be found here.

Stay tuned for more exciting news.

Whole Athlete-Specialized Riders Continue to Impress at Howell Mountain Challenge

2011-08-08T09:26:00.001-07:00

Fresh off a strong top-10 finish at U23 Nationals, Will Curtis showed his late-season form by winning the Howell Mountain Challenge Pro race, setting one of the fastest-ever recorded times on the technical, twisty course.

Will Curtis on his way to victory in the Howell Mountain Challenge XC

Tony Smith and Taylor Smith followed just behind Curtis to take 1st and 2nd in the Junior race, beating the rest of the pro field. Max Houtzager made it an all-Whole Athlete-Specialized Junior sweep of the podium, while newly crowned 15/16 National Champion Lucas Newcomb took 4th.

Coming back from a broken ankle only one month ago, Smith wins the Junior race

Not to be outdone by the boys, two-time current 15/16 National Champion Kate Courtney won the Junior Women's race as well!

All the team's top-10 race results are available here.

Not just cross country - Houtzager & Tapley on top

2011-07-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

Coming off a strong podium ride at the Cross Country National Championships in Sun Valley, ID, Max Houtzager headed straight up to Whistler to the Crankworx Bike Festival and showed his depth of ability by winning the Junior Enduro Downhill event.

Cody Tapley has been Mr. Consistency on the road all year, top-10 in nearly every criterium entered and a hard working selfless teammate. That top step of the podium has eluded him -- until now. Tapley wins the 2Wheel Crit in impressive fashion and upgrades to Cat 2. Congrats, Cody!

Whole Athlete-Specialized Team National Championships Wrap Up

2011-07-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

In only it's third year, the Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team has evolved into one of the top development programs in the country, claiming two Junior Titles and 13 Junior medals at the 2011 National MTB Championships.

Kate Courtney takes her second consecutive Junior National XC Title

The 2011 National Championships also marks the third straight year the team has participated in a high altitude training camp in preparation for the main event. Riders follow Whole Athlete's holistic philosophy as they live, train and race together for three weeks, practicing daily yoga, following optimal nutrition and sharing epic rides.

Lake Tahoe provided the perfect setting for the team's high altitude training camp

The training camp included multiple race opportunities, and the juniors showed their preparation was already paying off. Whole Athlete-Specialized Junior men and women were victorious in all three pre-Nationals races: Annadel XC Classic (Lucas Newcomb & Josie Nordrum), Peavine Challenge (Taylor Smith & Kate Courtney) and Downieville Classic XC (Max Houtzager & Kate Courtney). All the team's top-10 race results are available here.

Junior Women at the Peavine Challenge in Reno, NV

Lucas Newcomb wins the Junior 15/16 National XC Title

Whole Athlete-Specialized 2011 National Championships Results Tally:

6 National Titles
17 Top-3 Finishes
20 Podium Placings
26 Top-10 Finishes

*****

Day 1
Cross Country

Junior Men 15/16
Lucas Newcomb 1st

Junior Women 15/16
Kate Courtney 1st
Josie Nordrum 3rd

Junior Men 17/18
Keegan Swenson 2nd
Max Houtzager 4th
Taylor Smith 6th

Junior Women 17/18
Sofia Hamilton 3rd
Mackinzie Stanley 6th
Victoria Yoham 7th

U23 Men
Will Curtis 10th

*****

Day 2
Cross Country

Cat 1 40-44
Dario Fredrick 1st

Cat 1 40-44 Women
Helene Drumm 1st

Cat 1 45-49 Women
Julia Violich 1st

Cat 1 35-39 Women
Abbie Durkee 5th

*****

Day 3
Super-D

Junior Men
Bobby Zidek 2nd
Taylor Smith 3rd
Max Houtzager 7th

Junior Women
Kate Courtney 2nd
Victoria Yoham 3rd
Mackinzie Stanley 4th

Cat 1 40+ Women
Helene Drumm 1st

Cat 1 19-39 Women
Abbie Durkee 2nd

Day 3
Short Track

Junior Men
Keegan Swenson 2nd
Taylor Smith 4th

Cat 1 Open Women
Helene Drumm 2nd
Sofia Hamilton 9th

Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Adds Ten Podium Finishes on National Championships Final Day

2011-07-18T05:39:00.000-07:00

Day 3 saw numerous Whole Athlete-Specialized riders on the podium in both Super-D and Short Track events, adding ten podium placings and one more National Title. The team's tally for the Championships weekend comes to six National Titles and 19 podium finishes!

Keegan Swenson 2nd and Taylor Smith 4th in Junior 15-18 Short Track

Kate Courtney 2nd, Victoria Yoham 3rd and Mackinzie Stanley 4th in Junior Women's Super-D

Bobby Zidek 2nd and Taylor Smith 3rd in Junior Super-D

Helene Drumm wins the 40+ Super-D National Title

Helene Drumm on the podium, taking second in Women's Open Short Track

Abbie Durkee takes 2nd place in Women's 19-39 Super-D

Whole Athlete-Specialized National Championship Top-10 Results

Day 3: Super-D

Junior Men
Bobby Zidek 2nd
Taylor Smith 3rd
Max Houtzager 7th

Junior Women
Kate Courtney 2nd
Victoria Yoham 3rd
Mackinzie Stanley 4th

Cat 1 40+ Women
Helene Drumm 1st

Cat 1 19-39 Women
Abbie Durkee 2nd

Short Track

Junior Men
Keegan Swenson 2nd
Taylor Smith 4th

Cat 1 Open Women
Helene Drumm 2nd
Sofia Hamilton 9th

*****

Day 2: Cross Country

Cat 1 40-44
Dario Fredrick 1st

Cat 1 40-44 Women
Helene Drumm 1st

Cat 1 45-49 Women
Julia Violich 1st

Cat 1 35-39 Women
Abbie Durkee 5th

*****

Day 1: Cross Country

Junior Men 15/16
Lucas Newcomb 1st

Junior Women 15/16
Kate Courtney 1st
Josie Nordrum 3rd

Junior Men 17/18
Keegan Swenson 2nd
Max Houtzager 4th
Taylor Smith 6th

Junior Women 17/18
Sofia Hamilton 3rd
Mackinzie Stanley 6th
Victoria Yoham 7th

U23 Men
Will Curtis 10th

Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Coaches Add Three More National Titles on Day 2

2011-07-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

While the Juniors and U23s recover from their Day 1 Cross Country races and prepare for Super-D and Short Track on Day 3, Whole Athlete-Specialized Team coaches take a cue from the young riders adding three more National Titles to the results tally.

Julia Violich, Dario Fredrick and Helene Drumm all win National Titles

Team Director Dario Fredrick earns his third consecutive 40-44 National Title

Helene Drumm repeats as 40-44 National Champion

Julia Violich takes yet another National Title

Abbie Durkee takes a solid 5th place, landing on the podium for the second year

Whole Athlete-Specialized National Championship Top-10 Results
Day 2: Cross Country

Cat 1 40-44
Dario Fredrick 1st

Cat 1 40-44 Women
Helene Drumm 1st

Cat 1 45-49 Women
Julia Violich 1st

Cat 1 35-39 Women
Abbie Durkee 5th

*****

Day 1: Cross Country

Junior Men 15/16
Lucas Newcomb 1st

Junior Women 15/16
Kate Courtney 1st
Josie Nordrum 3rd

Junior Men 17/18
Keegan Swenson 2nd
Max Houtzager 4th
Taylor Smith 6th

Junior Women 17/18
Sofia Hamilton 3rd
Mackinzie Stanley 6th
Victoria Yoham 7th

U23 Men
Will Curtis 10th

Lucas Newcomb and Kate Courtney Win Junior National Titles - Team Earns Six Podium Placings on Day 1 of the MTB National Championships

2011-07-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

Kate Courtney earns her second consecutive 15/16 National Title - Josie Nordrum takes bronze

Lucas Newcomb earns the Junior Men's 15/16 National Title

Keegan Swenson 2nd and Max Houtzager 4th in Junior 17/18

Sofia Hamilton on the podium once again with the bronze medal in Women's 17/18

Whole Athlete-Specialized National Championship Top-10 Results
Day 1: Cross Country

Junior Men 15/16
Lucas Newcomb 1st

Junior Women 15/16
Kate Courtney 1st
Josie Nordrum 3rd

Junior Men 17/18
Keegan Swenson 2nd
Max Houtzager 4th
Taylor Smith 6th

Junior Women 17/18
Sofia Hamilton 3rd
Mackinzie Stanley 6th
Victoria Yoham 7th

U23 Men
Will Curtis 10th

Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Takes on MTB National Championships with Full Squad of Juniors and U23s

2011-07-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

In only its third year, the Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team brings a full squad of young riders to the Mountain Bike National Championships in Sun Valley, Idaho. With multiple National Titles on the line, a 17-rider team of Juniors and U23s will contest the Cross Country, Short Track and Super-D events throughout the weekend.

Kate Courtney earns the 2010 Cat 1 15/16 National Title

Two current Junior National Champions are returning to defend their titles in Kate Courtney and Keegan Swenson. Both riders are fresh off strong race performances in the last two weeks, with Courtney winning both the Peavine Challenge and Downieville XC, and Swenson taking top-5 finishes in both North American World Cups in Mont Sainte Anne and Windham, NY.

Swenson looks to repeat his 2010 National Title, this time in the 17/18 field

The team comes to Nationals well prepared after a three-week high altitude training camp. Eight Cat 1 Junior Men (six 17/18 and two 15/16 riders), five Cat 1 Junior Women (three 17/18 and two 15/16 riders) and four U23s will line up for a shot at the title starting tomorrow.

Whole Athlete-Specialized National Championship Team

U23 Men
Zach Valdez
Will Curtis
Will Patterson
Riley Predum

Junior Men 17/18
Keegan Swenson
Tony Smith
Max Houtzager
Taylor Smith
Eliel Anttila
Bobby Zidek

Junior Men 15/16
Lucas Newcomb
Jonny Kaufman

Junior Women 17/18
Sofia Hamilton
Mackinzie Stanley
Victoria Yoham

Junior Women 15/16
Kate Courtney
Josie Nordrum

Juniors Sweep Downieville XC, Swenson Takes Another World Cup Top-5

2011-07-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

The Downieville Classic is truly a classic event, boasting one of the most challenging cross country races in the country and Whole Athlete-Specialized Juniors showed up ready to race. On a course that includes a continuous 3000 foot climb right from the start, followed by over 4000 feet of highly technical and physically demanding descending to the finish, the Juniors swept the top three places.

Max Houtzager, Taylor Smith & Lucas Newcomb go 1-2-3 in the Cross Country

Houtzager takes 2nd in the Downhill and 2nd overall in All Mountain

As the Junior men showed their mountain biking prowess, 16-year-old Kate Courtney followed suit with a dominant performance, not only winning the Expert Women under 35 race, but placing 3rd among all the women, inlcuding a strong field of pros.

Kate Courtney wins the Expert Women Under-35 race

On the opposite coast, Keegan Swenson took his second 5th place World Cup finish in as many weeks, this time in Windham, NY. Swenson was in contention for the win, when a last lap flat ended his chance for the podium. A strong finish despite finishing on a rear flat.

The entire team now comes together in Sun Valley, ID this week for the National Championships with Cross Country events on Friday and Saturday, and Super-D and Short Track on Sunday. Stay tuned for more exciting news from Idaho...

Downieville Pre-ride

2011-07-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

With the Downieville Classic coming up this weekend, the boys decided to pre-ride the course. We loaded the vans and headed over the hills and down along the Yuba River to the mountain hamlet.

A long, hot climb greeted us with open arms, gaining 3000 feet in one shot, topping out at 7000.

The huge amounts of late-season snow turned into melting rivers of mud and overflowing creeks, but spirits were far from dampened.

3.5 hours and 5000 feet of climbing later and the boys are ready for a river plunge and food!

Juniors Sweep Peavine Challenge, Swenson Top-5 at World Cup

2011-07-02T16:36:00.001-07:00

The Peavine Challenge XC in Reno, NV marked the end of week one of the Whole Athlete-Specialized high altitude training camp, and the juniors did not disappoint.

Junior women sweep: Kate Courtney 1st,
Josie Nordrum 2nd & Sofia Hamilton 3rd

Junior men: Taylor Smith & Lucas Newcomb go 1-2

As the juniors took top honors in their races, Max Houtzager dominated the Cat 1 19-39 field, putting him at 5th overall on the day, including the pros. U23 riders also fared well, with Will Curtis taking 3rd, Will Patterson 4th and Nick Newcomb 5th.

Meanwhile, in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada, Keegan Swenson was the top US junior at the World Cup #4 with a strong 5th place finish. Swenson now has his eyes on the podium at World Cup #5 next weekend in Windham, NY.

Full Peavine Top-10 Results

Junior Men
Taylor Smith 1st
Lucas Newcomb 2nd
Eliel Anttila 6th
Jonny Kaufman 7th

Junior Women
Kate Courtney 1st
Josie Nordrum 2nd
Sofia Hamilton 3rd

Cat 1 19-39
Max Houtzager 1st

Pro Men
Will Curtis 3rd
Will Patterson 4th
Nick Newcomb 5th

Pro/Cat 1 Women
Abbie Durkee 2nd

Cat 1 40+
Dario Fredrick 2nd

High Altitude Training Camp - Week 1

2011-06-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

The crew on the Tahoe City Rim Trail

Singletrack bliss

Still a huge amount of snow above 7000 feet

Whole Athlete-Specialized Juniors on Podiums in Three States

2011-06-28T08:39:00.001-07:00

It was another full weekend of racing for the Whole Athlete-Specialized Team. In Santa Rosa, California, Lucas Newcomb and Josie Nordrum each won the Annadel XC junior races, only two of seven team podium finishes. In Park City, Keegan Swenson took his second win in the Utah State Championship Series while Max Houtzager finished third in Wisconsin at the fifth stop of the ProXCT series at Nordic Mountain. The team took home a total of nine podium placings and 15 top-10 finishes across three states.

Swenson takes his eighth win of the season

Full list of top-10 results here>

Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team Preps for National Championships with High Altitude Training Camp

2011-06-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

For the third consecutive year the Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team will prepare for the Mountain Bike National Championships with a three-week high altitude training camp.

With the Nationals course in Sun Valley, ID at 6000 ft., the team will prepare by acclimating to the thin air of North Lake Tahoe while training and racing for the three weeks prior to the main event. The camp kicks off with the Annadel XC race in Santa Rosa on Saturday June 25th, then it's up to the Sierra's, where the following two weekends include the Peavine Challenge XC in Reno, NV and the Downieville Classic.

True to Whole Athlete's holistic approach, the team camp includes daily yoga, highly nutritious meals, mental training sessions with the team sport psychologist and of course, epic riding. The camp is truly a team effort and the young riders share the cooking, cleaning and bike maintenance responsibilities. Eight junior boys, four U23s and five junior girls will represent the team at Nationals, with Kate Courtney and Keegan Swenson each defending their 2010 Junior titles.

Follow the young riders during their camp adventures here on the team blog and Facebook.

Whole Athlete-Specialized National Championship Team

U23 Men
Zach Valdez
Will Curtis
Will Patterson
Riley Predum

Junior Men 17/18
Keegan Swenson
Tony Smith
Max Houtzager
Taylor Smith
Eliel Anttila
Bobby Zidek

Junior Men 15/16
Lucas Newcomb
Jonny Kaufman

Junior Women 17/18
Sofia Hamilton
Mackinzie Stanley
Victoria Yoham

Junior Women 15/16
Kate Courtney
Josie Nordrum

Double Victory in XC & Super-D: Valdez in Big Bear, Houtzager in Ashland

2011-06-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

U23 standout Zach Valdez took his first pro win at the Kenda Cup Final in Big Bear, CA. Zach has been close to that top step with multiple podium finishes this season, while that elusive win has been just out of reach - until now!

Meanwhile, "All-Mountain World Champion" Max Houtzager showed once again that he is one of the most adept bike handlers in the junior ranks by sweeping the Ashland Mountain Challenge in Oregon, winning both the Avid Chainless Challenge and Super-D.

From California to Colorado - Wins across the West

2011-06-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

To say the Whole Athlete-Specialized Team is on a roll would be an understatement. At the halfway point of the year now, the team already has 43 wins and over 100 podium finishes!

This past weekend was no exception, as riders found success from California to Colorado. At the 17th annual Skyline MTB XC race in Napa, CA, the team took three wins and eight podium finishes across the various categories, ranging from Junior to Cat 1 to Pro:

Placing	Rider	Category
1st	Tony Smith	Cat 1 18-39
1st	Kate Courtney	Junior Women
1st	Dario Fredrick	Cat 1 40+
2nd	Max Houtzager	Cat 1 18-39
2nd	Mackinzie Stanley	Junior Women
2nd	Eliel Anttila	Junior Men
3rd	Will Curtis	Pro
3rd	Sofia Hamilton	Junior Women
4th	Victoria Yoham	Junior Women
4th	Bobby Zidek	Junior Men

Tony Smith and Max Houtzager go 1-2 in the Cat 1 race

Kate Courtney, Mackinzie Stanley (not pictured), Sofia Hamilton and Victoria Yoham (not pictured)
sweep the top-four places in the Junior Women's race

Meanwhile, young Lucas Newcomb took a convincing win at the Hotter than Habanero XC in Colorado Springs, finishing not only first Junior, but Cat 1 overall as well! The hotly contested race was part of USA Cycling's Junior MTB Development Camp and a qualifier for their European Race Camp in August.

Lucas Newcomb

Next up for the Whole Athlete-Specialized riders is the Annadel XC race in Santa Rosa, CA, the Wisconsin ProXCT, the Mont Sainte Anne (Canada) and Windham (NY) World Cups, the Downieville Classic, and of course the National Championships in Sun Valley, ID.

Stay tuned for more exciting news!

Podiums on Two Continents: Swenson in Switzerland and Valdez in Santa Ynez

2011-06-06T05:27:00.000-07:00

Whole Athlete-Specialized Junior Keegan Swenson showed his talent once again by taking an impressive 2nd place at the Racer Bikes Cup (Swiss National Series) in Granichen, Switzerland. After a strong race in his first-ever World Cup in Offenburg, Germany the weekend before, Swenson once again faced a world-class field of juniors in Granichen, this time landing squarely on the podium.

Swenson on his way to the podium

In his first year as a U23 Pro, Zach Valdez is already making waves. He has consistently finished as one of the top young riders in the spring ProXCTs in both short track and cross country. Only two weeks after a strong 2nd place finish in the Big Bear Kenda Cup cross country, Valdez once again hit the podium with another 2nd place behind former Australian National Champion Sid Taberlay (Kenda H20 Overdrive) in the Santa Ynez US Cup Triple Crown short track.

Valdez hot on Taberlay's heels

Swenson and Valdez are looking to carry their momentum into the North American World Cups in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada and Windham, NY next month, where they will be joined by junior teammates Max Houtzager and Tony Smith.

Stay tuned for more exciting news!

Max Houtzager in action

Swenson

Whole Athlete-Specialized Juniors Head to Europe to Take on World-Cup Racing

2011-05-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

Standout Whole Athlete-Specialized juniors Keegan Swenson and Max Houtzager are taking the leap across the pond to race with the world's best. Swenson and Houtzager join a small number of elite US Juniors under USA Cycling's National Race Camp to compete in the Offenburg World Cup in Germany next weekend and the Swisspower Cup race in Granichen, Switzerland June 5th.

Keegan Swenson on his way to winning the Bonelli Park ProXCT

This trip marks the first foray into European racing for Swenson and Houtzager and should provide them with invaluable experience at the highest level of the sport. Swenson has shown he's ready to take on the next level after having won every ProXCT junior event entered this Spring and six wins to date. Houtzager has also had a strong Spring campaign, with two wins and multiple podium placings, and the Offenburg race will be his second World Cup race experience after competing at the Windham, NY event last year.

Max Houtzager rounding out the team's Sea Otter podium-sweep

We wish Max and Keegan the best of luck in their European Spring race trip!!

Whole Athlete-Specialized Juniors Wrap Up Successful High School Season

2011-05-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

Josie Nordrum sweeps JV Girls Series & CA State Title

Two California State Titles and eight podium appearances at the NICA State Championship Race in Los Olivos this weekend punctuated the Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Juniors' success throughout the 2011 High School season.

Lucas Newcomb sweeps JV Series & CA State Title

Sophomores Lucas Newcomb (Drake High School) and Josie Nordrum (Redwood High School) each took their respective Junior Varsity State Titles after sweeping the entire NorCal series. "Mr. Consistency" Jonny Kaufman (San Rafael High School) earned a well-deserved 2nd place behind Newcomb in JV, while Taylor Smith (Marin Catholic High School) had his best ride of the Spring to take 2nd in an extremely competitive Varsity field. Max Houtzager (Redwood High School) also landed on the Varsity podium with a solid 4th place. On the Varsity Girls side, Sofia Hamilton (Drake High School), Kate Courtney (Branson High School) and Mackinzie Stanley (Drake High School) rounded out the super-competitive ladies' podium with 3rd, 4th and 5th places respectively.

Varsity Girls: Sofia Hamilton, Kate Courtney & Mackinzie Stanley round out the podium in 3rd, 4th & 5th

In the six NorCal and State High School races this season, Whole Athlete-Specialized juniors earned 15 wins and 46 podium placings! Congratulations to all the riders who competed at the State Championship event, and for completing an outstanding season of High School racing.

Varsity Boys: Taylor Smith 2nd & Max Houtzager 4th

Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Continues Its Spring Success

2011-05-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

The Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team continued its whirlwind Spring with three wins, ten podium placings and 13 top-10 finishes over the weekend.

At the final round of the NorCal High School Series at Boggs Mountain, Lucas Newcomb (Drake High School) and Josie Nordrum (Redwood High School) completed perfect sweeps, winning all four events and the overall titles in Junior Varsity. Confirming his consistency throughout the series as well, Jonny Kaufman (San Rafael High School) took 2nd behind Newcomb in JV boys.

In the ever-competitive Varisty Divisions, Max Houtzager (Redwood) and Sofia Hamilton (Drake) each completed the series in 2nd place overall, with Taylor Smith (Marin Catholic High School) and Kate Courtney (Branson High School) each 4th and Mackinzie Stanley (Drake) taking 5th, less than a year after recovering from hip surgery.

Perhaps more impressive than any of the top results was Bobby Zidek's ride at Boggs. While he didn't win or even place on the podium, he sacrificed his chances of a high finish by stopping to help a rider who crashed hard in front of him. This selfless act is one we can all aspire to.

Meanwhile in the mountain states, Keegan Swenson continued his superb Spring with victories at the Utah State Championship Series #1 last weekend - against the pros no less - and again at the Rabbit Valley Rally in Fruita, CO this weekend. Swenson already has six wins this season, including all the Junior ProXCT races in the series thus far.

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

Swenson on a Tear

2011-04-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

Keegan Swenson continued his winning ways by taking the top spot in the pro field at the Utah State Championship Series #1 at Lambert Park. At only 17 this year, the 2010 15/16 National Champ is on a roll.

Next stop for Swenson? Europe and the Junior World Cup in Offenburg, Germany on May 28th! Also joining Keegan at the European Race Camp from the Whole Athlete-Specialized Squad will be teammate Max Houtzager.

Whole Athlete-Specialized Juniors Sweep Sea Otter XC Podium

2011-04-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

Swenson leads development team in their most successful Sea Otter Classic yet

(April 15-16, 2011, Monterey, CA) The Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team showed its class as a top junior development program once again at the 21st annual Sea Otter Classic, sweeping the podium in the Junior Men’s cross country event. Against a strong 30-rider Cat 1 17/18 field, Keegan Swenson continued his winning ways with his third victory in the ProXCT Series. Swenson was followed by teammates Tony Smith and Max Houtzager, repeating their podium order from Fontana just three weeks prior.

In the Cat 1 15/16 group, Lucas Newcomb landed on the podium as well with a strong 2nd place finish, while on the Junior Women’s side, Kate Courtney (15-16 National Champ) moved up one podium place from last year to 3rd in this year’s event.

Whole Athlete-Specialized Team athletes and coaches alike took to the startline in this year's Sea Otter Classic, netting eight podium placings and 16 top-10 finishes. Check out all the team's top-10 results here.

Whole Athlete-Specialized to Tackle Sea Otter with Full Squad of Juniors and U23s

2011-04-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

Eighteen riders from top developmental program to contest West Coast's largest MTB event

(April 11, 2011, San Anselmo, CA) The Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team has its sights set on the 2011 Sea Otter Classic with an impressive contingent of young riders. Nine junior boys, five junior girls, and four U23 riders will contest their respective cross-country races.

Standout juniors Keegan Swenson (2010 15/16 National Champion) and Tony Smith (2010 Worlds Team member) will face a strong field as they look to maintain their momentum of consecutive 1-2 finishes in the first two ProXCT rounds at Bonelli Park and Fontana.

Sea Otter will mark the first foray into national-class racing for the junior girls this season, who have focused mainly on High School League racing so far this year. Sofia Hamilton (2010 Worlds Team member) is hoping for one step above her 2nd place finish in last year's 17/18 race, while current 15/16 National Champion Kate Courtney, also a podium finisher last year, hopes to take top honors in this year's event.

On the U23 side, neo-pro Zach Valdez is coming off a strong start to the spring, including two 2nd place finishes in the Kenda Cup Series and 10th in the Bonelli Park ProXCT short track. Valdez and his U23 teammates will face the country's top professional racers in this third stop of the ProXCT Series.

Whole Athlete-Specialized Sea Otter MTB XC Roster

Junior Boys 17/18: Max Houtzager, Sven Beer, Taylor Smith, Keegan Swenson, Eliel Anttila, Bobby Zidek, Tony Smith

Junior Boys 15/16: Jonny Kaufman, Lucas Newcomb

Junior Girls: (Abbie Durkee, coach) Josie Nordrum, Mackinzie Stanley, Sofia Hamilton, Kate Courtney, Victoria Yoham, (Julia Violich, coach)

U23 Men: Riley Predum, Will Patterson, Zach Valdez, Will Curtis

Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Springs into Action

2011-03-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

The Whole Athlete-Specialized Team has sprung into action this Spring, with impressive performances across disciplines and across the state over the weekend, sweeping the podium at the Fontana ProXCT Junior cross country race, taking the overall victory in the Cat 3 San Dimas Stage Race, and earning three wins and seven podiums in the NorCal High School MTB race in Monterey.

Junior Mountain Bike Racing - Fontana ProXCT - Fontana, CA

Following up on their dominant performance in the first round at Bonelli Park two weeks prior, Keegan Swenson and Tony Smith went 1-2 again in the junior cross country race at Fontana, with Max Houtzager rounding out the top three. Bobby Zidek took a strong 6th in his first Cat 1 season. Team Director Dario Fredrick also took the win in the Cat 1 40-44 race.

NorCal High School League Race #2 - Fort Ord

At the high school level, it was the ladies' turn to top the Varsity podium, with Sofia Hamilton and Kate Courtney going 1-2, Mackinzie Stanley 4th and Victoria Yoham in 6th -- while once again in Junior Varsity, Lucas Newcomb and Jonny Kaufman went 1-2 and Josie Nordrum took the win in Junior Varsity Girls. In total, WA-S Team riders took eight top-10 finishes.

Amateur Road Racing - San Dimas Stage Race - San Dimas, CA

Nick Newcomb takes the overall win in the Cat 3 San Dimas Stage Race, after setting the fastest time in the Stage 1 time trial. The team (Alec Kassin, Cody Tapley & Kick Kinney) worked tirelessly to defend the leader's jersey throughout the second and third stages against constant attacks from their GC competition. It was truly a team success as they displayed an impressive degree of dedication and cohesion.

Check out all the team's 2011 top-10 race results here.

Keyesville Classic

2011-03-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

Junior racer Tony Smith on his way to a strong 3rd place among the pros in the cross country race, against the likes of Adam Craig and Tinker Juarez.

Will Patterson finishes 4th overall in the all-mountain stage race, with a 7th in the cross country, 3rd in the short track and 10th in the downhill.

All-Mount ain Pro Men:

1. Jim Heweit
2. Adam Craig
3. Tinker Juarez
4. Will Patterson
5. Scott Chapin

Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Golden Across California

2011-03-12T20:09:00.001-08:00

The Whole Athlete-Specialized Team again showed its range of development across the Golden State this weekend. On road and dirt, the team earned multiple top results in high school, collegiate, amateur and even professional events, netting six wins, ten top-3 finishes and 20 top-10s!

NorCal Varsity Podium: Max Houtzager 1st, Taylor Smith 4th

NorCal High School League Race #1 - Folsom Lake

At the high school level, the team took three wins in four of the categories entered, with Max Houtzager earning the Varsity win, Lucas Newcomb and Jonny Kaufman going 1-2 in Junior Varsity and Josie Nordrum winning the Girls Junior Varsity. In total, Team riders took ten top-10 finishes.

NorCal Junior Varsity Girls: Josie Nordrum 1st

Collegiate Road Racing - Crockett, CA

Will Patterson took a well-deserved solo victory in the UC Berkeley Crockett Road Race.

Amateur Road Racing - Madera Stage Race - Madera, CA

Alec Kassin finished the three-stage Madera Stage Race in 5th overall in the highly-competitive Cat 3 field with tremendous support from his teammates. Nick Newcomb and Alec Kassin both earned top-10 finishes on individual stages as well. U23 Road Team Coach, Peter Nicholson lead by example, with a 3rd place finish in the Masters 35+ road stage.

Keegan Swenson & Tony Smith top the junior podium

Junior Mountain Bike Racing - Bonelli Park ProXCT - San Dimas, CA

In the first big National-level mountain bike event of the season, Keegan Swenson and Tony Smith went 1-2 in the junior cross country race at Bonelli Park. Team Director Dario Fredrick also took the win in the Cat 1 40-44 race. Later that same day, U23 rider Zach Valdez earned an impressive 10th place among a national-class field in his first-ever professional Short Track race.

Keegan Swenson

Tony Smith

Zach Valdez

Will Curtis

Team Director Dario Fredrick on the podium

Whole Athlete-Specialized Team on Top

2011-03-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

Tony Smith

photos: Nick Gaetano & Rob Evans

A few WA-S riders decided to test their legs at the Lake Sonoma Mountain Bike Cross Country race in Northern California over the weekend. Despite the recent heavy rain turning the dirt into sloppy mud, the team prevailed finishing 1-2 in the Pro race with Tony Smith & Dario Fredrick, and 1-2 in the Expert Open category as well with Taylor Smith & Bobby Zidek. For more details about the race, check out the race report below.

Dario Fredrick

Bobby Zidek

Taylor Smith

Meanwhile, in other Whole Athlete-Specialized riders were making waves of their own. Junior National Champion Keegan Swenson took 2nd in the Pro Open category at the Red Rock Rampage in St. George, UT, while on the road Will Patterson took 3rd at the UCSC collegiate criterium and Cody Tapley 4th in the Cat 3 Merco Criterium on his 19th Birthday.

Keegan Swenson

Cody Tapley

Great job to all! Next stop: Bonelli Park ProXCT. Let the games begin...

*****

Lake Sonoma MTB XC - Race Report
Pro Category
4 x 5 mile laps
Teammates: Tony Smith & Riley Predum
Results: Tony 1st, Dario 2nd, Riley 10th (broken bike!)

One word to describe this race: Mudfest. A full on bike-wrecking, leg-sapping, tire-sliding, sloppy, splashing mud bath with plenty of creek crossings thrown in for good measure. It was a survival race, both for body and bike. And believe it or not, it was a blast! Especially racing our there with the boys in blue and red.

A few fast puppies showed up, including Kris Sneddon (Kona), Jim Hewett (Summit), Kevin Smallman (Cannondale) and a handful of other local speedsters. We started fast up the steep, paved hill that funnels left into a singletrack, led by Sneddon, Hewett, a couple of Marin riders, Tony, then me and Riley. We blasted down into the first mud bog and chaos ensued. It was like slip 'n slide but on bikes. I backed off slightly and let the carnage happen while I took my time to figure out the tech sections and avoid crashing into rocks or flatting. I knew the course would open up soon to allow safe passing and I could tell that most of the guys in front of me were in waaay over their heads in terms of effort. Sure enough, just a few minutes later on the first lap it was just Tony and me chasing Sneddon and Hewett. By the end of the first lap, we were gaining, and then Sneddon flatted. So we charged ahead to track down Hewett who appeared to be paying for his early efforts.

We rode a super-smooth lap two without all the traffic and mayhem in front of us, and began ripping the rolling singletrack. We soon caught Hewett, and I realized he was slowing a bit on the tech stuff, so I passed him, putting Jim in a Whole Athlete sandwich. I would open up small gaps on the descents and technical sections, and Hewett would claw his way back. Tony patiently sat his wheel and saved what energy he could just behind him. Team tactics are not that common in MTB racing, but it's times like this that road experience can pay off.

On lap three, I think Hewett's efforts finally caught up with him and he crashed twice in the muddiest section, the second time breaking his brake lever off. Tony yelled up to me to let me know and we regrouped and rode a smooth, fast lap three together. We also agreed that with a fast tire change, Sneddon could easily hunt us down, while Smallman pacing himself well, could claw his way back also. We needed to keep the pace up and stay focused, as it took tremendous effort to ride the mud, both uphill and down.

On the final lap, and after nearly flawless functioning thus far, my bike started to protest and for some reason, the drivetrain didn't seem to like being continuously massaged with mud and grass. I had to dismount a few times and got back going again. Tony would pull away, riding super-strong and smoothly, and I would put in big efforts to get back up to him. On the third time, I realized that I couldn't quite close the gap without risking self-implosion. So I settled into a solid pace I could hold to avoid a complete meltdown and get caught from behind. In fact, Smallman was starting to close down on us, and I could even see Sneddon gaining back there too.

Tony took the well-deserved win, and I followed in second to take a Whole Athlete-Specialized one-two. I was happy to get in my first race of the season, and actually only my first race since Nationals last year. Riley unfortunately broke his derailluer hanger (yet again), but amazingly got a bike change from Taylor's dad and still finished the race in 10th. Way to stick it out, Riley. Meanwhile in the expert race, Taylor and Bobby were busy rocking their competitors world, going 1-2 as well! A solid day for the team.

Peace,
Dario

Multiple Podiums from NorCal to SoCal

2011-02-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

Whole Athlete-Specialized Team riders showed their class today with multiple victories and podium finishes ranging from high school to collegiate to elite level races.

At the NorCal High School Prologue race in Folsom, CA, Max Houtzager and Taylor Smith went 1-2 in the Varsity race, with Bobby Zidek in 4th and Sven Beer in 10th. Lucas Newcomb and Jonny Kaufman also took 1st and 2nd in Junior Varsity, while Josie Nordrum took the win in JV Girls. Other top finishes include Kate Courtney 3rd, Victoria Yoham 4th, MacKinzie Stanley 5th and Sofia Hamilton 6th in Varsity Girls.

On the collegiate front, Nick Newcomb finished 6th in the Cal Poly TT and Will Curtis took 3rd in the Cal Poly Criterium.

Meanwhile, Kenda Cup Sagebrush Safari, in the San Diego desert, Zach Valdez opened up his first season as a U23 Pro with a strong 4th place at the Sagebrush Safari while Keegan Swenson earned the win in the Cat 1 Junior field!

Check out all the team's 2011 top-10 results here:
http://www.wholeathlete.com/team_results.htm

Newcomb and Predum Follow the Team's Saturday Success with Wins on both Road and Dirt on Sunday

2011-02-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

Nick Newcomb continued the Whole Athlete-Specialized U23 Road Team's weekend success with a win in the Pine Flat Road Race, while Alec Kassin followed yesterday's win with a solid 3rd place, only after helping set Nick up for the finale.

Meanwhile on the dirt, Riley Predum took the Pro win at the TBF Challenge XC in Folsom, CA - his first race of the season.

Three wins in two days...not bad, guys. Not bad at all.

Kassin Opens Season with Win at Cantua Creek Road Race

2011-02-19T16:57:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Alec Kassin for just taking the Cat. 3 win the Cantua Creek Road Race. The Whole Athlete-Specialized U23 Road Team was at the sharp end of the race in the finale, putting the team in the perfect position to take the win. Great job, guys!!

Dirt Rollin' with Todd, Lea and friends...

2011-02-07T11:58:00.000-08:00

An uncharacteristically warm February day punctuated the success of the Dirt Roll, a benefit for the NorCal High School Cycling League and Marin Country Bicycle Coalition (MCBC). The Whole Athlete-Specialized Team juniors were out in force supporting two organizations that simply help make cycling better for all of us.

We had the opportunity to ride some of our favorite trails with current MTB cross country, short track and cyclocross National Champion Todd Wells, and Specialized Pro MTB racer Lea Davidson. Thanks to everyone who helped make it such a great event!

Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team Kicks Off 2011 with Training Camp

2011-01-27T06:48:00.000-08:00

The Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team held its first team training camp of 2011 at the Whole Athlete Performance Center in Marin County, California this weekend. True to the company's holistic philosophy, the team not only enjoyed road and mountain bike riding on the bucolic back roads and scenic slopes of the famed Mt. Tamapais, but also practiced yoga each day, were treated to organic meals and participated in an array of presentations and workshops from sponsors, docs and supporters.

Cyclingnews.com's coverage of the event >>

From Team Sport Psychologist Dr. Joan Steidinger leading the young athletes in finding their "power zone", to kinesiology taping expert and Team Chiropractor Dr. Sara LeMarch showing the kids how to use Rock Tape to prevent and treat common injuries, the junior and U-23 riders were treated like professionals. Other key presenters included co-title sponsor Specialized's USA Partnership Manager Ian Dewar emphasizing their mission to help get more kids on bikes, RestWise founder Matthew Weatherly-White providing their web-based tool to optimize recovery, and Team Director Dario Fredrick taking the riders through the innovative NoTubes tubeless techniques and products.

For the 2011 season, the team will focus on the ProXCT series and National Championships, with the additional goal of again qualifying riders to the World Championship Team. In 2010, no fewer than four juniors from the team represented the US in Mont Sainte Anne. Junior and U-23 MTB cross country racers comprise the bulk of the team, with a small contingent of U-23 road-focused athletes as well. The young athletes range in age from 14-19, including current US National Champions, Kate Courtney (XC), Keegan Swenson (XC) and Zach Valdez (24 hr.). 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 higher levels of the sport.

The Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team is generously supported by the Velo Development Foundation, Mt. Tam Capital, Marin Cyclists, GU Energy, Champion System, Oakley, Tam Bikes, NoTubes, Formula, Rock Tape, Elemental Herbs, RestWise, WTB, Rotor Bike Components, Can Do Kid and Good Earth Natural Foods.

2011 Team Roster

Junior Men
Tony Smith (17/18)
Max Houtzager (17/18)
Keegan Swenson (17/18)
Bobby Zidek (17/18)
Sven Beer (17/18)
Taylor Smith (17/18)
Eliel Anttila (17/18)
Johnny Kaufmann (15/16)
Lucas Newcomb (15/16)

Junior Women
Sofia Hamilton (17/18)
Victoria Yoham (17/18)
Kate Courtney (15/16)
MacKinzie Stanley (15/16)
Josie Nordrum (15/16)

U23 MTB
Will Curtis
Zach Valdez
Riley Predum
Will Patterson

U23 Road
Nick Newcomb
Alec Kassin
Nick Kinney
Cody Tapley

Coaches
Dario Fredrick
Abbie Durkee
Peter Nicholson
Adam Waskow
Charlie Schneider
Steve Cherry
Dave Simon
Julia Violich
Helene Drumm

2011 Winter Team Camp & Season Kickoff on Tap

2011-01-17T07:19:00.000-08:00

The Whole Athlete-Specialized Cycling Team is gearing up for their first team camp of 2011 this coming weekend, Jan 22-23 at the Whole Athlete Performance Center in San Anselmo, CA. On tap are road and MTB rides in beautiful Marin County, yoga classes, organic meals, team sponsor presentations and clinics, and much more. Check out the schedule of events>.

Team Visit to Specialized HQ

2010-12-29T20:05:00.000-08:00

Today we were treated to a personal tour of the always fascinating world of Specialized Bicycle Components. Joined by the Specialized Junior Road Team, we were shown the sights and sounds of the big "S" where much of the magic happens. From creative designs to R & D to computer aided stress testing, it's apparent why Specialized is the innovative leader in the bike world.

Special thanks to Mallory Burda and Nic Simms for hosting our visit!

Whole Athlete and Specialized Bicycle Components Announce 2011 Junior & U23 Development Team

2010-12-20T08:25:00.000-08:00

San Anselmo, CA, 20 December 2010) Continuing on their hugely successful partnership in 2010, Whole Athlete and Specialized Bicycle Components today announced the roster for their 2011 Junior and U23 Development Team. With five riders focused on the ProXCT Series, 13 Grassroots MTB racers, and a four-member U23 Road team, Whole Athlete / Specialized will contest a range of events from the Sea Otter Classic to the Cascade Classic Stage Race. Naturally, the squad will also return to US MTB Nationals, where they earned five Championship titles in 2010.

The 2011 squad is a blend of future stars and proven talent including National Champions Kate Courtney and Keegan Swenson (Junior 15-16 MTB XC), Will Curtis and Zach Valdez (2010 California State and SoCal High School MTB Champions) and 2010 World Championship Team members Tony Smith and Sofia Hamilton.

The team is directed by Whole Athlete founder Dario Fredrick (2x MTB 40-44 National Champion), while the junior girls are led by Abbie Durkee (current MTB 35-39 National Champion) and the U23 Road squad by Whole Athlete Associate Coach Peter Nicholson.

Whole Athlete / Specialized receives essential support from presenting sponsor Specialized Bicycle Components, as well as a number of associate sponsors including Mt. Tam Capital, Tam Bikes, Marin Cyclists, GU Sports, Oakley, WTB, Champion System, Formula, Elemental Herbs, RockTape, NoTubes, Rotor USA and Can Do Kid.

“I am pleased and proud to continue our partnership with Specialized,” said Fredrick. “Having access to bikes like the S-Works Epic and S-Works Stumpjumper hardtail 29er is an incredible advantage, and Specialized components allow our kids to benefit from the best technology available.”

Whole Athlete / Specialized will be using Specialized Bikes, S-Works shoes, S-Works helmets, gloves and tires.

“We are honored to provide the Whole Athlete program with the support they deserve,” said Ian Dewar, Specialized USA Partnership Manager. “Specialized recognizes the challenges facing young riders who are progressing from the local to national stage and we are committed to their long-term future in the sport.”

The official 2011 Whole Athlete / Specialized team launch will happen at the team’s first training camp on 22-23 January 2011 in San Anselmo, CA.

2011 Whole Athlete - Specialized Team Roster:

Junior Men

Tony Smith (17/18)

Max Houtzager (17/18)

Keegan Swenson (17/18)

Bobby Zidek (17/18)

Sven Beer (17/18)

Taylor Smith (17/18)

Eliel Anttila (17/18)

Johnny Kaufmann (15/16)

Lucas Newcomb (15/16)

Junior Women

Sofia Hamilton (17/18)

Victoria Yoham (17/18)

Kate Courtney (15/16)

MacKinzie Stanley (15/16)

Josie Nordrum (15/16)

U23 XC

Will Curtis

Zach Valdez

Riley Predum

Will Patterson

U23 Road

Nick Newcomb

Alec Kassin

Nick Kinney

Cody Tapley

About Whole Athlete:

Whole Athlete is a comprehensive, holistic resource for endurance athletes of all levels, providing world-class coaching, professional bike fitting, scientifically-supported performance testing, nutritional counseling, sport psychology and yoga. The holistic nature of the Whole Athlete program integrates the essential aspects of optimal performance to help athletes explore their highest potential. The Whole Athlete Cycling Team is funded by donations to the Velo Development Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit.

www.wholeathlete.com

www.velodevelopment.org

About Specialized Bicycle Components:

Specialized Bicycle Components was founded in 1974 by riders for riders. Since then, the Morgan Hill, CA based company has grown into one of the world’s most successful bicycle companies with market leading performance bicycles, accessories and an ever-expanding domestic and international dealer base.

www.specialized.com

Riding into the Sunset

2010-12-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

Red sky at night, mountain biker's delight. Our Tuesday team rides keep us going through the winter...

Turkey Day Ride 2010

2010-11-25T15:10:00.000-08:00

Whole Athlete Cycling Team Recognized in VeloNews & Mountain Bike Magazine

2010-11-03T08:07:00.001-07:00

Add one more National Champion

2010-10-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

Zach Valdez earned the team's sixth National Championship title of 2010 by winning the 24 hour junior team Nationals race in Moab, UT. Congratulations, Zach!!

A Long Ride Up

2010-10-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

A Long Ride Up: the story of my surgeries and recovery
By MacKinzie Stanley

Periacetabular Osteotomy (PAO) …I’m sure most of you have never heard of it and I can guarantee that you don’t ever want to experience it. The real definition has something to do with ‘ a hip preserving procedure’ and ‘acetabular dysplasia’, but it really boils down to this: a surgeon slices the hip open, carves out the hip socket, repositions it, screws the bone back in and then sews it all back up. The recovery time is six months, but it takes a year until you are fully recovered. Yes, if you are all wondering at this point, I did have PAO, twice, two years in a row, and both times I came back and raced the last two races of the high school mountain bike season…And I have to tell you, it wasn’t easy.

My first surgery was at the end of October 2008, but I had learned about my predicament and my need for PAO a month or so earlier. I didn’t know what to expect going into the surgery and didn’t really believe people about how hard it was going to be so it came as a real slap in the face when the surgery recovery was really hard, in fact it was the hardest and most painful thing I have ever experienced. And it wasn’t fast either. For the first month, I was focused entirely on the pain and on accomplishing little things for myself, such as sitting down and getting up from a chair on my own and forcing myself to drink a shake or a eat a few raspberries. The nights were the hardest; waking up every two hours because of the pain and sleeping on my back with props so I didn’t aggravate my hip. There were times that I wasn’t sure I was ever going to get through it; it was hard to see my progress and even harder to see an end. Somehow I made it to six weeks, though, and started walking again. After Christmas break, I went back to school a few classes at a time and struggled to do the homework assigned and catch up with what I had missed.

At 3 months, I began to bike to school and in April I started mountain biking and training with the Drake MTB team. I still remember that first encounter with the team. It was probably sometime in January because it was raining and I was still using crutches at school. I went to the weight room to hand in my ‘application forms’ and encountered about 15-20 kids and an older guy on spinners, after I had navigated through a network of sweaty teenagers working out on the machines. I felt completely out of place on my crutches with a bulky backpack on, but bravely approached the older guy who I assumed was the coach and proceeded to explain what I was there for with the accompaniment of many ‘ums’. I soon came to know him as coach Paul. The season progressed and I ended up racing the last two races of the year and placing 6th and 3rd respectively. It was a whole new experience, mountain biking, and although I wasn’t too sure of it when I first started, I grew to love it. It was so rewarding for me to be able to find a new sport that I enjoyed and could participate in even as I was recovering from surgery.

I enjoyed biking mountain biking for the rest of the school year and through summer, even joining the newly formed girls Whole Athlete team. However there was a lot of work involved as well. I wanted to run cross-country in the fall and to do that I needed to be able to run and to be able to run I had to relearn it from the ground up. It took months for me to finally catch up to my normal ability level, but by November the running finally clicked and I knew all the training was worth it to be able to compete so competitively. And so it happened that I was in peak fitness level by the time my next surgery came around at the end of November 2009, a month later than the one a year previously. It was hard to keep the upcoming surgery from my mind in the weeks beforehand, but keeping up a busy schedule of schoolwork, cross-country and biking helped. I have never wanted something so badly before as I wanted this surgery not to take place. I had worked my way up for a year from the very bottom to get to this point and in no way whatsoever did I have any inclination to put myself through the whole thing again.

I did go through with it and the surgery went much the same as before, except more smoothly and not quite so harshly since I knew what to expect. And always throughout the recovery I had my goal in mind: racing on my mountain bike at state. Somewhere along the way however, I got it into my head that I wanted to participate in the race before state as well, even though it was merely five months after my surgery. Having a goal that I was really passionate about reaching helped me get through the rough decisions I had to make every day. Because when it came down to it, it wasn’t my decision to race the last two races of the year that mattered, it was the small decisions to train and work hard each day that made the difference in the end.

At six weeks after the surgery I started walking, at three months I started biking to school and soon after I started to ride my road bike, gradually building up my endurance and speed. Since my doctor was adamant about no mountain biking until six months post surgery, I got to spend a lot of time on my sweet new road bike. I paid my doctor a visit the Friday before the second to last race of the season and he gave me that OK to race even though it was only five months post surgery, not six.

So that Sunday I raced in the JV girls category and placed 6th, even though, besides the pre-ride and an hour ride the weekend before, I hadn’t ridden my mountain bike for the past five months. Pumped by my success, I went into State feeling good, but worried about the massive hills, of which I still had trouble with. Nevertheless, I raced, thoroughly enjoyed the course and snagged another 6th place. To top off the day, Drake ended up winning a 2nd state champs in a row, something never done before and I was elated having been a part of such a historic event.

Relaxing after the race, I looked back on how much effort it took to get me to where I was and realized it was so, so worth it just to be here and experience the comradeship of my teammates and the feeling of success because all my efforts had been worthwhile.

Juniors successful on both road and dirt

2010-09-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

Whole Athlete Juniors wrapped up the 2010 racing season in style with success across multiple disciplines.

Riley Predum won the 49th Mt. Tamalpais Hillclimb Junior race, while teammates Nick Newcomb, Will Curtis, Tony Smith and Colby Pastore were 3rd, 4th, 5th and 8th respectively.

The team's success on the road followed only one week after Zach Valdez took the final round of the US Cup Series at Bonelli Park and the Junior Cat 1 Overall Title, winning every event he entered.

And if that doesn't show the incredible range of ability in the team, Max Houtzager takes an impressive 2nd place in the Pro/open Northstar Super-D.

Road, dirt, gravity - these kids are multi-talented on two wheels!

MTB XC World Championships - Junior Men

2010-09-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Whole Athlete Junior Men at the 2010 MTB World Championships.

Tony Smith (49th, started 58th)
Will Curtis (58th, started 72nd)
Zach Valdez (DNF - crashed out)

Junior MTB XC World Championships - Day 1 Junior Women

2010-09-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

In only her second year racing mountain bikes and her first season as a Cat 1 junior, Sofia Hamilton made it all the way to the World Championships in Mont Sainte-Anne, Canada. Facing the best riders in the world on an extremely technical course, she rode her heart out. Although it wasn't her best day on the bike - finishing 26th, the experience was very positive and a great opportunity to learn about world-class competition. Most of all, Sofia maintained a great attitude about the whole experience. Way to go, Sofia.

Junior Women's start

Windham Day 4 - Patterson on the Cat 1 Podium

2010-08-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

Will Patterson takes 3rd place in the Cat 1 19-24 XC at the Race the World on the Windham world cup course.

Windham World Cup - Race Day!

2010-08-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

World Cup Team Results:
Sofia Hamilton 4th
Tony Smith 7th
Zach Valdez 11th
Will Curtis 13th
Nick Newcomb 15th
Max Houtzager 19th

Windham World Cup - Day 2 More Pre-riding

2010-08-27T13:47:00.001-07:00

One more day of pre-riding before the big event. Mud is drying up and the course is approaching perfection.

Windham World Cup - Day 1 Pre-ride

2010-08-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

Sweet singletrack in New York? You betcha! The World Cup course at Windham is awesome. After a number of days of rain in the Catskill Mountains, the slick roots and rocks of east coast mountain bike courses have shown their stuff, and pre-riding the course was a blast.

With professional mechanic support from Specialized (thanks, Myron!) we had all our bikes built and dialed for the pre-ride.

Four Whole Athlete Juniors to the World Championships!

2010-08-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

Four Whole Athlete Juniors have been selected to represent the United States at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada on Sept 1-4:
Sofia Hamilton, Will Curtis, Zach Valdez and Tony Smith.

The Whole Athlete riders comprise half the eight-rider USA Junior team competing at the World Championships. All four will also race the World Cup Final in Windham, NY the week before Worlds, getting a taste of the competition they will face at the pinnacle event of the sport.

Sofia Hamilton
In her breakout season which includes wins at the Fontana Pro XCT and Tamarancho Classic, second at the Sea Otter Classic and a silver medal at the National Championships, Sofia is on track for a stellar racing career.

Will Curtis
Mr. Consistency, Will has been on the podium in virtually every big race of the year, including 1st at the Tamarancho Classic and Howell Mountain, 2nd in Fontana, 4th at the Sea Otter and 4th at Nationals. Will is the California High School State Champion and is ready to take the next step.

Zach Valdez
Zach has racked up the most wins for the team this season, including the Fontana ProXCT, the San Dimas US Cup, the Kenda Cup and SoCal High School series. He placed 2nd at the Sea Otter Classic and 2nd in the CA State High School Champs. Next stop: the World Cup.

Tony Smith
We always knew Tony was strong, even at age 15. Now as a 17/18 Junior, Tony has taken his game to the next level, with strong performances in the NorCal High School Series, 2nd overall at the ProXCT CTS International Stage Race and a breakthrough result at Nationals in 3rd.

Transcontinental Podiums

2010-08-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

From California to Canada, Whole Athlete juniors are landing on the podium, sweeping the Howell Mountain Classic in Angwin, CA with Will Curtis, Tony Smith and Nick Newcomb in the Junior Men, Sofia Hamilton & Kate Courtney in the Junior Women, while Max Houtzager takes the top step at the BC Cup Finals Race in Whistler, Canada.

Rounding out the top-10 at Howell Mountain were Taylor Smith and Colby Pastore in 5th and 6th.

Great job everyone, for a successful weekend!

Nick Newcomb 3rd, Will Curtis 1st & Tony Smith 2nd - WA juniors took five of the top-six spots in the Juniors, while Will Curtis and Tony Smith were 2nd and 3rd overall including the pros.

Colby ready to roll

Nick & Will warming up

Startline: Pros and Juniors

And they're off...

The women charge off the line

Post race smiles - even after 30 miles!

Will finishes top Junior and 2nd Pro/overall

Super-D Action

2010-07-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

Race report from Max Houtzager:

Northstar at Tahoe Super-D
Category: Pro Men
Place: 2nd

Will Patterson, my friend Seth (photographer) and I decided to head up to Tahoe the weekend after Nationals for some downhill riding and super d racing at good old GnarStar (and to continue the cook, eat, sleep, ride, chill lifestyle we dialed in during the past 3 weeks). I wasn't well prepared for the race, due to a lack of sleep and practice on the course thanks to some mechanicals during practice. I knew it would be fine though, since the race would come down to the mass start, riding smooth to not flat or get dropped, and would only last 15 minutes. There were no climbs, but there was plenty of pedaling to make a proper super d. The course was really fun, with lots of fast sweeping turns, decent jumps, and endless rocky sections where line choice and smooth riding would make the difference between flat tires and really slow speeds or not.

There were 10 guys in our category, and I actually had a good LeMans start, running fast, flipping my bike over, and jumping right into my clips. I dropped into the singletrack second, immediately trying my hardest to not get dropped by WTB prodigy rider Ben Cruz. I was able to keep him in front of me, so when we got onto the fireroad I pedaled as hard as I could past him. I was totally stoked to lead. I only got passed back by Ben after a little while of shredding singletrack, which was surprising. I let him pass and kept him in my sight for a while, until some course complications which led us onto different trails.

A bunch of riders followed me the wrong way down, but we merged back with the course later, and although the trails we rode were slightly faster, the finishing order was still the same as when we made the wrong turn. After the race it hurt so much to breathe after such a hard effort and all the dust (just like nationals). I was happy with my performance because I gave it my all in both the pedaling and the technical sections. Getting 2nd place in a pro race couldn't have been better. We followed the race by doing two more runs on the jump trails, another full day of lift accessed dh riding on our enduros, and then doing a sweet trail ride on some awesome semi-secret trails in Truckee.

2010 National MTB Championships Wrap Up

2010-07-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

Team Results Tally:

5 National Titles
13 Podium Placings
23 Top-10 Results

It's been an incredible three-week Team Camp, culminating with a hugely successful National Championships. I've always told the kids that my main requirement of them is to do their best - regardless of where they finish in the races. The team far exceeded expectations as they raced with heart, determination and class. Congratulations to the entire Whole Athlete Team for a hugely successful 2010 Nationals Campaign and thank you to all who have contributed to making it happen!

Full Top-10 results found here:
http://www.wholeathlete.com/team_results.htm

Day 21 - National Champs Day 4 - Yet another title!

2010-07-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

And multiple podium finishes..

Super-D
Women Open
1st Helen Drumm

Junior Men Open
5th Max Houtzager
6th Taylor Smith
10th Joe Yoham

Junior Women Open
2nd Kate Courtney
4th Victoria Yoham

Short Track
Women Open

2nd Helene Drumm (That's in addition to two titles!)
7th Sofia Hamilton

Short Track Junior Men
6th Alex Stevenson
10th Nick Newcomb

Day 20 - National Champs Day 3 - Three more titles!!

2010-07-17T16:16:00.001-07:00

It was the Whole Athlete Team Coaches' turn to race, and race they did, taking three National Titles!

Dario Fredrick - Cat 1 40-44 Champion

Helene Drumm - Cat 1 40-44 Champion

Abbie Durkee - Cat 1 35-39 Champion

Day 19 - National Championships Day 2 - Victory!!

2010-07-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Top-10 Team Results
Kate Courtney Cat 1 15/16 National Champion!

Cat 1 17/18 Girls
2nd Sofia Hamilton (Named to Junior World Championship Team)
6th Victoria Yoham

Cat 1 17/18 Boys
3rd Tony Smith
4th Will Curtis
6th Nick Newcomb

Cat 1 15/16
6th Taylor Smith

U23 Men
9th John Bennett

Day 18 - Nationals Championships Day 1

2010-07-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

Day 1 Results
1st Sven Beer Cat 2 17/18
6th MacKinzie Stanley Cat 2 15-18 Girls

Day 17 - Pre-ride and pre-ride some more...

2010-07-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

The highest point on the course at over 9500 ft. -
And the surrounding peaks soar far above this spot!

Today we got to know the cross-country courses well, learning every climb, corner and technical section. The pros and junior Cat 1 racers do multiple laps on a short course that stays fairly close to the Sol Vista Park headquarters to provide a more spectator-friendly event. That precludes them from riding some of the bigger climbs and fun trails on the higher slopes of the ski park, which the amateurs get to do on their course. The consensus among the team is that the courses are both fun and challenging, which should produce true national champions.

It may be summer in much of the country,
but it seems like springtime here in the high mountains.

I knew there would be no time to look around and enjoy the subtle beauty all around come race-day, so I took my time on the pre-ride...

Day 15 & 16 - Transfer to Granby - Pre ride

2010-07-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

After a much needed rest day that included a reasonably short drive from Colorado Springs (~6500 ft) over an 11,000 ft. pass to Granby (~8500 ft.), we settled into our house for the final week of our 2010 National Championship quest. The location couldn't be better as the race venue is right down the street and the setting magnificent. We are perched in the Rockies surrounded by mountains, trees and trails.

Meal time!

View from our deck

2010 Nationals Super D Course Preview from max houtzager

Day 14 - Stage race, check!

2010-07-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

Tony Smith 2nd, Will Curtis 3rd - Cat 1 17/18

Bobby Zidek 1st - Cat 2 17/18

Steve Cherry 2nd - Cat 1 50+

Dario Fredrick 1st - Cat 1 40-49

Not Pictured:
Taylor Smith 3rd - Cat 1 15/16

Meanwhile, Max Houtzager wins the Junior Expert All-Mountain Downieville Classic while Coach Abbie Durkee takes 4th on a hardtail!

CTS International Stage Race Full results:
Cat1 Jr M 17-18 Individual GC after Stage 3 XC
1 4:25:14 180 TRUJILLO Skyler 1 0:00:00 Fort Collins CO 284764
2 4:26:39 0:01:25 191 SMITH Tony Whole Athlete San Rafael CA 205657
3 4:26:46 0:01:32 186 CURTIS William San Rafael CA 233101
4 4:39:42 0:14:28 181 GAFFNEY Lewis Angel Fire NM 247368
5 4:42:34 0:17:20 187 NEWCOMB Nicholas Nicasio CA 258299
6 4:47:53 0:22:39 185 YOHAM Joseph San Rafael CA 257687
7 4:58:32 0:33:18 188 PREDUM Riley San Anselmo CA 280050
8 5:04:52 0:39:38 189 STEVENSON Alex Berkeley CA 257710

Day 13 - Race Success in Two States

2010-07-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

The pictures are worth more words than I have the energy to write, so enjoy!

Today's team race results from Downieville, California and Colorado Springs:

Downieville Classic XC
Women Expert
1st Kate Courtney
2nd Sofia Hamilton
4th Abbie Durkee
16th Victoria Yoham

Junior Men Expert
1st Max Houtzager

Women Sport
2nd MacKinzie Stanley

CTS International Stage 2 XC
Cat 1 17/18
2nd Will Curtis
3rd Tony Smith
5th Zach Valdez
6th Nick Newcomb
7th Joe Yoham
8th Colby Pastore
9th Riley Predum
10th Alex Stevenson
11th Roman Brockley

Cat 1 15/16
3rd Taylor Smith

Cat 2 17/18
1st Bobby Zidek
2nd Sven Beer

Cat 1 40-49
1st Dario Fredrick

Cat 1 50+
3rd Steve Cherry

Day 12 - Stage Race - Stage 1 Time Trial

2010-07-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

Getting late and we race again tomorrow, so just a brief post with some photos and team results...

Cat1 Jr M 15-16 Time Trial Results
2 0:20:17 . 41 0:01:23 377 SMITH taylor Novato CA 320608

Cat1 Jr M 17-18 Time Trial Results
2 0:18:53 . 38 0:00:09 191 SMITH Tony Whole Athlete San Rafael CA 205657
3 0:19:01 . 10 0:00:17 186 CURTIS William San Rafael CA 233101
4 0:19:11 . 80 0:00:27 183 VALDEZ Zachary Hemet CA 280759
5 0:19:47 . 88 0:01:03 189 STEVENSON Alex Berkeley CA 257710
6 0:19:53 . 80 0:01:09 187 NEWCOMB Nicholas Nicasio CA 258299
7 0:20:07 . 75 0:01:23 190 PASTORE Colby Whole Athlete Petaluma CA 256426
9 0:20:22 . 90 0:01:38 188 PREDUM Riley San Anselmo CA 280050
10 0:21:07 . 34 0:02:23 185 YOHAM Joseph San Rafael CA 257687
11 0:21:16 . 72 0:02:32 184 BROCKLEY Roman Whole Athlete forest knolls CA 284893

Cat1 M 40-49 Time Trial Results
1 0:19:29 151 FREDRICK Dario 1 . 50 0:00:00 San Anselmo CA 12329

Cat1 M 50+ Time Trial Results
1 0:21:33 165 CHERRY steve 1 . 72 0:00:00 san rafael CA 51132

M 17-18 Time Trial Results
1 0:20:14 251 ZIDEK Bobby 1 . 41 0:00:00 Novato CA 304633
2 0:20:47 . 84 0:00:33 250 BEER Sven FAIRFAX CA 298330

Day 10 & 11 - Colorado Springs

2010-07-08T21:07:00.000-07:00

A long drive from Park City to Colorado Springs took us across northern Wyoming and down into the heart of Colorado. 400 miles of highway 80 may seem boring, but the stark beauty and vastness of undeveloped expanses are most impressive.

After our morning yoga session and breakfast, we loaded up the bikes and drove to Cheyenne Mountain State Park to pre-ride the race courses we'll be riding the next three days. As we were coming off the mountain, the skies darkened and the rain started to fall. Then the moment we came to the parking lot, marble-sized hail covered everything in a massive torrent among raging lightning and thunder. We scrambled into the vans, soaked and cold to wait out the most massive hail storm I have ever seen.

Of course, this adventure worked up the already big appetite of the group so it was on to the grocery store to stock up for the stage race weekend of riding hard, eating and recovering.

Stay tuned for race reports to follow after the stage 1 time trial tomorrow evening.

Day 9 - Park City Trail Bliss

2010-07-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

Sandwiched by two 10-hour travel days, we enjoyed a fantastic ride day in Park City. The trailhead was only five minutes from our doorstep and we rode a huge variety of singletrack through pine and aspen forest above 8000 ft. The vistas were amazing, the trails blissful and the company entertaining. The photos barely do it justice...but in the parlance of this young generation: we were "shreddin' the nar, sicky wicky!"

Day 8 - On to Park City, UT

2010-07-06T07:07:00.001-07:00

While the girls stay in Tahoe a couple more days then head to Downieville, the boys team loaded up the team vans and trekked across the Nevada desert and the Utah salt flats to the Aspen-laden mountains of Park City, where we'll spend a layover day riding before moving on to Colorado Springs.

Day 7 - Chill ride and departure prep

2010-07-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

Today is the last day in Tahoe for the boys team. Tomorrow the girls relocate to Tahoma, in Tahoe's west-lake area for a couple more days prior to heading over to Downieville -- while the boys drive to Park City for a brief stopover ride on the way to Colorado Springs.

Our team ride today is an active recovery spin, with the whole team riding together.

Meanwhile, the quantity of food we consume is mind-boggling. And despite the sheer volume, we're keeping the quality extremely high thanks to support from Whole Foods Market.

A few example meals:

Breakfast
Oatmeal (15 cups) with banana, bluberries & nectarines
Raisins
Walnuts
Apples
Oranges
Whole Wheat toast
Peanut butter
Jam
Juice, milk

Lunch
Veggie burgers
Cheddar cheese
Organic mustard & ketchup
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Organic corn chips
Organic salsa
Bananas
Apples
Oranges
Watermelon

Dinner
Quinoa Garbanzo Medley
16 cups of organic red quinoa (yes, 16 cups)
12 cans of 365 Everyday Value garbanzo beans
Olive oil
Oinion
Garlic
Red pepper flakes, salt & black pepper
Organic sweet potatoes and yams
Salad with lettuce, carrots, peppers
Milk & juice

Dinner
Whole Wheat Pasta with Ragu
11 lbs organic pasta
6 jars tomato sauce
5 lbs grass-fed ground beef
Oinions, garlic, dried Italian spices
Salad with lettuce, carrots, peppers
Milk & juice

Day 6 - Rippin' the Rim

2010-07-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

The last big ride for the boys team in Tahoe. Hard climbing intervals on the road up to Brockway Summit, then rippin' the Rim Trail all the way to Tahoe City. Four hours and 5000 ft. later, we were relaxing watching the Tour de France Prologue. Good stuff!

Day 5 - Yet another incredible day of riding

2010-07-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

Western States, Rim Trail, Burton Creek State Park...

Photos and video from today should give a glimpse of what this first week has been like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R77V7ZUvzTw

Day 4 - Rest Day

2010-07-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

Each days starts with Yoga, and our rest day was no exception. After breakfast, the team spent the remainder of the day relaxing, getting a recovery massage, eating well and making sure bikes were ready for a big weekend of training.

Afternoon time to chill out at the beach.

Day 3 - Big Wednesday

2010-07-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

After two days of moderate rides and settling into the swing of living in the thin air of the high mountains, we embarked on an epic ride. We divided the team into three groups to allow riders of different levels and degrees of acclimation to ride at their appropriate level. Two groups of boys went big, while the girls team took a mellower day after having ridden bigger the day before.

I led a group of eight young speedsters on a mission to make it over an 8500 ft. pass called Stanford Rock. The climb up to Stanford is long, steepens at the top and becomes highly technical just as it gets way up there in elevation. After having done this route last year, I knew it would be a challenging climb with a rewarding descent down the Rim Trail. What we didn't expect was so much snow from the late spring storms this year, that the upper third of the climb became a snow hike.

After about 20 min of on and off the bike over bigger and bigger snow drifts, we realized that the route had become completely snowed over. Rather than turn our ride into a hike, we decided to descend back down and add another segment of the Rim Trail to the day's adventure. The descent back down was a blast, as we carried speed through the snow patches, sliding all around.

The second group, led by Steve Cherry did decide to make it over the pass, hiking through the snow to the river-like snow melt descent and deep creek crossings at the bottom. The smiles on their faces after the ride told their story well...

In the meantime, our group of nine picked up the Rim Trail through Page Meadows down to Tahoe City, then continued on the Rim from Tahoe City east, up the grueling, technical climb toward Painted Rock. After the hour-long oxygen-deprived, technical climb, and four hours into our ride, we hit the last fun sections of rolling terrain down through Burton Creek State Park to our doorstep. Looking forward to a rest day on Thursday!

Day 2 - More and more sweet singletrack

2010-06-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

Too busy riding the phenomenal trails here to play photographer, except for this short bit of video from the Western States Trail:

2010 Nats Camp - Day 1 to Tahoe

2010-06-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

Twenty kids, bikes and gear. No small feat transporting this flying circus to the mountains.

Two vans and an SUV, and the team caravan was on its way...

We wasted no time getting settled, and promptly set out for a welcome ride. The trailhead is literally out our backyard.

The Tahoe Rim Trail is beautiful, and the northern segment near Watson Lake provides stunning views of Tahoe and its snow-capped peaks.

Aiming High

2010-06-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

The Whole Athlete Development Team is aiming high - above 8000 ft, that is - shooting for the Mountain Bike XC National Championships, July 15-18 in Granby, Colorado. How do sea level-dwellers perform at their best at such high elevation?

A high-altitude training camp.

On Monday June 28th, while many are just starting their work day, 20 young Whole Athlete Team riders and five coaches head to the mountains for three weeks of training, yoga, optimized nutrition, and high-altitude racing. After ten days in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the junior girls head to the Downieville Classic XC, while the junior/U23 boys team travels to Colorado Springs to compete in the CTS International ProXCT Stage Race. The team will then reconvene in Granby to make its final preparations for the National Championships at the Sol Vista Ski Park.

This training/race camp is a unique opportunity for the young riders to live and train together as a team, following the lifestyle of a true professional athlete and embrace our three-point philosophy of dedication, integrity and fun. This will be the team's second year supporting the riders with an altitude camp culminating with the National Championships in Colorado.

The team will be posting daily reports from the camp with photos and video. Follow our progress here as we aim for the highest peaks!

You can help too...The Whole Athlete Cycling Team is a non-profit program funded by the 501(c)(3) Velo Development Foundation. Please consider making a 100% tax-deductible donation. Go to http://www.velodevelopment.org and help these young cyclists reach their goals.

Crisis Averted

2010-06-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

On the eve of the team's biggest trip of the year, when 20 Whole Athlete kids prepare to head to the mountains for three weeks to acclimate, train and compete at the National Championships, one of the kids breaks her bike...

With one workday left in the week and an early Monday morning departure in store, what do we do?

Rely on the generous and extraordinary support of our sponsors.

Ian and Garth at Specialized went out of their way to assure that our rider would have a bike in time for the team camp. Bryce at Tam Bikes made sure the bike would be assembled and ready to go for our departure. Without hesitation, they stepped up and made it happen. Crisis averted.
The accomplishments of the Whole Athlete Team and its riders may be impressive, with 50 wins to date, including multiple high school and junior cat 1 state champions. But our athletes do not achieve success by their efforts alone. The heros behind the scenes are rarely seen or mentioned, and without them we could not succeed. I want to send a huge thank you out to all our tremendous supporters. Without you were are just a bunch of cyclists. With you, we are a successful team.

Victories on both road and dirt

2010-06-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

Tony Smith took the victory in the Pescadero Road Race in the Elite Cat 4s, earning his Cat 3 upgrade and confirming his participation in the Junior Road National Championships in Bend, OR next weekend.

Meanwhile, Zach Valdez continued his winning ways by taking the Big Bear Kenda Cup by 14 min! Racing Junior Cat 1, his time put him third overall in the pros, only one minute slower than Pro winner, Tinker Juarez.

Three Whole Athlete Juniors Crowned State Champions

2010-06-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

The Napa Skyline XC Race is considered one of the most technically challenging courses in California. Add to that a significant amount of climbing and temperatures in the 90s, and you have yourself a true state championship race.

Riley Predum

Whole Athlete juniors thrived in the difficult conditions, showing their technical and physical abilities. Riley Predum took the Junior Cat 1 title, finishing the day with the second fastest time overall - even among the pros! Victoria Yoham showed why she loves technical challenges, completing three full laps of the difficult course to take the Cat 1 Junior girls title. Bobby Zidek followed suit by taking the Cat 2 junior title as well.

Victoria Yoham

Bobby Zidek

Congratulations to all the Whole Athletes who rode so well in the brutal conditions!

Whole Athlete Team Top-10 Results:

Junior Cat 1
Riley Predum 1st
Joe Yoham 2nd
Davis Bentley 4th
Taylor Smith 5th
Colby Pastore 6th

Junior Cat 1 Girls
Victoria Yoham 1st

Junior Cat 2
Bobby Zidek 1st

Cat 1 Women 30-39
Abbie Durkee 2nd

Not just Tamarancho...

2010-06-09T05:52:00.000-07:00

While the rest of the Whole Athlete Juniors were tearing it up at the Tamarancho Dirt Classic, SoCal rider Zach Valdez was winning the Kenda Cup Ellings Park Race by 8 minutes! His lap times rivaled those of the pros as he solidified his lead in the Kenda Cup Series.

On the road side of racing, Nick Newcomb was busy confirming his podium status in the California Junior Points Series with a strong 2nd place overall.

The Whole Athlete Team shows its class at the Tamarancho Dirt Classic

2010-06-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

Held in our backyard on the trails we ride regularly as a team, the Tamarancho Dirt Classic was a local event not to be missed. A junior nationals qualifier and Allison Dunlap Junior MTB Series Race, Whole Athlete Juniors chose to make this a target event. Not only did they represent, but the kids rode with tremendous heart and skill, taking the top spots in every category, sweeping the Cat 1 junior boys and girls events.

Mountain bike legend, multiple national and world champion, Ned Overend showed up to challenge a strong handful of local pros, but it was Marin local and Team Director Dario Fredrick who took the top spot in the pro race.

Jim Hewett, Ned Overend &
Dario Fredrick up Dead Heifer

Max Houtzager shows the
singlespeeders how it's done.

Will Patterson making the 28% gradient Dead Heifer look easy.

Kate Courtney and Sofia Hamilton

Taylor Smith was the fastest
15-16 Cat 1 rider on the day.

Bobby Zidek on his way to
wining the Cat 2 15-18 race.

The Camp Tamarancho Boy Scout motto
is most appropriate

Cat 1 girls

Pro Men start

Girls' Team coach, Abbie Durkee comes
out of "retirement" to show that she's still got it!

Whole Athletes took top honors in nearly every category raced, sweeping the podium in the junior boys and girls Cat 1 events.

Cat 1 17/18 boys
1st Will Curtis
2nd Tony Smith
3rd Riley Predum
Cat 1 15/16
1st Taylor Smith (4th overall in junior boys combined)

Cat 1 17/18 girls
1st Sofia Hamilton
2nd Victoria Yoham
Cat 1 15/16 girls
1st Kate Courtney (3rd in juniors girls combined)

Cat 1 singlespeed
1st Max Houtzager

Cat 1 19-24
Will Patterson

Cat 1 Women 30-39
2nd Abbie Durkee (WA Girls Coach)

Pro
1st Dario Fredrick

Cat 2 15-18 boys
1st Bobby Zidek
3rd Sven Beer

Cat 2 15-18 girls
1st MacKinzie Stanley

A few short videos of the junior racers in action. The Cat 1 boys start, and some feed zone fun.

Junior Points Series Leader Gets Specialized Support

2010-05-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

2009 District Road Champion and current Junior Points Series leader Nick Newcomb needed a time trial bike. With road (and TT) Junior Nationals next month, and a key time trial stage in the Junior Points Series next weekend, aero equipment quickly became a necessary evil. Specialized responded to the call with a Transition TT machine.

Like a glove, the bike fit Nick perfectly. Thanks, Ian, Ryan and the S-crew in Morgan Hill!

Doubling Up at Fort Ord XC - Houtzager & Zidek Both Victorious

2010-05-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

Max Houtzager and Bobby Zidek took victories in the Cat 1 Singlespeed and Cat 2 Junior races this weekend at the Fort Ord Cross Country event. Great job, you guys!