USAC BMX Elite Portraits

During our trip to the US Olympic Training Center/Chula Vista earlier this month, we were privileged to shoot individual headshots of all the riders taking part in the Elite Camp. We thought you’d enjoy seeing some of your favorite riders suited up in their Team USA Jerseys.

We are saving the goof-around outtakes for a more opportune time

Check Out The Photo Gallery Now

USAC Elite Camp Brings The Best to Chula V

A major contingent of Elite “Team USA” BMX Supercross talent flew in to the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA last week for the first Elite Development camp of 2012. BMXNEWS.COM was granted exclusive access to shoot some action during one of the training sessions.

We clipped the set down to the 49 best shots of the session, and are bringing them to you as soon as we got them dialed in. It was an amazing day for shooting in San Diego, and the riders were definitely in the zone.

The camp included 19 athletes in all, but Joey Bradford and David Herman had other commitments for the photo session timeframe. And Nic Long, Felicia Stancil and Tyler Brown posted early injuries and could not ride. We wish them a speedy recovery!

Other stars out of orbit this camp; Connor Fields and Alise Post were out of the country and Mike Day and Corben Sharrah were out of town on GT biz. We vowed to catch them on-course next time.

Click Here to View the Gallery

A big thanks to: Mike King, Andrea Smith and James Herrera at USA Cycling for letting us peek into their day. Team USA is readying some amazing talent for London, and this glimpse into their routine gives us a special kind of pride as Americans. Equal thanks goes to Amanda Carr, Amanda Geving, Arielle Martin, Barry Nobles, Brooke Crain, Dani George, Donny Robinson, Jared Garcia, Jason Rogers, Josh Meyers, Kory Cook, Tyler Faoro and Weston Pope for their style and willingness to “do that again!”

—Mike Carruth

Above: Barry Nobles gets it done on the second straight aboard his new DK scoot.

Ssquared Rounding Out Factory Team

This weekend marks the first anniversary of BMX News setting eyes on the first Ssquared prototype, which Josh Meyers piloted in the Disney Cup (with many an “ooh” and “ahhh” from the crowd used to seeing him on another bike). Well, Josh and Ssquared have both had a pretty solid year, and show even bigger promise for 2011.

With Josh dutifully doin’ it to it in Elite Men, Ssquared figured it was time to step up and round out the ranks with an Elite Woman. Floridian Ashley Lynch fit the bill just fine, and honcho John Sawyer made it official today by sending the following release:

Ssquared bicycles would like to welcome Elite Woman Ashley Lynch to the team. Ashley is one of the fast up-and-coming elites from Florida, and she will be vying for a spot on Team Puerto Rico at the 2012 Summer Games.

According to Ssquared partner, Geff Ssengoba, “Ashley has the potential and desire to make the next step up to being a top contender in the Elite Women’s class. With a little more experience, guidance, and training, the sky is the limit.”

John continued “With help from our great roster of sponsors, we have a feeling the world will be cheering-on Ssquared riders in both the Elite Men and Elite Women classes.”

Congrats to Ashley and the Ssquared posse. Looking forward to seeing y’all in ORL this weekend.

Check them out at: http://www.ssquaredbicycles.com/

—Mike Carruth

Meyers and Stein to Replace dR and KB at Worlds

After a training accident took Team USA’s funded Elite riders Kyle Bennett and reigning Elite World Champion, Donny Robinson out of action for this year’s UCI BMX World Championships, the community has been on pins and needles as to who would be named to the squad to replace the two Olympians on the trip to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, later this month

BMX News has just learned that Josh Meyers and Denzel Stein have gotten the nod from USA Cycling BMX Program director Mike King.

“While we’re sad Donny and Kyle won’t be able to participate in the event, we are excited to be able to offer two top young talents the opportunity to gain experience on the world’s highest stage,” King said in the official statement released by USAC late this afternoon.

Some big pressure on these guys, as Team USA is counting on them to bring home a podium finish (or two). The World Championships has the highest UCI points up for grabs, save for the Olympic Games themselves. With all three events remaining between now and 2012, some early podium wins would bode well for Team USA to take the maximum number of entry slots in the London games. In the most recent high-points showdown, the Class Three North American Continental Championship in Salt lake City, UT, earlier this month, the United States did not take any of the three podium slots in the Elite Men’s class, with those honors going to Maris Strombergs (Latvia), Sam Willoughby (Australia) and Khalen Young (Australia).

The Final Jr. Elite/Elite USA Team for South Africa is:

Junior Women
Brooke Crain (Visalia, CA – Factory Clayborn)
Taylor Wolcott (Roseville, CA – Tangent/Fly)

Junior Men
Connor Fields (Henderson, NV – Free Agent-Rockstar )
Corben Sharrah (Tucson, AZ – Redman Rockstar)

Elite Women
Arielle Martin (Pleasant Grove, UT – Intense-Monster Energy)
Amanda Geving (Largo, FL – MCS Bicycles)
Alise Post (Saint Cloud, MN – Factory Redline)
Ashley Verhagen (Simi Valley, CA – Crupi Bicycles)
Amanda Carr (Punta Gorda, FL – Endeavor/Ripxx)

Elite Men
Denzel Stein (Desoto, TX – Factory Redline)
Joshua Meyers (Treasure Island, FL – Factory S Squared-Troy Lee Designs)
Donny Robinson (Napa, CA – Hyper-Monster Energy – Injured)
Kyle Bennett (Conroe, TX – Free Agent-Rock Star – Injured)

News has also heard rumblings that David Herman grabbed a ticket and a last-minute entry into the race, though not on the official, funded team.

Keep it with BMXNEWS.COM for additional stories from the 2010 UCI BMX World Championships, and breaking news alerts leading up to the big day.

The actual start list for the “Championship” (Elite) classes has not been released yet, but we’ll post it once it is. Meanwhile, give a look to the Challenge Class list, by class

JOSH!

Story and Photos By Mike Carruth, via BMXNOW.COM

A beautiful, crisp, sunny winter morn greeted hundreds of BMXers for day two of the 2010 ABA Gator Nationals (winter…yeah, right. is it still Winter if you can get a sunburn?). Some had their minds on making good on thwarted plans from Saturday, others on keeping their streak alive, others on the clock, as the moments to making their flight ticked away, and still others on the NBL Competition Congress that was happening 700 miles away in Northern Pennsylvania. More on that later.

No doubt that one of the people who had their mind on improving Saturday’s performance was Mariana Pajon. Not that Saturday’s *performance* was so bad, as it never really got off the ground (she was leading the main, before spinning into the pavement in turn one)…but Sunday would provide a good “do over” opportunity for the 2009 Elite Women World Champ. Another looking for an upgrade was Connor Fields. Word was that he was so boiled-over after Saturday’s unclip calamity that all who walked within his perimeter Saturday night received a free steam treatment and not much chit-chat.

Where Elite Men was concerned, we have to admit that, if we were a betting sort, our paper route money would have been on Long, Stumpy and Becerine for the Sunday podium (maybe, or maybe not in that order). These three were closer than the Smith brothers in every photo we had of them all weekend (minus the beards). Of course, there were a few in the mix who had spoiler potential—not the least of which was Saturday’s winner, Maris Strombergs. But Maris was taken off the spoiler list, and put on the “bummer” list after a rather unfortunate run in the semis left him on the other side of the fence for the main. Barry Nobles was lookin good, with only seven points going into the quarters (low points out of the motos was Stumpy, with four). And, then, of course, was the local-boy-done-good potential presented by the, albeit long, odds of a Josh Meyers win. Come main time, Josh was stuck way out in Lane 8, Nobles was sidelined after an OTB odyssey in the last turn of the Pro Cruiser main left him in “ugh!-my-aching-back” condition. Looking good for the paper route fund… But, as earlier written on BMXNEWS, Josh had a rippin’ gate start, and got down the runway like the Concorde. By turn two, it was Josh, followed by Nic, then Stumpy. Visions of Saturday’s late-in-the-race reversal of fortune started to appear as Nic was pushing Josh HARD to edge ahead of him, if only by a micro knobby. But this time, the lead held, and Josh Meyers scored his first AA Pro win. Josh turned A Pro on Sunday of the Disney Cup in 2008, and it was a steady march to this day on the top of the podium, his mom, dad and new sponsor looking on. Score one win for our first “M,” Josh Meyers.

Our second M got her second chance at the top-step and made it all the way home in Elite Women. Mariana moved out of the motos with only four points, tied with Amanda Geving. Alise Post was shaken a bit by a biff in the third round, but is tough as a two-buck T-Bone, so was still way-in-the-mix, come main time. No spinning into the pavement this time for Mariana, only spinning for the win. Second went to Amanda, and third was in the grasp of Alise, but she got reeled in by Ashley Verhagen in the last straight.

Junior Men set the stage for the Con Man to get some relief from his heart burn, as he had not lost a lap all day. Tory Nyhaug equaled Connor’s three points in the motos, so he would definitely be a factor. No Corben Sharrah in Jr. Men today, so that would mean one less drama straw out of the bundle. But Austin Loebe was applying more pressure than a used car salesman all weekend. As the moto sheet clip board got another gate thinner, Connor jumped to the lead and it was owned like Trump from that point on. In yet another last straight toss-up, Tommy Zula zipped in to zap the second spot from Austin, who ended up on the left step today. Great racing from all those guys though, and any step these dudes are on is a step above, indeed!

Junior Women. Well, what can we say about it? Dom decided not to go to the beach today, so you, therefore, know how this story ends. She took the win, with Ashley Lynch and Teegan O’Keeffe in second and third, respectively. Even though the contention for the top step was fairly pre-ordained, Dom and her podium pals made an opportunity out of it—for fun, cuttin up and enjoying the base of what BMX is all about.

Oldsmar 2010 was massively worthwhile, and you should buy a 2011 calendar now expressly for marking this race on it. Check out the Sunday Photo Gallery for more, and we’ll look forward to seeing everyone in two weeks at Black Mountain BMX in Phoenix for the 2010 ABA Winternationals.

SUNDAY UCI RESULTS

ELITE MEN
Josh Meyers
Nic Long
Randy Stumpfhauser
Sam WIlloughby
Donny Robinson
Danny Caluag
Cristian Becerine

ELITE WOMEN
Mariana Pajon
Amanda Geving
Ashley Verhagen
Alise Post
Kim Hayashi
Stephanie Barragan
Madison Pitts
Courtney Tomei

JUNIOR MEN
Connor Fields
Tommy Zula
Austin Loebe
David Oquendo
Tory Myhaug
Juan Marin
Shaun O’Connor
Chase Hines

JUNIOR WOMEN
Dominique Daniels
Ashley Lynch
Teagan O’Keeffe
Tiva Feldman
Alaina Henderson
Bianca Quinalha
Kaitlyn Larson