The 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships are set to take place in the beautiful Veneto region of Italy on October 7-8. As the countdown begins, excitement is building for this prestigious event.
USA Cycling, the governing body for cycling in the United States, has announced that they will be sending a team to compete in the championships. With the goal of securing a podium finish for the American racers, Team USA is ready to take on the challenge.
Leading the elite 23-rider squad for Team USA are the newly crowned gravel national champions, Keegan Swenson and Lauren Stephens. These talented athletes will be looking to make their mark on the world stage and bring home a medal for their country.
Qualifying for the UCI Gravel World Championships was no easy feat. At the inaugural gravel national championship in Gering, Nebraska, all riders who won their national championship category automatically qualified for the world event. In addition, the top three male and female finishers in the elite race also earned automatic qualification.
Riders also had the opportunity to qualify for the world championships by finishing in the top 25 percent of one of the Trek UCI Gravel World Series events. A total of 90 Americans secured their spot in the championships through this route. Those riders who hold an elite UCI license and plan to compete in the world championships will automatically race in the elite category.
Furthermore, USA Cycling had the discretion to add an additional 20 athletes across all categories, including both amateur and elite riders. These final quota spots were awarded based on athletes’ petitions and their performance in previous races.
The Team USA roster for the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships is as follows:
Elite Men:
– Zach Calton (Salt Lake City)
– Ian Kutzleb (Durango, Colo.)
– Luke Lamperti (Sebastopol, Calif.; Trinity Racing)
– Andy Lydic (Boulder, Colo.; BMC #ItCouldBeMe)
– Payson McElveen (Durango, Colo.; Allied Cycle Works)
– Justin McQuerry (Austin, Tex.)
– Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz, Calif.; Santa Cruz, SRAM, htSQD)
– Ethan Overson (Tucson, Ariz.; Scuderia Pinarello)
– Artem Shmidt (Cumming, Ga.; Hagens Berman Axeon)
– Keegan Swenson (Heber City, Utah; Santa Cruz, SRAM, htSQD)
– David Van Orsdel (Minneapolis)
– Alexey Vermeulen (Pinckney, Mich.; Jukebox – ENVE)
– Brennan Wertz (Mill Valley, Calif.; Mosaic Cycles)
Elite Women:
– Morgan Aguirre (Seattle, Wash.)
– Crystal Anthony (Bentonville, Ark.; Liv Racing Collective)
– Heidi Franz (Seattle, Wash.; DNA Pro Cycling)
– Emily Newsom (Fort Worth, Tex.; Roxo Racing)
– Paige Onweller (Belleville, Mich.; Trek/WTB/ABUS/HED/SRAM)
– Lauren Stephens (Dallas, Texas; EF EDUCATION-TIBCO-SVB)
– Alexis Skarda (Grand Junction, Colo.; Santa Cruz Bicycles)
– Katherine Sheridan (Omaha, Neb.)
– Kyleigh Spearing (Frankfort, Ill.)
– Sarah Sturm (Durango, Colo.; Specialized/ Rapha/ Wahoo)
With such a talented roster, Team USA is poised to make a strong showing at the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships. The athletes have been training hard and are ready to give their all on the challenging gravel roads of Italy. The entire nation will be cheering them on as they compete against the best gravel cyclists from around the world.
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