Team USA announces all-star lineup for the UCI Gravel World Championships
With 23 elite riders led by Swenson and Stephens, Team USA is bringing its A-game to the second-ever event in Italy
USA Cycling has announced its stacked roster of 23 elite cyclists to take on the world’s best at the UCI Gravel World Championship in Veneto, Italy on October 7 and 8.
This is the second year of the Gravel World Championships, which last year were also held in Veneto in October. Belgium’s Gianni Vermeersch won the first-ever gravel rainbow jersey in the elite men’s race, and France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prevot claimed gold on the women’s side.
This year, Team USA hopes to find itself on the elite and age group podiums with top-contender such the season's unbeatable Keegan Swenson; three-time US criterium champ Luke Lamperti, the freshly crowned US national gravel champ Lauren Stephens, former WorldTour riders Alexey Vermeulen and Emily Newsom, and Hutchinson Ranxo UCI Gravel World Series race winner Heidi Franz.
Riders had multiple ways to qualify for the Gravel World Championships thanks to the UCI’s Cycling for All initiative. These qualifications included a finish in the top 25% of one of the Trek UCI Gravel World Series events, a win in their National Championship category, or a successful petition to be one of USA Cycling’s additional 20 athlete slots across both amateur and elite races. In total, 113 Americans will be headed to Italy where a variety of race distances await.
All races start at picturesque Lago Le Bandie in Treviso and finish in Pieve di Soligo, 23km north of the starting point. The elite men’s race is 169km with 1,890m of elevation gain while the elite women’s race is 140km with 1,720m of elevation gain on a mix of pavement and gravel complete with flat stretches and steep inclines.
Amateur athletes will race a variety of different distance:
- Elite men and men ages 19-49 will race the 169km course described above
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
- Elite women, women ages 19-49 and men 50-64 will race the 140km course described above
- Women ages 50 and above and men ages 65 and above will race a 99.7km course with 1,030m of elevation gain
Podium hopefuls representing Team USA in the elite categories are:
Team USA - men's elite
- 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)
Team USA - women's elite
- 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)
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Kristin Jenny is an elite triathlete based near Boulder, Colorado. Although most of her time is spent in aerobars somewhere in the mountains, she finds time to enjoy eating decadent desserts, hiking with her husband and dog, and a good true crime podcast.
-
Tweets of the week: Pogačar can be beaten, Pidcock meets the royals, and Remco's an Arsenal fan
Sadly for Tadej Pogačar, serial winning doesn't seem to apply to go karting
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Friday roundup: Rapha does sportswear, Oakley meets PNS and Restrap makes a vest
Two new clothing lines, some hi-tech smart glasses and a hydration vest to inspire you to ride further
By Luke Friend Published
-
56% unpaved, 44% paved and plenty of pitchy climbs: the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships race course revealed
Come October, rainbow jersey hopefuls will tackle a Classics-like course in woodsy Flemish Brabant.
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Gravel racing needs a 'cat 5': The spirit of gravel is dead, but it's for the best
More people should have a shot at a podium finish, argues Josh Ross
By Josh Ross Published
-
‘Humbled. Honored. Stoked’: Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame announced new inductees Selene Yeager, Nick Legan, Linda Guerrette and Jay Petervary
From penning the complete guide to gravel cycling to visually capturing its evolution, these trailblazers have left an indelible mark on the gravel scene.
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Ready to turn pro? How one WorldTour-rider-turned-gravel-privateer wants to help you bridge the gap from developing rider to the gravel pro
Two young riders will get a chance of a lifetime with the support of Alexey Vermeulen and some of the industry's biggest brands
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
The Unbound Gravel lottery opens tomorrow! Here's your guide to 2024's biggest gravel events and when to register
Here are the registration dates for gravel’s biggest events around the globe
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
'People aren't as snooty or uptight': gravel boom shows no signs of slowing, and here's why
Gravel bike riding is "one of the fastest-growing sports" on Strava, with 55% more people doing it in 2023
By Tom Davidson Published
-
‘For the first time, American gravel racing is the place to be’ — YouTube series 'Call of a Life Time' premiers January 26
Now in its second season, Call of a Life Time chronicles all the action from the 2023 Life Time Grand Prix gravel racing series
By Kristin Jenny Published
-
Nominations for the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame opens November 1
Nominations are open to the public and may be submitted through December 1; inductees to be celebrated ahead of Unbound 2024
By Anne-Marije Rook Published