USA Cycling announces nominations to Mountain Bike World Championship Team

Colorado Springs, Colo. (Aug. 13, 2009)—USA Cycling announced today the 43 athletes that have been nominated to represent the United States at the upcoming 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Canberra, Australia, September 1-6.

In the gravity events, Aaron Gwin (Morongo Valley, Calif./Yeti) received the lone men’s downhill automatic nomination by virtue of his third-place World Cup finish and his national championship in that event. Kyle Strait (Riverside, Calif.), Duncan Riffle (Santa Barbara, Calif./Duncan Riffle Racing), Luke Strobel (Renton, Wash./Maxxis), Cody Warren (El Cajon, Calif./Decline), Brian Lopes (Laguna Beach, Calif./Oakley) and Joey Schusler (Boulder, Colo./Yeti-Fox Shox) received discretionary nominations to the elite men’s downhill team. As the winner of the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships downhill contest, Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz./KHS) received the only automatic nomination to the elite women’s downhill squad. Kathy Pruitt (Santa Cruz, Calif./Jamis) will join her as a discretionary selection.

As the national champion, 17-year-old Mitch Ropelato (Ogden, Utah) received an automatic nomination to the elite men’s 4X squad. Mike Haderer (Concord, Calif.) and Blake Carney (Camarillo, Calif.) will join Ropelato on the men’s 4-cross squad as discretionary selections. Buhl and 2008 BMX Olympian Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash./Red Bull) both earned automatic nominations to the women’s 4X squad by virtue of multiple World Cup podium performances.

Eleven junior and U23 cross country athletes were also named to the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championship squad that will represent the United States, along with five junior men’s downhillers. See below for the complete list. For more information on USA Cycling’s selection procedures please visit the Athlete Programs portion of the USA Cycling website, or click here.


2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships
Canberra, Australia
Sept. 1-6, 2009

U.S. Team Nominations:

Elite Men’s Downhill
Aaron Gwin (Morongo Valley, Calif./Yeti)**
Kyle Strait (Riverside, Calif.)
Duncan Riffle (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Luke Strobel (Renton, Wash.)
Cody Warren (El Cajon, Calif.)
Brian Lopes (Laguna Beach, Calif.)
Joey Schusler (Boulder, Colo.)

Elite Women’s Downhill
Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz.)**
Kathy Pruitt (Santa Cruz, Calif.)

Elite Men’s 4-Cross
Mitch Ropelato (Ogden, Utah)**
Mike Haderer (Concord, Calif.)
Blake Carney (Camarillo, Calif.)

Elite Women’s 4-Cross
Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz.)**
Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.)**

Junior Men’s Downhill
Mitch Ropelato (Ogden, Utah)**
Kevin Aiello (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
Luciano Worl (Woodinville, Wash.)
Tom Neer (Arvada, Colo.)
Geoffrey Ulmer (Troy, N.Y.)

**denotes automatic nomination