I went back and forth for months on whether or not I was going to race Fontana, but ended up going and I’m glad I did. I knew they weren’t using ‘the wall’ this year which I was kind of bummed about, but when I pre rode on Saturday the new course was incredible! Lots of climbing and super fun/technical descending. The weather forecast was changing constantly for the two days leading up to the race but the latest before I started warming up was that the rain would stay away until after the race would be over.

Thanks to my awesome planning I found out while in staging that there would be no tech support allowed so I wouldn’t be able to use the extra wheels I had but, I did have my Genuine Innovations Big Air and Tubeless Repair Kit so that would have to do.

There were no call ups so I was able to get a spot on the front row. I had an OK start and was feeling good. There was an asphalt climb early in the lap and towards the top of that the pace picked up big time and I lost a few spots before getting back on the single track. I got passed a few more times on the first lap, but was feeling solid.  The rain made an early appearance at the end of lap two and there was a steady drizzle the rest of the race. lap 2-3 were pretty uneventful, I passed a few people and got passed by a few people. The last half of the last lap was when it got intense again. The second half of the lap had a lot of descending and I spotted a rider about 30-40sec ahead of me that I had been catching on the descents all race so I decided to go for it and try to close the gap. I took some risks to make it happen but I caught him right at the bottom of the last major decent.  In the last quarter mile there was a section that was wide and turned left dropped down a steep bank and switched back to the right at the bottom where I planned to make my move. Earlier in the race he had taken the wide line to the left at the bottom to go around the rock drop so my plan was to take him on the inside.  There was about a mile to the finish and I stayed right on his wheel trying to catch a draft on the fire road sections and recover. When we got to the section I went for it and was able to make the pass just like I planned but there was a few hundred yards to the finish. I was able to hold him off in the sprint and finished 16th. I had a great time and got some valuable experience leading up to Sea Otter.

AZ Devo descended upon San Dimas, CA with a full squad for the 2^nd stop of the US Pro XCT.   It was another successful event for the team with 4 more podium spots claimed.  Friday before the race, the team gathered for a photo shoot and pre-ride.  Everyone was looking sharp in their new team kits.  The Bonelli Park course is very challenging and gives riders a good feel for World Cup type of racing.  After the course pre-ride, riders downed a bottle of Hammer Recoverite, had their Trek bikes cleaned and dialed in for the next day’s race.

Saturday AM, brought the CAT 1 races.  Ryan Geiger rode well and grabbed the top spot for AZ Devo in the Cat 1 Men 17-18 class by taking 11^th in a field of 25 riders.  In his 1^st national race as a Cat 1 Jr, Cal Skilsky, rode very well to take the next spot for the team in 17^th.  Nick Thomas also rode his 1^st national Cat 1 race and gained a ton of valuable experience.  Nick Thorpe was riding very well, but had to cut his race short due to a major mechanical.

Up next was the Cat 1 Men 15-16 and Kenny Polley was the loan AZ Devo rider in the event.  Polley battled it out with several riders from CA and ended up on the podium in 5^th.  Sam Gross raced the Cat 1 Men 19-24 class and rode very well amongst some fast riders.  He hopes to get his upgrade to U23 in the near future.  Ashley Stilwell raced in the Cat 1 Women 19-29 class and made a strong showing and is also looking to upgrade to U23 soon.

Travis Glysson raced the Pro/U23 event and again got a call up in the back of the field.  He was racing strong and moving up the filed when he got a flat tire.  He stopped in the tech zone for a less that quick wheel change and then head back out on the course.  In spite of the mechanical, he raced well and finished in 54^th.

Sunday AM was the Cat 2 events.  Dilyn Sheber and Clayton Stone competed in the Cat 2 15-16 race and ended up grabbing the top two steps of the podium for the team.  Sheber in 1^st and Stone in 2^nd!  Next up, was the Short Track event also known as the “Huricane of Pain”.  20 minutes plus 2 laps on a short, fast and challenging course.

Geiger competed in the Cat 1 Open event and made the lead group in an early breakaway.  He grabbed his 2^ndnational podium spot of the young season with a 4^th place finish.

Up next for the team will be some local races as they prepare for the Sea Otter Classic in April.

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The 2012 AZ Devo team would like to thank its sponsors: Trek, Bicycle Ranch, Hammer Nutrition, The Mountain Bike Association of AZ, Stan’s NoTubes, Genuine Innovations, Shimano, Bontrager, Feedback Sports, Squirt Lube, ESI Grips, Baja Designs, Swiftwick, Trigger Point Performance Therapy, and the Nova Youth Cycling Foundation.

The 2012 PRO XCT Series kicked off last weekend in TX with the Mellow Johnny’s Classic.  Two AZ Devo riders, Ryan Geiger and Travis Glysson, made the journey to start their National campaign.

Both riders are excited to be riding on the new Trek Superfly Pro this season.  Travis got a back of the filed call up in the U23/Pro event.  He showed great early season form and moved his way up to finish up 57^th. Ryan competed in the highly competitive Jr Men CAT 1 17-18 event with 32 of our country’s best young riders.  Ryan rode a strong race and finished on the podium in 5^th.

Up next is the Bonelli Park PRO XCT event this weekend in San Dimas, CA.  AZ Devo will have a full squad out there looking to make another big splash in 2012.

The AZ Devo Junior/U23 Cycling Team just came of a very successful inaugural season in 2011.  The team brought together 10 of Arizona’s top young mountain bikers and set out to test their skills against the best riders in the USA and the world.  The team was supported by outstanding sponsors and donations through the team’s non-profit fundraising arm, Nova Youth Cycling Foundation.  This allowed the team to support and develop the riders as they traveled the country and the world in search of podiums.

The team started out the season by pre-riding the 24 Hours in The Old Pueblo course in Tucson, AZ with pro mountain bikers Melissa Buhl, Emily Batty, Adam Morka, Chloe Woodruff and TJ Woodruff. The team then tested their early season fitness by teaming up

with former four cross World Champion & multi-time USA National Gravity Champion, Melissa Buhl in the 5-person co-ed division of the 24 Hours in The Old Pueblo.  They set the tone for the season by taking the the win in the 5-Person Co-Ed Division.

The team next turned their focus on competing our local MBAA State Championship Series.  AZ Devo riders dominated the podiums of every event and Ryan Geiger ended up the Series Champion with Kyle Willet in 2nd.  After refining their skills in the local series, the team turned their sights on to the National Pro XCT Series and trying to qualify riders to be selected to USA Cycling’s European Race Camp and World Cup events and hopefully the World Championships.

The team started the National Campaign at the Bonelli Park Pro XCT by putting 3 riders on the podium.  Next up was the Fontana, CA event were the team continued to see success with Tyler Coplea, grabbing the 5th step for AZ Devo.  Ryan Geiger and Cypress Gorry also had strong showings for the team by finishing in the top 10.

The next challenge on the schedule was the huge cycling festival out in Monterey, CA know as the Sea Otter Classic.  It was an outstanding event that brings out the country’s best riders and all of the major companies in the bike industry.  This gave the team a great chance to visit with several sponsors and express the team’s appreciation of their support of the program.  The event brought out a big number of competitors in the Men’s CAT 1 17-18 with 28 racers on the starting line.  Tyler Coplea again finished in 5th with Ryan Geiger and Cypress Gorry repeating strong top 10 finishes.

The team took as short break from the national race scene to race the Whiskey Off-Road Endurance MTB event in Prescott, AZ.  Ryan Geiger took the victory in the Jr. Men’s 50 mile event.  Cypress Gorry grabbed the win in the 25 mile event with Coplea in 2nd.  1st year U23 rider, Travis Glysson, raced his first Pro event and got to line up some of the USA’s top Pro’s and legends of the sport like Dave Weins and Tinker Juarez.

Team riders’ strong performances in the 1st part of the season allowed 3 riders to be selected to USA Cycling’s European Race Camp in Germany.  Geiger, Coplea and Gorry all received invites to attend this prestigious camp and represent their country in the World Cup event in Offengburg.  AZ Devo riders represented half of all the riders selected in the Men’s CAT 1 17-18.  Coplea was sidelined when he broke his collar bone the day before the World Cup event while pre-riding the course.  Geiger and Gorry rode very well in their 1st World Cup event and gain some outstanding experiences among the best riders in the world.  USA Cycling continued to look to AZ Devo for World Cup team selection by selecting Gory to compete with the USA Team at the Monte Saint Anne, Canada event and both Gorry and Coplea for the Windham, NY race.

The team next traveled the Ketchum, ID to compete in the USA Cycling MTB National Championships where the team grabbed 2 more podiums.  In the Men’s CAT 1 Jr 17-18 cross country event, Gorry finished in 3rd with Geiger in 12th.  The 2nd day of competition for the team brought the short track event.  Geiger grabbed 5th for AZ Devo with Gorry and Coplea in 11th and 13th respectively.

The gang from Hammer Nutrition then helped transport the team and host the team in Missoula, MT the week leading up to the final Pro XCT.  The riders had a great week riding and hainging out in Montana.  They were lucky enough to go on a training ride with Andy Schultz, Colin Cares and Judy Freeman.  The week finished off with the race where Geiger placed 3rd and Coplea in 6th.

In September, a big goal of the program was met when Cypress Gorry was selected to represent the USA in the MTB World Championships in Champrey, Switzerland.  Cypress got the 59th call up at the start line and was able to hold his position to the finish.  With a huge field of the top riders from all over the world, this was a great accomplishment for this young rider.

A long season was finished off in October with the 24 Hour National Championships in Colorado Springs, CO.  Geiger and Coplea teamed up with 2 riders from California, Shane Skelton and Casey Williams to form the CA-AZ Devo Team.  The riders battled on a tough course all day and night and found themselves securely in the Stars and Bars Jersey by lapping the 2nd place junior team several times.  The team was now sitting 2nd place overall and not far behind the pro team made up of riders like Russel Finsterwald and Brady Kappius.  The Devo team battled to the very end of the long race to find themselves less than 10 mins behind the pro team in the end.

Throughout the year, the team riders, parents and staff put in numerous hours volunteering in our local communities – mountain bike clinics, trail work, event staff assistance, ect.   The team meet and exceeded the goals of the program and they had a blast doing it all.  This all would not be possible without the generous support of the team’s sponsors and supporters.

The 2012 season starts tomorrow at the MBAA McDowell race in Fountain Hills, AZ.  Here they go again!

One of the many goals of the AZ Devo program is to help riders get the MTB World Championships.  We are very excited that Cypress was selected to the USA Cycling’s Worlds Team and had the opportunity to compete this year in Champrey, Switzerland.  He represented Arizona, his team, his sponsors and his country very well!

Thanks again to all our wonderful sponsors and supporters that helped make this happen!

Cypress’ Write Up:

Getting into Switzerland a few days before my race I was amazed at the beauty of the country I was in.  It seemed as if every direction you looked an incredible view was waiting for your eyes to discover! I was really excited for the possibility to explore this place a little bit, but knew I had something quite
important to focus on in the meantime.  After a couple days of pre-riding the course I was super stoked to race on it.  I was able to run super low pressure in my tires without worry of burping thanks to Stan’s tubeless rims, and felt very comfortable bombing through the technical sections on my Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL.

The day of the race came around, and I was surprisingly not very nervous for what would be the biggest race of my life so far.  I felt really good in my warmup, and legs were feeling really sharp as I headed over to the start boxes to be gridded.  I knew I didn’t have the greatest start position at 59th, but there was plenty of oppurtunity to move up during  the start if you were feeling good.
The gun went off and chaos ensued.  I seemed to be holding my position at the very beginning.  Throught the start loop I maybe lost a few places, but was feeling pretty good.  Then the big climb came.  Hitting the bottom of the climb I started to go backwards.  Losing countless places I finally made it to the top where the technical downhill began.  Arriving here I was greeted with lots of running.  Due to being pretty far back in the field the congestion made it nearly impossible to ride your bike.  I made a place up here and there while running down the whole descent, but came through the first lap near the back of the field.
As things began to sort out a little more, I began to feel really good in the super technical sections of the course.  Starting to make up a bunch of places, I was feeling really good even in the power sections where I’m usually not quite as strong.  But then came the climb.  Once again I found myself almost riding backwards.  Every lap I lost five or more places on the climb.  Luckily I was able to take these places back each lap on the downhill and the more rooty sections.  The rest of the race continued in a similar fashion.
I crossed the finish line in my start postion, 59th.  At first I wasn’t very happy with my result, but have come to look at it as more of a learning experience for this coming cyclocross season as well as next year’s racing.  Having the ability to race one of the most technical World Cup courses as a first year junior and excel in the technical sections is very inspiring to me.  But I was still glad for the race to be over.  The days following the race it was great to relax a little and go for a couple fun rides just exploring around Champery with others of the US National team and some of our friendly neighbors from the north.
Since coming home I have put a great start into some needed rest.  I’m now taking a couple weeks off of training before I begin to ramp up again for my cyclocross season.

Big Congratulations to AZ Devo Rider, Cypress Gorry, and all the nominees.  GO TEAM USA!

USA Cycling announced Friday the 51 athletes nominated to represent the United States at the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Champery, Switzerland, from Aug. 29-Sept. 4.

The athletes who earned automatic nominations were selected by using USA Cycling’s Athlete Nomination criteria.

Fourteen riders, seven men and seven women, will compete for world titles in the elite cross country races. As the winner of the elite men’s cross-country race at the 2011 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Cross-Country National Championships, Todd Wells(Durango, Colo./Specialized) earned one of four automatic nominations to the squad. The other automatic nominees are: Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek), Adam Craig (Bend, Ore./Giant) and Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont./Subaru-Trek). Horgan-Kobelski (35th), Craig (40th) and Schultz (42nd) each earned automatic nominations by virtue of being ranked within the top 50 of the UCI Individual World Rankings. Joining them will be discretionary selections Jeremiah Bishop(Harrisonburg, Va./Cannondale Factory Racing), Michael Broderick (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-NoTubes) and Spencer Paxson (Seattle, Wash./Kona Bicycles).

Five women received automatic nominations to compete in the elite women’s contest in Champery, Switzerland. In addition finishing fifth at the World Cup event in Windham, N.Y. on July 9, Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna), who is ranked ninth in the UCI Individual World Rankings, earned her automatic nomination by winning the national championship cross-country race. Joining Gould as automatic nominees will be Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./RaboBank-Giant), Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Specialized), Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek), and Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-NoTubes). Compton (29th), Irmiger (20th) and McConneloug (14th) each are ranked within the top 30 of the UCI’s Individual World Ranking to warrant an automatic nomination while Davison’s topping the 2011 USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross-Country (Pro XCT) standings earned her a spot. Judy Freeman (Brighton, Colo./Kenda-Felt MTB) and Krista Park(Madison, S.D./Cannondale-No Tubes) will join them as discretionary selections.

In all, the U.S. team will have 12 riders contesting either the U23 or junior men’s or women’s races. As the winners of their respective national championship races, U23 winners Stephen Ettinger (Cashmere, Wash./BMC MTB Development) and Jill Behlen (Boulder, Colo.) as well as junior 17-18 winners Howard Grotts (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo) and AliciaRose Pastore (Durango, Colo./Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory DEVO Sweet Elite) earned spots on the team. Grotts currently sits in fourth among junior men while Pastore is third among junior women in the UCI’s World Cup rankings. Also riding in the men’s U23 race will be discretionary selections Russell Finsterwald(Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek), Jack Hinkens (Eden Prairie, Minn./BMC MTB Development) and Kerry Werner (Banner Elk, N.C./BMC MTB Development) while Kaila Hart (Durango, Colo./Fort Lewis College) joins Behlen. In the junior men’s race, Richard Cypress Gorry (Payson, Ariz./AZ Devo), Keegan Swenson (Park City, Utah/Whole Athlete-Specialized) and Casey Williams (Big Bear City, Calif.) will join Grotts as discretionary selections. Grace Alexander (Boise, Idaho/BYRDS) will contest the junior women’s race with Pastore.

Leading the 10 elite American downhill riders will be the top-ranked rider in the World Cup rankings, Aaron Gwin (Temecula, Calif./Trek), who earned an automatic nomination. Gwin also won four of the five World Cup downhill races, thus far. Also receiving an automatic nomination is the leader of the 2011 USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (Pro GRT), Cody Warren (Alpine, Calif./DRD X-Fusion Intense). The women’s downhill contingent will be led by automatic nominees Jacqueline Harmony (Sedona, Ariz./All Mountain Cyclery-Vixen Racing) and Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash./RedBull-Transition Racing). Kintner currently leads the women’s Pro GRT standings and is ranked 13th in the UCI Elite Women Downhill World Cup rankings. Harmony earned her automatic nomination by virtue of being ranked 11th in the UCI rankings. Competing as discretionary selections in the men’s elite race will be Logan Binggeli (Saint George, Utah/KHS Bicycles), Curtis Keene (Fremont, Calif.), Duncan Riffle (Santa Barbara, Calif./Giant MTB Team), Mitch Ropelato (Ogden, Utah/SPS North America) and Luke Strobel (Issaquah, Wash./MS Evil). Joanna Petterson (Jericho, Vt.) will join Harmony and Kintner as a discretionary selection in the women’s race.

Of the nine American contestants, four junior riders, three men and one woman, earned automatic nominations to compete in the junior men’s and women’s downhill contests in Champery. Neko Mulally (Reading, Pa./Trek), Austin Warren (Alpine, Calif./DRD X-Fusion Intense) and Trevor Trinkino (Evergreen, Colo./Yeti RPM) will contest the men’s race while Lauren Daney (Stafford, Va./Specialized-GROM Racing) will compete in the women’s junior downhill competition. Mulally earned an automatic nomination after placing second in the 2010 World Championships and by strong showings at three different World Cup events earlier this season. Trinkino posted the fastest time among a qualified pool of athletes at the Winter Park Crankworx to earn his automatic nomination. Warren earned his automatic nomination by placing 23rd in the World Cup event in Windham, N.Y. Daney earned her automatic nomination by placing 20th in the women’s elite downhill at the World Cup event in Windham, N.Y. Nate Furbee (Los Osos, Calif.), Austin Hackett Klaube (Dillon, Colo.), Kiran MacKinnon(Aromas, Calif.), Austin Warren (Alpine, Calif./DRD X-Fusion Intense) and Christian Wright (League City, Texas/Team Spincycle) will compete in the junior men’s race as discretionary selections.

The U.S. contingent will feature three male discretionary selections contesting the four-cross race. Blake Carney (Camarillo, Calif.), Lear Miller (Sedona, Ariz.) and Erik Nelson (Gilbert, Ariz.) were chosen to compete in the four-cross competition.

In addition to the downhill competitions, the World Championships will also feature elite four-cross competitions for gravity racers. The U.S. squad will be led by automatic nominee Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz./KHS Bicycles) who earned an automatic nomination by being placing second at each of the World Cup events in Leogang, Austria and Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada, in addition being ranked sixth in the UCI World Cup MNT Cross rankings. Joanna Petterson (Jericho, Vt.) and Neven Steinmetz (Boulder, Colo./Ellsworth-Smile Generation) will join Buhl as discretionary selections.

The U.S. team will also feature one trials rider, Ryder Okumura (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo), who competed in the 2003 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships as a junior, placing 27th in the Elite 20 Trials competition.

The complete U.S. Team roster is listed below.

The 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships has a complete schedule, news, expected participants and more.

2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships
Champery, Switzerland
Aug. 29-Sept. 4

Elite Men Cross-Country
Jeremiah Bishop (Harrisonburg, Va./Cannondale Factory Racing)
Michael Broderick (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-NoTubes)
Adam Craig (Bend, Ore./Rabobank-Giant)
Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek)
Spencer Paxson (Seattle, Wash./Kona Bicycles)
Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont./Subaru-Trek)
Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized)

Elite Women Cross-Country
Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./ RaboBank-Giant)
Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Specialized)
Judy Freeman (Brighton, Colo./Kenda-Felt MTB)
Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna Pro Team)
Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek)
Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./ Kenda-Seven-NoTubes)
Krista Park (Madison, S.D./Cannondale-No Tubes)

U23 Men Cross-Country
Stephen Ettinger (Cashmere, Wash./BMC MTB Development)
Russell Finsterwald (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek)
Jack Hinkens (Eden Prairie, Minn./BMC MTB Development)
Kerry Werner (Banner Elk, N.C./BMC MTB Development)

U23 Women Cross-Country
Jill Behlen (Boulder, Colo./University of Wyoming)
Kaila Hart (Durango, Colo./Fort Lewis College)

Junior Men Cross-Country
Richard Cypress Gorry (Payson, Ariz./AZ Devo)
Howard Grotts (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo)
Keegan Swenson (Park City, Utah/Whole Athlete-Specialized)
Casey Williams (Big Bear City, Calif.)

Junior Women Cross-Country
Grace Alexander (Boise, Idaho/BYRDS)
AliciaRose Pastore (Durango, Colo./Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory DEVO Sweet Elite)

Elite Men Downhill
Logan Binggeli (Saint George, Utah/KHS Bicycles)
Aaron Gwin (Temecula, Calif./Trek)
Curtis Keene (Fremont, Calif.)
Duncan Riffle (Santa Barbara, Calif./Giant MTB Team)
Mitch Ropelato (Ogden, Utah/SPS North America)
Luke Strobel (Issaquah, Wash./MS Evil)
Cody Warren (Alpine, Calif./DRD X-Fusion Intense)

Elite Women Downhill
Jacqueline Harmony (Sedona, Ariz./All Mountain Cyclery-Vixen Racing)
Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash./RedBull-Transition Racing)
Joanna Petterson (Jericho, Vt.)

Junior Men Downhill
Nate Furbee (Los Osos, Calif.)
Austin Hackett Klaube (Dillon, Colo.)
Kiran MacKinnon (Aromas, Calif.)
Neko Mulally (Reading, Pa./Trek)
Trevor Trinkino (Evergreen, Colo./Yeti RPM)
Austin Warren (Alpine, Calif./DRD X-Fusion Intense)
Christian Wright (League City, Texas/Team Spincycle)

Junior Women Downhill
Lauren Daney (Stafford, Va./Specialized-GROM Racing)

Men Four Cross
Blake Carney (Camarillo, Calif.)
Lear Miller (Sedona, Ariz.)
Erik Nelson (Gilbert, Ariz.)

Women Four Cross
Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz./KHS Bicycles)
Joanna Petterson (Jericho, Vt.)
Neven Steinmetz (Boulder, Colo./Ellsworth-Smile Generation)

Trial Rider
Ryder Okumura (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo)

Join the AZ Devo and the MBAA for a free mountain bike skills clinic for riders OF ALL AGES at the Fire on the Rim Event in Pine/Strawberry, AZ on 8/6/11. (http://fireontherim.com/default.aspx)

The clinic will begin at 2:30 PM.

Arizona’s Top CAT 1 Junior/U23 racers and Coach Darrin Permenter will be teaching a variety of skills to riders. Be sure and be prepared to have fun and learn some great skills to use in your next ride or race.This clinic is for riders 9 to 99 years old and all participants must bring their own bike and helmet.

All participants must sign a waiver to attend this clinic on race day at the AZ Devo team tent.