September 16, 2004
After next week, the U23 National Mountain Bike Team can
officially call it a successful debut year. The USA Cycling Mountain
Bike National Championships will wrap up a busy season of important
accomplishments and valuable experience – experience that has put
John Devine, Nick Waite, Sam Schultz, and Alan Obye well on their way to
racing as world class athletes.
The busy season saw the team compete at each stop of
the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series and race with the U23 National
Road Team in Europe. They traveled to Mont Sainte Anne and Calgary for the two North
American World Cups and recently returned from the World Championships
is Les Gets, France.
Opening the season in a remarkable manner, 18-year-old
John Devine (Dixon, Ill.) placed fifth in the NORBA short track competition
in Waco, Texas. Being the only American on the podium,
a buzz began about how talented the new U23 National Team was. “At
every race after that,” commented National Mountain Bike Coach
Matt Cramer, “one of the guys would have an outstanding ride.”
Nick Waite (Davis, W.Va.)
posted his best result on home turf in Snowshoe, W.Va. – finishing
ninth in the cross-country showdown. Alan Obye (Mendon, Vt.) had his best race in Snowmass, with a
seventh place finish in the short track contest. Just as Devine opened
the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series with a podium finish, Sam Schultz
(Missoula, Mont.) closed
out the series for the team in Durango, taking the fifth
spot on the short track podium and tenth place in the overall NORBA
Series short track standings.
As the season progressed,
the talk focused on how consistent the foursome’s performances
were.
“I think a lot of it comes from how they connect
as a team,” Cramer explained. “They keep each other balanced.
They have different personalities, but perform very well with each
other on a social and professional level.”
The
key to the team’s consistency is good balance
and solid training, but not too much training. “Keeping the training
on an informal and not a super structured basis helps keep the team
relaxed and promotes mental recovery,” Cramer went on to say.
“This is my most consistent season so far,” 21-year-old
Alan Obye said about his first season with the U23 Team. “I think
Matt’s coaching was really good, and by living at the training
center - we have the opportunity to focus completely on riding.”
Through top ten finishes in a NORBA cross-country event
and top 40 finishes at a World Cup, all four team members qualified
to compete at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets,
France, which they returned from last week.
The team can’t rest just yet, as they are now preparing
for the final showdown of the season: The USA Cycling Mountain Bike
National Championships. The team will contest the U23 national championship
cross-country race on Friday morning and will ride in the elite short-track
competition on Sunday afternoon. “I think there’s definitely
a chance of one of us winning the cross-country,” Alan Obye said. “Ideally,
one of us would win the cross country, and we would make podium in
the elite short track.”
