Defending champs Fields, Gaian and Stancil headline BMX World Team

The 21-rider team heading to Rotterdam, Netherlands, to compete at the 2014 UCI BMX World Championships, July 23-27, was announced Wednesday by USA Cycling. The talented U.S. contingent boasts all five members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, including two-time defending elite men’s time trial world champion Connor Fields (Henderson, N.V./Chase BMX), as well as defending junior world champions Sean Gaian (Santee, Calif./GT Bicycles), and Felicia Stancil (Lake Villa, Ill./GT Bicycles) who is now competing in the elite women’s division. All three riders will be rocking the rainbow stripes as they take to the course in Rotterdam in just four weeks.

Fields won the 2014 Elite BMX National Championship in March and is currently second in the UCI BMX rankings. He will be joined by his Olympic teammates from London, David Herman (Wheat Ridge, Colo./Free Agent Bicycles) and Nic Long (Lakeside, Calif./Haro Bikes). Rounding out the strong men’s team are 2014 elite national silver and bronze medalists Barry Nobles (Sun City, Calif./DK Bicycles) and Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif./Avent Bombshell), as well as recent fourth-place finisher at the Berlin World Cup Supercross, Corben Sharrah (Tucson, Ariz./Haro Bicycles), and up-and-coming riders such as Jared Garcia (Victorville, Calif./Speedline-Supercross) and Justin Posey (Winston Salem, N.C./Dan’s Competition).

The women’s elite team is equally deep with talent as 2012 Olympians Brooke Crain (Visalia, Calif./Haro Bikes) and Alise Post (Saint Cloud, Minn./Redline) will be joined by defending UCI junior world time trial and class champion Stancil. Crain, the top-ranked American woman, who is currently fifth in the UCI BMX rankings, won silver medals in the junior women’s time trial at the world championships in 2011 and the junior women’s Supercross in 2010, as well as a bronze medal in the same event in 2011. Current national champion Post, who is battling back from an early-season knee injury, won a bronze medal in the elite women’s UCI world championships in 2010 and is currently seventh in the UCI rankings. Dani George (Palmdale, Calif.) and Shelby Stacy (Bakersfield, Calif.) round out the elite women’s squad.

The men’s juniors team is led by defending Supercross world champion Gaian who is currently ranked second in the UCI juniors men’s rankings. Joining Gaian on the U.S. team is seventh-ranked Hunter Pelham (Conroe, Texas/ Haro/Promax), 2014 national champion Collin Hudson (Longmont, Colo./Redline), Jacob Abbe (El Cajon, Calif./Tangent), Walker Finch (Fort Collins, Colo./ Haro/Promax), Caleb Minthorn (Sarasota, Fla./Profile) and Alden Volle (Penryn, Calif./Dan’s Comp).

U.S. national champion Shealen Reno (Plano, Texas/Hyper Bicycles) will represent the U.S. in the juniors women’s portion of the competition in Rotterdam.

“We had a fantastic world championships last year with four gold medals and two silvers and are looking for an equally successful performance this year,” said USA Cycling Director of BMX Jamie Staff. “We’re excited to watch our two-time junior world champion Felicia Stancil now race the elite women’s class. We have an exciting new talent, Collin Hudson, in the men’s junior class, along with returning world champion Sean Gaian. We’re bringing an exciting mix of experienced and up-and-coming riders that we believe will have great success at this year’s world championships.

“With the commencement of UCI Olympic nation ranking points beginning at last week’s Berlin Supercross, we will be keeping a close eye on our riders performances and ensure that they maximize their opportunities going forward. These next two years are extremely important for any athlete considering a run towards Rio in 2016.”

The UCI BMX World Championships & Challenge are open only to qualified championship and challenge class riders. Competitors must hold a USA Cycling BMX international license and can find out more about qualification and registration on USA Cycling’s 2014 UCI BMX World Championships webpage.

2014 UCI BMX Supercross World Championships
Rotterdam, Netherlands – July 23-27

USA Cycling Team Roster:

Elite Men
Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif./Avent Bombshell)
Connor Fields (Henderson, Nev./ Chase/Monster)
Jared Garcia (Victorville, Calif./Supercross BMX)
David Herman (Wheat Ridge, Colo./Free Agent Bicycles)
Nic Long (Lakeside, Calif./Haro Bicycles)
Barry Nobles (Sun City, Calif./DK Bicycles)
Justin Posey (Winston-Salem, N.C./Dan’s Comp)
Corben Sharrah (Tucson, Ariz./Haro Bicycles)

Elite Women
Brooke Crain (Visalia, Calif./Haro Bicycles)
Dani George (Palmdale, Calif.)
Alise Post (St. Cloud, Minn./Redline)
Shelby Stacy (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Felicia Stancil (Lake Villa, Ill./GT Bicycles)

Juniors Men
Jacob Abbe (El Cajon, Calif./Tangent)
Walker Finch (Fort Collins, Colo./ Haro/Promax)
Sean Gaian (Santee, Calif./GT Bicycles)
Collin Hudson (Longmont, Colo./Redline)
Caleb Minthorn (Sarasota, Fla./Profile)
Hunter Pelham (Conroe, Texas/Redline)
Alden Volle (Penryn, Calif./Dan’s Comp)

Junior Women
Shealen Reno (Plano, Texas/Hyper Bicycles)