Fourteen athletes to represent Team USA in season-opening Para-cycling world cups following success in Huntsville

Alicia Dana competes at the U.S. Paralympics Cycling Open in Huntsville, Alabama. (Photo: Casey Gibson)

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO – Fourteen athletes, including eight Paralympians, have been selected to represent Team USA at the first two UCI Para-cycling World Cup competitions of the seasons in Europe. The team was chosen based on their results from the 2022 U.S. Paralympics Cycling Open, which was presented by Toyota and took place in Huntsville, Alabama, last weekend.

The team is set to compete in UCI Para-cycling World Cup races in Ostend, Belgium, and Elzach, Germany, from May 5-8 and May 12-15, respectively, which will serve as important benchmarks in the season leading up to road world championships in August.

“This group of athletes rose to the top of the field in Huntsville, impressing our team coaches and staff with their finish times and technique,” Ian Lawless, director of U.S. Paralympics Cycling, said. “The event in Huntsville is always a crucial time for us to measure the progress of our athletes, and we are excited by what we saw from a very experienced group of athletes.”

Headlining the roster traveling to Europe are 2020 Paralympic medalists Alicia Dana (Putney, Vermont), Ryan Pinney (Phoenix, Arizona), Jill Walsh (Syracuse, New York) and Freddie de los Santos (Hopewell Junction, New York), all of whom swept their respective time trial and road races in Huntsville this weekend after stellar performances last summer at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Dana also teamed with Travis Gaertner (Burien, Washington) and Brandon Lyons (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania) for the win in the mixed team handcycle relay to kick off the U.S. Paralympics Cycling Open. Both national team members, Gaertner and Lyons also make the world cup roster after Gaertner won both of the MH4 individual competitions, while Lyons took second and third in the MH3 races.

In her first major competition since a training injury kept her out of the 2020 Paralympic Games, two-time Paralympic medalist Sam Bosco (Claremont, California) punched her ticket to Europe by sweeping the WC4 races. Meanwhile, in the WC2 class, eight-time Paralympian Allison Jones (Colorado Springs, Colorado) came out of retirement and earned her world cup spot with a strong showing. Paralympians Clara Brown (Falmouth, Maine) and Jamie Whitmore (Somerset, California) are set to compete in the WC3 class following two 1-2 finishes in Huntsville. The dynamic duo in the WC3 class rounds out the 2020 Paralympians who made the world cup roster.

Other current national team members who will compete for Team USA in the first world cups of the season include Noah Middlestaedt (St. Cloud, Minnesota), Ryan Boyle (Monroe, Connecticut), Dennis Connors (Portland, Oregon) and John Terrell (Converse, Texas). The only athlete in the MC3 classification in Huntsville, Middlestaedt took both the time trial and road race, while Connors and Boyle traded victories in the MT2 time trial and road race. Terrell impressed with a sweep of the MC4 races.

The athletes representing Team USA will be joined by 18 independent athletes who also competed in Huntsville.

For media requests and inquiries, please contact Kristen Gowdy at Kristen.Gowdy@usopc.org.

2022 World Cup Roster – U.S. Paralympics Cycling

Samantha Bosco (WC4)

Ryan Boyle (MT2)

Clara Brown (WC3)

Dennis Connors (MT2)

Alicia Dana (WH3)

Freddie de los Santos (MH5

Travis Gaertner (MH4)

Allison Jones (WC2)

Brandon Lyons (MH3)

Noah Middlestaedt (MC3)

Ryan Pinney (MH3)

John Terrell (MC4)

Jill Walsh (WT2)

Jamie Whitmore (WC3)