Chloé Dygert, Amber Neben, Ruth Winder, Coryn Rivera, and Leah Thomas were named to the US women’s road team for the Tokyo Olympic Games, while Lawson Craddock and Brandon McNulty will represent the men on the road. Of the 27 athletes named to fill 28 positions by the USA Cycling Selection Committee and coaching staff, Dygert is the only athlete crossing over two disciplines, as she will also fill a spot on the track in the team pursuit.
The US team heading to Tokyo is comprised of seven riders (men and women) for road races, four for mountain bike, five for BMX racing, four for BMX freestyle, and eight spots for the track.
Dygert and Winder are returning Olympians from 2016 where they were on the track roster and are named to the road roster this go around. Neben competed on the road in London in 2012 for Team USA, finishing seventh in the time trial and 36th in the road race.
Just 19 years old at the 2016 Olympics, Dygert won a silver medal in team pursuit along with Kelly Catlin and Sarah Hammer, and Jennifer Valente. The latter will return for the track squad.
In 2016 Winder was part of the Opening Ceremonies but was an alternate and not selected as one of the four riders in the competition rounds. This time around, there is no Olympic Village or Opening Ceremonies due to COVID restrictions, but Winder will get to compete.
“I am so excited. It’s just going to be such an honor to wear the Team USA jersey in Tokyo,” Winder said as part of a video conference on Thursday to announce the Olympic cycling team. She’s the reigning US road champion for women.
“I think I’ve been applying things from my track experience to my road experience every since it happened. The Olympics are a huge goal and a massive achievement, and there’s no denying that.”
The 2020 Olympic Games were rescheduled to take place in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The road events open the cycling schedule in Tokyo, with the men’s road race on July 24 and the women’s road race on July 25. Mountain bike events follow on July 26 and 27 with the time trial road races on July 28. BMX Freestyle takes place on July 31 and August 1, with track cycling events spread across August 2-8.
On the track squad, Dygert will be joined by Valente, Maddie Godby, Megan Jastrab, Emma White, and Lily Williams. Both White and Williams are part of Rally Cycling while Jastrab is with Team DSM and Valente is on Twenty24 Pro Cycling, and all have refocused from road racing for the past year.
This is the first of four years for Dygert on Canyon-SRAM, a deal with the Women’s WorldTeam to take her through the 2024 Olympic Games. The former world time trial champion had a horrific crash in her last Worlds appearance last fall and has not competed on the road this year, but has focused on recovery for the Olympic Games.
The track team for the US men includes Adrian Hegyvary, who raced nine years with UnitedHealthcare teams on the road, and Gavin Hoover, riding for a fourth year on the US Continental team Elevate-Webiplex Pro Cycling.
“We have used the extra year with the goal to come to the Games even stronger and more prepared, and I believe we have done just that. We are bringing a medal-capable team in all disciplines and it will show this summer in Tokyo,” said Jim Miller, USA Cycling’s Chief of Sport Performance in a press statement.
Miller said that athletes will be permitted to enter Japan eight days prior to their first competitions as part of the tight COVID-19 restrictions, and they will have to depart within four days after their races. Spectators will be heavily restricted or not permitted at all due to that nation facing a fourth wave of COVID-19.
“This is a unique circumstance. They do get to be part of history,” Miller added in the video announcement from Colorado. “In most cases, a lot of these athletes have not raced since 2019. The amount of times we have hit reset has been countless. Worldwide, everyone else had the same challenges. It’s been a challenging time.”
The US mountain bike roster will include Christopher Blevins for the men and Haley Batten, Kate Courtney and Chloe Woodruff for the women.
The BMX racing roster will include Connor Fields and Corben Sharrah for the men, while Payton Ridenour, Felicia Stancil, and Alise Willoughby will line up for the women.
Nick Bruce and Justin Dowell will represent the men in BMX freestyle, joined by Perris Benegas and Hannah Roberts for the women.
US team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games
Road
Men:
Lawson Craddock (EF Education - Nippo) – Road Race & Time Trial
Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) – Road Race & Time Trial
Women:
Chloé Dygert (Canyon-SRAM Racing) – Road Race & Time Trial
Amber Neben (Cogeas Mettler Look Pro Cycling) – Time Trial
Coryn Rivera (Team DSM) – Road Race
Leah Thomas (Moviestar Team Women) – Road Race
Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo) – Road Race
Track
Men:
Adrian Hegyvary – Madison
Gavin Hoover (Elevate-Webiplex Pro Cycling) – Madison & Omnium
Women:
Chloé Dygert (Canyon-SRAM Racing) – Team Pursuit
Maddie Godby – Keirin & Sprint
Megan Jastrab (Team DSM) – Team Pursuit & Madison
Jennifer Valente (Twenty24) – Team Pursuit, Madison, & Omnium
Emma White (Rally Cycling) – Team Pursuit
Lily Williams (Rally Cycling) – Team Pursuit
Mountain Bike
Men:
Christopher Blevins (Trinity Racing)
Women:
Haley Batten (Trinity Racing)
Kate Courtney (SCOTT-SRAM Factory Racing)
Chloe Woodruff (Stanz-Pivot)
BMX Racing
Men:
Connor Fields (Chase Bicycles/ Monster Energy)
Corben Sharrah (Daylight Cycle Co.)
Women:
Payton Ridenour (Mongoose Bicycles)
Felicia Stancil (Factory Answer SSquared)
Alise Willoughby (Team Toyota/ GW Bicycles)
BMX Freestyle
Men:
Nick Bruce
Justin Dowell
Women:
Perris Benegas
Hannah Roberts
