Team USA Announced for 2023 Gravel World Championships
USA Cycling has revealed the team that will be representing the United States at the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships in Veneto, Italy on October 7-8. A total of 113 athletes have qualified for the championships, with hopes of securing a podium finish for the American racers.
The qualification process for the Gravel World Championships is multi-faceted, allowing riders to qualify by finishing in the top 25% of one of the Trek UCI Gravel World Series events or by winning their National Championship category at the 2023 National Championships. USA Cycling also had the opportunity to enter an additional 20 athletes across all categories, who had to petition for those final quota spots.
The team will consist of 13 Elite Men and 10 Elite Women. The Elite Men’s team will be led by off-road phenom Keegan Swenson, along with gravel superstars Alexey Vermeulen, Brennan Wertz, Payson McElveen, and Luke Lamperti.
On the Elite Women’s side, Lauren Stephens, the reigning Gravel National Champion, will be leading the charge. She will be joined by fellow Road Worlds team member Heidi Franz, as well as Emily Newsom and Sarah Sturm, who participated in the inaugural Gravel Nationals and won silver and bronze medals, respectively.
The full Team USA roster for the 2023 Gravel World Championships is as follows:
Elite Men
- Zach Calton (Salt Lake City)
- Ian Kutzleb (Durango, Colo.)
- Luke Lamperti (Sebastopol, Calif.; Trinity Racing)
- Andy Lydic (Boulder, Colo.; BMC #ItCouldBeMe)
- Payson McElveen (Durango, Colo.; Allied Cycle Works)
- Justin McQuerry (Austin, Tex.; Team Novo Nordisk Development)
- Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz, Calif.; Santa Cruz, SRAM, htSQD)
- Ethan Overson (Tucson, Ariz.; Scuderia Pinarello)
- Artem Shmidt (Cumming, Ga.; Hagens Berman Axeon)
- Keegan Swenson (Heber City, Utah; Santa Cruz, SRAM, htSQD)
- David Van Orsdel (Minneapolis)
- Alexey Vermeulen (Pinckney, Mich.; Jukebox – ENVE)
- Brennan Wertz (Mill Valley, Calif.; Mosaic Cycles)
Elite Women
- Morgan Aguirre (Seattle, Wash.)
- Crystal Anthony (Bentonville, Ark.; Liv Racing Collective)
- Heidi Franz (Seattle, Wash.; DNA Pro Cycling)
- Emily Newsom (Fort Worth, Tex.; Roxo Racing)
- Paige Onweller (Belleville, Mich.; Trek/WTB/ABUS/HED/SRAM)
- Lauren Stephens (Dallas, Texas; EF EDUCATION-TIBCO-SVB)
- Alexis Skarda (Grand Junction, Colo.; Santa Cruz Bicycles)
- Katherine Sheridan (Omaha, Neb.)
- Kyleigh Spearing (Frankfort, Ill.)
- Sarah Sturm (Durango, Colo.; Specialized/ Rapha/ Wahoo)
The qualifications for the Gravel World Championships also include riders who competed in various events and had an elite UCI license. A full list of these qualifiers can be found on the USA Cycling website.
With a strong and talented team representing the United States, hopes are high for a successful outing at the 2023 Gravel World Championships in Italy.
