Haley Batten leading U.S. charge in 2024 mountain bike season
Cycling Mountain Bike
The 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Series is underway, and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Haley Batten now leads the 2024 UCI women's overall standings in both women’s elite Cross-country short track (XCC) and Cross-country Olympic (XCO). This ranking highlight is one among many for the Americans in what has been an incredibly strong UCI World Cup season opener.
The UCI World Cup season opened with two events in Brazil, first in Mairiporā (12 to 14 April) and then the following weekend in Araxá (19 to 21 April). Batten earned a solid 3rd place finish at the UCI XCO World Cup opener in Mairiporā, behind U.S. teammate Savilia Blunk, who took 2nd with Rio 2016 gold medalist from Sweden, Jenny Rissveds earning the top spot in a race where four American women landed among the top-ten at the finish.
But it was in Araxá that Batten shot to the top of the rankings, with dual wins in both the women’s elite XCC and XCO races, marking her first career XCO win. Batten fought off advances from 2nd place finisher Rissveds to ride solo to victory in the XCO, followed by Blunk in 3rd.
Batten’s lead underscores a dominant American field
Batten is among a wildly talented field of Americans, including Blunk—who placed 2nd at Mairiporā XCO and 3rd in both XCO and XCC at Araxá, bumping her to 3rd in the overall UCI World Cup standings behind Rissveds in 2nd.
Thanks to these results, Batten and Blunk are now in a strong position for Olympic selection ahead of Paris 2024 in a highly contested women’s American squad that includes Tokyo 2020 Olympian Kate Courtney and Kelsey Urban.
The American men have also made themselves known at the UCI World Cups in Brazil. At Mairiporā, Tokyo 2020 Olympian Christopher Blevins won the XCO to advance his overall ranking in the UCI World Cup rankings. In the U23 field, 22-year-old Riley Amos won all four events at the two UCI World Cups in Brazil; he's now the best-positioned U.S. man along with Blevins for Paris 2024. These results leave no doubt about the depth of talent and potential among the U.S. team.
These results were significant for quota spots heading into Paris 2024; countries can have a maximum of two quota places for men and two for women as determined by nation rankings, down from three each at Tokyo 2020. The points results from these two UCI World Cup stops have increased the U.S. rankings to 3rd and 5th for women and men, respectively, which would allow for the maximum quota spots if the rankings hold.
The men will be rallying at the upcoming Pan American Championships, which will act as another opportunity to improve or hold nations quotas—if the men are successful in solidifying their rankings in the top 8, the U.S. will have two men in the Olympics for the first time since London 2012.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Batten has been working hard toward these wins
The 25-year-old from Park City, Utah, started bike racing with her family at nine years old. She won national titles as a junior and another at the Under 23 level before advancing into elite-level racing.
In her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, she finished 9th. In an interview with Salt Lake Magazine, Batten said she has higher goals for Paris 2024: “My goal is to win.” She added, “In Tokyo, I was so focused on just attending, but for Paris, I have a different mindset.”
Following her finishes in Brazil, she told the Durango Harold that she went into this season with high expectations for herself. “I had really big goals for the two weekends [in Brazil], and I just couldn't be more proud of executing them and really seeing all the hard work and focus pay off.”
She also noted the level of skill on the U.S. team: “It was just an incredible weekend and also to see the U.S. as a country do so well and really come in firing on full cylinders. That really showed the focus, dedication, and level that our nation is at now, especially in the women’s.”
What’s ahead for Batten and Team USA?
The next chance to see these athletes in action is at the 2024 Pan American Mountain Bike Championships. The event will be held from 8 to 12 May at Soldier Hollow near Batten’s hometown of Park City, Utah. The U.S. Elite women’s team will include Batten, Courtney and Urban, with Christopher Blevins and Bradyn Lange racing for the men’s team. They will be looking to hold or improve on the current 5th place nation's ranking, allowing for two men's quota spots at Paris 2024.
Then, it’s off to the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, from 24 to 26 May, which marks the end of the Olympic qualification period for the UCI tour, with rankings expected to be final at the close of the event on 27 May.
Batten has a special relationship with the Nove Mesto course. She won her first World Cup at the U23 level here in 2019, and in 2021, in her first year racing as an Elite, she took 2nd, which earned her berth to Tokyo 2020. She has repeatedly called out the Nove Mesto course as her favorite, so expectations are high for her at this final Olympic qualifying event.
When will mountain biking be contested at Paris 2024?
The Paris 2024 mountain bike competition will take place at Elancourt Hill from Sunday, July 28, to Monday, July 29.