Park City’s Haley Batten had the best finish for Team USA finishing 9th in the Olympic Mountain bike competition held today in Tokyo.
In a difficult 5 lap course, made even more challenging by the rain, Haley Batten finished the 20.5 kilometer race in 1:20:13. Her teammates Kate Cortney finished 15th and Erin Huck finished 31st. The race was swept by the Swiss who won the gold, silver, and bronze medals.
The 22 year old started cycling at the age of nine in Park City and spent winters cross country skiing. She currently lives in Santa Cruz, CA.
Batten told USA Cycling following the race that some of the climbs that had really steep corners were really slick after the rain. She said it was hard to know when to get off and run or try and ride it. The course has a lot of single track, steep climbs, and single track descents which gave her minimal spots to pass.
