Junior Spotlight: Green Mountain, Growth + Race Lessons

Junior Spotlight: Green Mountain, Growth + Race Lessons

Developing confidence, discovering opportunity, and building the pathway

Roanoke, Virginia, — September 22, 2026 - It has been such a pleasure working with these young women this season and watching them grow — not only on the bike, but in the classroom, in their confidence, and in the way they are beginning to shape their own futures. With experienced leaders like Shelley Olds and Giana Chilcott guiding them, the goal is about much more than developing professional cyclists. It is about helping girls trust their abilities, become independent, resilient and confident, and discover just how capable they are. Watching Bella head off to college and immediately compete at her first Collegiate National Championships has been a wonderful reminder of how quickly these junior years pass, and how meaningful the right opportunities can be.

Here in Virginia’s Blue Ridge, we are also seeing the broader impact cycling can have. The 2026 USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Bike National Championships brought more than 1,414 athletes from 47 states to the region, attracted approximately 22,000 spectators, and generated $3.3 million in local economic impact. The event also returned $21,590 to local trail maintenance and development.

But one of the most exciting numbers for us was the growth in the 15–16 junior women’s field, where registration doubled from 2025. It is a strong reminder that the next generation is already out there, riding, racing, developing confidence and discovering where the sport might take them.

So how do we cast a wider net, expose more girls to different disciplines and coaching environments, and help uncover talents they may not even know they have?Creating more opportunities for discovery, education and talent identification is something we are thinking deeply about as we look toward 2027.

None of this happens without the people and partners who believe in these young women. We are incredibly grateful for their investment in the next generation of women’s cycling.

Stay tuned. We have some exciting plans taking shape for 2027.

Thanks for your support,

Nicola

Director Giana Chilcott's Report

Directing Camille Culbertson, Valentina Celada Candu, and Lily Nguyen at Green Mountain gave me the chance to see just how far they have come since we first raced together in Wisconsin earlier this summer.

Each has become stronger and better equipped to handle the demands of elite racing. But from my perspective as their director, what has been most rewarding is watching them learn to race as a team. Their communication, trust, and ability to work cohesively on the road have taken a significant step forward.

We saw that clearly in Stages 2 and 3. In the circuit race, all three finished in the top ten of the Pro/1/2 field—an impressive result for three junior athletes racing against experienced elite women. Stage 3 was an entirely different test. It was an exceptionally difficult race, capped by a final climb that was, quite simply, a brute. All three were still with the top group at the base of that climb. From there, they had to dig deep, and I was incredibly proud of how hard they fought all the way to the finish. One of my priorities with young athletes is teaching them to think about racing as much as they physically prepare for it. Camille, Valentina, and Lily have embraced that process. We recon courses together, identify critical sections, and talk through the moves other teams might make and how we can respond. Then comes the harder part: taking that tactical knowledge onto the road, communicating with one another, reading a constantly changing race, and making good decisions without me beside them. That is where I am seeing tremendous progress.

It is an honor to direct three such exciting young athletes. They are curious, coachable, fiercely competitive, and determined to give their best. Watching them become not only stronger bike racers, but smarter ones, is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. - Giana Chilcott