2013 Sweet Elite Athletes
soon. New athletes to the team are Stephan Davoust and Kaylee Blevins!
2012 Sweet Elite Athletes
Tad Monagham Elliott. Nicknames; Tadly, Tadpole, Vegas and Tadlet. 23 years old and 5'10'. Hometown is Durango, Colorado. I like Mountain Biking because of the awesome exercise it provides while giving me an adrenaline rush. It is the perfect way to see the outdoors and explore any new area that you are in, while having a blast. I have gotten to make new friends, see the world all while doing something I love. That's it. Biking is just straight up rad. Enjoy it. Other interests include nordic skiing, being a twin, golfing and playing with his dog. photo by Lee Paustian
Colton Michael Andersen. Nicknames; Coltonian Coliseum. Age is 23 and is 5'9'. Hometown is Durango, Colorado. Mountain biking is real, it's fun, and it always makes me smile. It can turn a bad day into a good day, and it is something that I look forward to no matter how many times I have done it before. Mountain biking is also challenging and it presents me with an endless opportunity for improvement on my style, technique, skills and fitness. In short, it is a perfect mix of sweetness, awesomeness, goodness, and just the right amount of pain and suffering to combine in what I proudly call my favorite sport! Hobbies and Interests: Mountain and road biking, Dirtbiking, camping, fly fishing, hunting (outdoors stuff really) singing, songwriting, and playing the guitar, and I love my new job as an engineer! photo by Jeanne Pastore
Payson McElveen. Nicknames; Peso, Goober, Paydirt. Age is 19 and is 6'1'. Hometown is Austin, Texas. I feel one of the secrets to happiness is having a pursuit -- something you're truly passionate about. That is what mountain biking provides me. The feeling of being completely "alive" as you blast down a twisting descent, or listening to your heart and lungs work as they propel you up a tough climb-- being able to enjoy the amazing view at the top... those are the best feelings in the world. The joys of accomplishment and pride that come from a good performance on the race course are just as gratifying. It promotes such an amazing lifestyle. Hobbies: Running, swimming, hiking, fly fishing, writing, studying the sport, attempting to play the harmonicaphoto by Ian Fleming
Sarah Zoey Sturm. Nicknames; Sturmy Archer, Sturmy. Age is 22 and is 5'4'. Hometown is Albequerque, New Mexico. I ride my mountain bike for many reasons, the people you meet, the places you see, all of the different types of dirt you get to crash into and taste, and the tan-lines. All of these reasons keep me hopping back onto my trusty steed. Living in Durango has opened my eyes to this world of mountain biking and I am pretty happy to have stumbled upon this sport in this town, and I don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon! Hobbies include; Painting, Photography, reading, making fun little projects, baking, swimming, hanging out with my dog Charlie, possibly running every now and then, and eating candy. photo by Chad Cheeney
Lauren Katlyn Catlin. Age is 19 and is 6'0.5'. Hometown is Fairfax, California. I love being outside and exploring new places. Riding my mountain bike allows me to do both of these things, faster! Cycling keeps me fit and healthy and I'm always in a better mood after I ride my bike. Mountain biking is so much fun because it can be a social affair as well. I've always appreciated nature, and I feel like mountain biking allows for a more personal connection with the outdoors. I love seeing places, both new and familiar, from the perspective of the singletrack.Hobbies and other interests: Drawing, cooking/baking, animals and ecology, road tripsHobbies and other interests: Drawing, cooking/baking, animals and ecology, road trips. photo by Chad Cheeney
Sepp Mikel Kuss. Nicknames; Seppers, Seppinator, Seppito. Age is 17 and is 5'10. Hometown is Durango, Colorado.I love cycling because of its exciting community that stands out from other sports. No other sport I’ve participated in has as much diversity as the biking community. Whether it is a laid-back rider or a focused racer, every individual involved in cycling has something new to offer; there is no clear cut identity for a biker. These numerous niches in the cycling community all mesh together to form a group that individuals from different parts of cycling can thrive in and enjoy. It is invigorating to learn from and gain new perspectives from different disciplines and people within the biking community. Hobbies: Nordic skiing, running, bike polo, working on bikes, eBay. photo by Chad Cheeney
Team Manager Chad Christopher Cheeney. Nicknames; Chainsaw, Cheeneyinator. Age 33 and 6'3'. Hometown is Bend, Oregon. I like mountain biking for the release you get when you get into the woods. It is a great feeling to know that you control this amazing invention, leaving everything behind after a handful of pedal strokes, following the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in the wild, the trail, or path or track. I probably fell in love for the first time when I found my first singletrack, just 100 yards of the paved road. I had never thought of dirt paths twisting through the forest. From that moment on, I was intent on riding every piece of trail I lay eyes on. And as time goes on, I keep finding new doors to open in the sport, keeping it interesting after all these years. Interests include, baseball cards, vhs, sledding, basketball, reading cycling history, learning new motor skills, football hype, the colors orange and blue, collecting cycling in newsprint, and singing to my wife.
Director Gaige Sippy
2011 Sweet Elite Athletes Below
Tad Elliott
Birthday: July 2nd, 1988
Favorite music: Country
Favorite movie: The Hangover
Favorite food: Steak, can’t go wrong.
Years racing: 8 years
How did you get your start in racing?
By doing the Iron Horse Mountain Bike Classic every year since I was 6, and it just grew from there.
What are your hobbies outside of cycling?
Baking bread, reading, skiing, hiking with the dog.
What is your favorite place to ride?
Overend Mountain Park
What do you enjoy most about mountain biking?
The fun and active lifestyle of mountain biking is what I like the most. Also, hanging out with friends.
What are your best moments in cycling?
Doing to Huffalize world cup with 40,000 fans yelling and cheering me on.<
What are your worst moments in cycling?
Getting stranded in Knoxville Tennessee after a bike race for a day and a half. It was horrible.
Goals for 2011 season:
Keeping it local and enjoying being part of the new sweet elite team.
Teal Stetson-Lee
Birthday: May 24th 1986
Favorite music: Hip-Hop, Latin music, Rock, and Blues
Favorite movie: American Gangster, My Fair Lady, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Zoolander
Favorite food: Brazil nuts, avocados, and artichokes
Years racing: 4 years
How did you get your start in racing?
I joined the Fort Lewis Cycling team on a whim and my friend Sabina Kraushaar, who grew up racing bikes her whole life, inspired me to pursue it further because she believed in me from the beginning.
What are your hobbies outside of cycling? Cross-country skiing and telemark skiing, reading, traveling, non-profit work, sewing, garage-sale shopping, dumpster diving, gardening, and cooking, eating chocolate
What is your favorite place to ride?
Colorado Trail
What do you enjoy most about mountain biking?
It builds skills, attitudes, and confidence that are applicable far beyond the bike. Being on a bike has not only allowed for physical and emotional freedom, but it has contributed to how I live my life.
What are your best moments in cycling?
When I won collegiate cyclocross nationals in 2009 by running my bike across the finish line after a mechanical, and also any time that I am out on my bike in Horse Gulch in Durango after a light rain.
What are your worst moments in cycling?
When I got a staph infection in my leg after a crash that left me with bad road rash, I spent 5 days in the hospital and went though surgery that left me with a gaping hole in my leg. But in the end it was all a valuable learning experience
Goals for 2011 season:
-To be on the podium in all local and MSC races
-To place top 10 in all domestic races
-To race at least 2 world cups
-To gain a deeper understanding of the individual training I need that will allow me to tap into my full potential as a professional cyclist.
Howard Grotts
Birthday: January 12th, 1993
Favorite music: Electronic
Favorite movie: The 40 Year Old Virgin
Favorite food: Pasta
Years racing: 10 years
How did you get your start in racing?
I started racing bikes because my older brother did when he was in middle school.
What are your hobbies outside of cycling?
Running, trail-building, Nordic skiing
What is your favorite place to ride?
Horse Gulch
What do you enjoy most about mountain biking?
When I’m on a ride I can completely forget about whatever else is going on and be totally in the present, just me and my bike.
What are your best moments in cycling?
My races at Nationals over the last couple years.
What are your worst moments in cycling?
Times where I know I could have prepared myself better or tried harder, but didn’t.
Goals for 2011 season:
Do well at Mountain Bike Nationals in Sun Valley and hopefully go to World’s!
Alicia Rose Pastore
Birthday: March 24 1993
Favorite music: Alternative
Favorite movie: Don’t have one
Favorite food: Homemade Lasagna
Years racing: 6
How did you get your start in racing?
I first got my start in racing by going to the State Championships with the Miller Middle School Bike Club in sixth grade. I ended up winning by a hair. A couple weeks later I got a call from Durango Cyclery saying they wanted to sponsor me. After that things just took off.
What are your hobbies outside of cycling?
Nordic skiing, drawing, and painting
What is your favorite place to ride?
A tie between Horse Gulch and the Colorado Trail.
What do you enjoy most about mountain biking?
The thing I enjoy most about mountain biking is all of the places that it takes me.
What are your best moments in cycling?
When I am out riding and everything is going perfectly, I am able to make everything and feel like I am unstoppable. Also when it is really wet and muddy, and my bike glides uncontrollably across the trail.
What are your worst moments in cycling?
Riding when it is crazy hot or cold.
Goals for 2011 season:
-Improve downhill and technical skills
-Win Nationals
-Make the Jr. Worlds Team
Colton Anderson
Birthday: April 7th, 1989
Favorite music: anything good (rock, country, hip-hop, etc)
Favorite movie:Dumb and Dumber
Favorite food:RGP’s Southwest wrap with chicken!
Years racing: 2
How did you get your start in racing?
Paul Ruhling, my middle school teacher got me started in mountain biking. I did maybe 2 or 3 races back then but remained a casual rider throughout high school. Then, after a couple of years at Fort Lewis for college I decided to try racing on the team. After that first season I was hooked.
What are your hobbies outside of cycling?
Most anything outdoors including fly fishing, camping/backpacking, horse riding, dirt biking, hunting, and skiing (Nordic and alpine).
What is your favorite place to ride?
Right here in Durango. You can’t beat the variety here with options from desert to high country.
What do you enjoy most about mountain biking?
It blends suffering with fun. Just when you want to give up on a climb, you get to shred a sweet downhill.
What are your best moments in cycling?
I would have to say both my collegiate mountain bike and cyclo-cross national races. I finished 8th in cross country, 9th in short track, and took a 6th in the cross race at Bend, Oregon.
What are your worst moments in cycling?
Definitely the 2010 U23 nationals race. I hit the wall physically on the 3rd lap and then flatted and crashed on the 5th lap. In the crash I lost my CO2 cartridge and was walking with a flat tire. Dylon Stucki then came by and gave me a CO2 and I barely finished the race.
Goals for 2011 season:
Use the opportunity of being on this team to gain experience at bigger pro races, start to gain some UCI points, podium at U23 national championships, and have as much fun as I can while doing it!
Sage Wilderman
Birthday: July 14, 1988
Favorite music: Country
Favorite movie: Star Wars
Favorite food: Mexican
Years racing: Four
How did you get your start in racing?
I raced a little as a high school student, but really started to ride and race when I came to Fort Lewis in 2007.
What are your hobbies outside of cycling?
I love to ski in the winter, float the river in the summer, or pretty much just be outside all the time. I also love to hang in coffee shops.
What is your favorite place to ride?
My favorite place to ride is Horse Gulch. It’s close, smooth, and always a solid good time.
What do you enjoy most about mountain biking?
I enjoy the freedom mountain biking gives me. It’s one of the most fun activities in the world, and it allows me to escape everything for a couple of hours every day.
What are your best moments in cycling?
My best moments in cycling are when I crash really hard doing something stupid (and a lot of people see it), and when my mom hugs me after I do well in a race.
What are your worst moments in cycling?
My worst moments are when I have an asthma attack in a race and I have to pull out. It’s always a bummer to not finish a race.
Goals for 2011 season:
-Be in the top ten in every race I enter. Especially nationals!
-Race a World Cup if possible
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