Colorado Springs, Colo. (January 11, 2008)—Following the departure of Matt Cramer from the organization late last year, Marc Gullickson will assume the role of USA Cycling Mountain Bike and Cyclo-cross Program Manager, the national governing body announced today.
A former competitive mountain bike and cyclo-cross athlete, Gullickson represented the United States at five UCI Mountain Bike and five UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships throughout his career. More recently, Gullickson served as an assistant coach to Cramer for the U.S. National Team at the past three UCI Mountain Bike World Championships and shared head coaching responsibilities for the U.S. contingent at the last three UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships – including the 2007 edition in which the American squad claimed an unprecedented three silver medals. Before his retirement in 2002 from competitive cycling, Gullickson raced for 13 seasons on the domestic and international mountain bike and cyclo-cross circuits.
Following his racing career, Gullickson supported several different racing organizations and industry companies through a variety of professional roles including Boulder Racing, Ground Zero Sports Marketing, the TIAA-CREF/Clif Bar Cyclo-cross Team and Hutchinson Tires.
As USA Cycling’s Mountain Bike and Cyclo-cross Program Manager, Gullickson will be responsible for creating and implementing initiatives that support the development of competitive cyclists in the disciplines of mountain bike and cyclo-cross racing. Gullickson will also manage the activities of elite athletes and teams in order to maximize opportunity and performance that further the United States’ performance goals at Continental Championships, World Championships, Pan American Games and Olympic Games. He will also work with USA Cycling coaches to manage the selection of athletes to training camps and national teams.
“I’m very excited to be on board with USA Cycling,” said Gullickson. “Working with the country’s best mountain bike and cyclo-cross athletes and preparing them for important international and domestic events is what I know best and represents a natural progression in my cycling career. With only seven months to go before the Beijing Games, one of my immediate goals is to provide our Olympians with the highest level of support possible to compete to their potential this summer. Then, following the Games, the priority will shift to developing the next generation of world-class off-road cyclists by offering the necessary opportunities to excel internationally.
“On the cyclo-cross end of the spectrum, there is clearly a lot of momentum here in the United States. We need to continue to refine our approach to preparing riders for the world championships by exposing them to international competition on a regular basis and continuing to develop the domestic scene in the U.S. Thanks to the impressive growth rate of ‘cross racing, we have a talented base of young riders ready to take us to the next level.”
Currently a resident of New York State, Gullickson begins his new role on Monday, Jan. 14 and will relocate to USA Cycling’s headquarters at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs later this year.
“The addition of Marc to the USA Cycling athletics staff provides us with a seamless transition in an Olympic year,” commented Pat McDonough, USA Cycling Director of Athletics. “His accomplishments at the highest level of mountain bike and cyclo-cross racing, in addition to his experience in athlete management, ensure that our developmental and elite athletes will continue to be afforded the necessary opportunities to maximize their success internationally. Under Marc’s direction, we look forward to the continued advancement of success for American off-road athletes.”
About USA Cycling
Recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling promotes American cycling through its 60,000 members and 2,500 annual events. USA Cycling associations include the BMX Association (BMX), National Off-Road Bicycle Association (mountain bike), U.S. Cycling Federation (road/track), the National Collegiate Cycling Association and the U.S. Professional Racing Organization (professional men’s road). For more information, visit www.usacycling.org or contact USA Cycling Director of Communications, Andy Lee at 719-866-4867.
