HOW ARE THE TEAMS CHOSEN ?
Since 2012 , Todd Roper has been Team USA ’ s Team Manager . A team invite is offered to the top three Pro-class riders in the NATC series . Because the series is short ( typically only four rounds ) and points / positions sometimes come down to the wire , little time remains for training camps to pull the team together prior to physically leaving for the TdN .
The men ’ s International Trophy team included veteran TdN competitors Daniel Blanc-Gonnet , Josh Roper , and Alex Myers , back again after his inaugural TdN in 2021 , joined by minder Nigel Parker . The Women ’ s
Championship team included veteran riders Maddie Hoover , Kylee Sweeten , and newcomer Courtney Allison , who secured her invite by winning the Women ’ s class over Sherco ’ s Hailey Glueck by only a single point ( Courtney and Hailey were tied on 58 series points for the Western Regional Series , but Courtney was able to pull ahead for a 90-point total to Hailey ’ s 89 points in the Eastern Regional Series ), joined by minder Luke Littlefield .
It ' s difficult knowing whether or not someone is ready to compete in their first TdN . Over the years , Todd has paid close attention to those upand-coming riders , seeing not only how they ride , but how they perform under pressure . Because the TdN
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 56