A New American Town - Bentonville, Arkansas
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A New American Town - Bentonville, Arkansas
Haley Batten: Getting to the Olympic Stage
In this captivating episode of the New American Town podcast, host Nat Ross sits down with Olympic medalist Haley Batten, one of America's top mountain biking talents. Haley takes us on her extraordinary ride from childhood bike adventures to Olympic glory, sharing pivotal moments that shaped her career. She reveals the mental and physical challenges of competing at the highest level, including her nerve-wracking lead-up to the Paris Olympics and the thrill of bringing home a medal for Team USA.
Haley offers unique insights into the world of professional mountain biking, discussing her experiences with legendary teammates, the importance of cross-training, and how Bentonville's diverse trails contribute to elite-level training. She also reflects on the bright future of USA Cycling, particularly in women's mountain biking, and her goals with the Specialized Factory Racing team. Whether you're a cycling enthusiast or simply love stories of determination and success, Haley's journey from Park City trails to Olympic podiums will inspire and enlighten.
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All right, welcome to Haxton Road Studios. This is Visit Bentonville's edition of a new American Town podcast. I'm your host, Nat Ross, and I have a very special guest, Haley Batten. Haley, welcome back to Bentonville.
Haley Batten:Yeah, thanks so much for having me. It's really nice to be here.
Nat Ross:Oh man, we're excited. So you're a professional mountain biker and you train in Bentonville. Occasionally we get to see you here and spend some time with you. Let's hear about your journey as a mountain biker or as an athlete and how you segmented into mountain biking.
Haley Batten:Yeah, oh gosh, yeah, it's been. It's crazy. I feel like I've been cycling since I was so young. So I feel like, yeah, having these conversations now and being able to reflect on just the whole journey and how long it takes to to reach your dreams is really cool. Um, but yeah, I've been racing since I was young. You know, maybe I was racing like small races when I was nine years old and now I get to race on the world cup circuit all around the world and travel to places like this and celebrate big um, big wins and big achievements with amazing communities, which has been really fun.
Nat Ross:So racing was something that was near and dear to you and, uh, obviously the talent and stuff started at a young age. But what are those pieces that you first started picking up on, saying I like this or this is challenging. And then how did you kind of tap into that competitive element and figure things out way back when, and then it started kind of developing from there?
Haley Batten:Yeah, gosh, that's such a great question. I think when I was young, cycling didn't really start as completely competitive. For me, it was very much like a family activity where we travel to super cool places and, you know, go camping with friends and be riding with my peers and, um, I remember, you know, from an early age, we went on like a family motor home trip to to Europe where we just traveled around and then used the bike as a tool to like really explore places, and we did a like a bike trip, you know, across the, the Czech Republic, along the Iron Curtain so small things where I felt like I realized that the bike is a tool for so much more than just racing, but also a way to explore places and really enjoy being with the people that you're with, like your family or friends. But then, yeah, you're right, I was racing from a really young age and my dad was doing local races in Park City and then from there you slowly get more and more into it.
Haley Batten:But I did a bunch of other sports. You know, I was in school and my family thought that was really important as well, so I was investing my myself in a lot of different ways. Also ski racing. I love Nordic ski racing, so I think that's where I kind of had my winter sport and my my summer sport and I I think, yeah, you're right, as you start to see glimpses of success and you're enjoying that hunger to achieve more, to go faster, to climb steeper climbs, you get addicted to that a little bit and you see the progress and that's really, really fun and I think I found that in sport for sure.
Nat Ross:I think you found it for sure. So we're going to hit a couple pieces that are pretty special for spectators and folks that got to watch you this year in person. So I think one big thing that for mountain biking is it is a newer sport and it hasn't been in the Olympics very long. And at what point in time in your career did you decide, I think, I want to like go down this Olympic pathway or this is possible. Like when did that kind of that dream or that glimpse of it become something that you turned into a quest and now a reality?
Haley Batten:Yeah, so I actually remember it pretty clearly. I was at Sun Valley, idaho, for my second national championships, I think. So I was maybe 13 or 14 years old and I just won my first junior national title. So I'm, you know, a little, a little stoked, like we're there with all my Utah friends. We had a whole squad that was there racing and that was really cool and that was 2012.
Haley Batten:So they were announcing the London Olympic team and I remember they were doing the award ceremony for all the categories. You know, they go through masters, all the junior categories, the under 23 and then the elites, and then they separately, like you know, announced this and this is your Olympic team going to London. And they pulled up, you know, georgia Gould, leah Davison, sam Schultz and Todd Wells, and they were, all you know, at the time they were all on their different factory teams, but they're standing up there and, you know, just like, stood together. I remember we have a photo of it too and just thinking, like whoa, like I love this sport, I'm enjoying it. I had, you know, first glimpse of success. You know, standing on top of the podium and you're like, oh, like, yeah, that would be cool, I want to go to the Olympics and I think you know, I always, as a kid, watched the Olympic games and I think it was something I loved watching sport and watching the highest level of it but it never felt distant to me when I was young.
Haley Batten:I always saw it and I could see myself there at the highest stage of racing. So I think when I connected those two dots between the sport I love is also an Olympic event, you know, I can see these athletes that just raced where I just raced at national championships and I've always loved, like watching the highest level of sport. I think that really set me off on that quest for sure, and and I definitely had waves, you know, in high school you go to university and you start to second guess or question, like, is this how I want to invest in my life? You know, is this the pursuit I want to commit so much to? But I really think those that questioning and going through those moments have also made me, like, even more committed to that, to that passion.
Nat Ross:Well, very exciting, because a lot of folks got to watch you take home a medal at the Olympics this year. So to be an Olympian is one thing, but to medal at the Olympics is yet another. So was that? The most special piece of the year for you is the Olympics. Like I know, a lot of people always wonder what it's like and you don't ever get to ask Olympians or understand like what it's like to be an Olympian. So what was the highlight this summer for you, or what was the highlight at the Olympics?
Haley Batten:Yeah, you're absolutely right. The Olympics was everything I've been looking for for the past. I mean, like I said, that was a pursuit that I set when I was 13 or 14 years old. I went to Tokyo and I got that Olympic experience and I really had a podium goal there as well. But I was young, it was my first year elite.
Haley Batten:I learned a lot just from going to the Olympics. Like everybody says, it's it's you know, in your first year. You know Olympics. It's hard to set big goals because there's just so much energy at the games and I really doubted that, like I didn't believe that. But once you go there, you experience just how much is going on and how your brain is just processing the level that you're about to compete at. So that was a really meaningful experience for me just to attend the Olympics and then from there, I think the moment I finished that race, it was like all eyes on Paris.
Haley Batten:So I think when you commit so much to that pursuit for years and then when you can actually put it together and and like have the opportunity to, to get a medal, um, a lot can go wrong along the way. I mean I even flatted in that race and there are, there are glimpses where you think you've lost that dream. You know, um, so that's the most special and I think you can see, even like I've rewatched the race, just how much excitement and, and I think, relief and joy and just satisfaction I had at that finish line, because you there's so many things that take that away from you, and so when you can really like have that peak experience where your mind's just in the right place and your, your fitness is absolutely primed, you know, and your equipment is dialed, you know it's um, it's so, so special and that's definitely what I think all elite athletes crave. And when you get a taste of that, um, you just start, yeah, trying to go to the next one. So, yeah, it was amazing.
Nat Ross:Well, the cool thing is is you're telling us about the two Olympics so far, and then the Olympic soil race for mountain biking is going to be on us turf. So this is your backyard coming up for what would be an Olympics that you're already probably thinking about. So if one were to work through the equation and say, oh, haley's, like she lives at altitude, she's been to two Olympics already. But what is it like being an Olympian with a bullseye on your back, like that? Because, like you, are an Olympian now but you still have to qualify for the next Olympics. So walk us through what the competition is. That comes up that is trying to also, um, be an Olympian and wants to qualify for the Olympics. So, uh, I I think a lot of um, mountain biking is very confusing sport for folks to watch and follow. All cycling is so, um, to be a female mountain biker or to be a mountain biker um, what is the pathway from here on out to qualify for the next Olympics? Like? What do you have to do?
Haley Batten:Yeah, that's a huge question, that's a great question. I think you're right. I think the biggest mistake a successful athlete can make is to to start to settle or figure out like, oh, I'm the best, I got this. And I think you always have to realize that everybody there wants to win too. You're not the only one that wants to win the race, and the next generation is always going to get stronger. Your competitor is always going to get stronger, and so it's all about always challenging yourself to be your absolute best and to seek yeah, you have to do everything you can to seek excellence every single day. So I think you're right.
Haley Batten:The next four year cycle it starts now. It starts in the little things and the details of how you prepare your mind, how you prepare the plan, how you start to design how you're going to train and be able to peak in the next four years. Yeah, yeah, you start to strategize, but really the qualification will start the year prior to the Olympics. So if the Olympics is in, you know, 2028, then in 2027, there'll probably be like an Olympic qualification opportunity. That's a huge opportunity, because if you can qualify the year before the Olympics, that gives you, you know, a little bit more freedom to focus on the Olympic Games itself and to make sure that you don't have to sacrifice your peak to qualify, but that you can utilize it to just try and win the Olympic Games. So that's great.
Haley Batten:And then there's always, you know, the early season events that, well, not always, we'll see. We'll see what it brings. You never know. But the cool thing is we have a lot of strong women right now. We have a lot of girls that are aiming, you know, for the Olympic games. It's really the pinnacle of our sport, and I think we'll see team USA continue to rise every single year and it'll be really hard to qualify in LA, and I think that's exactly what we want. Um, we want the Olympics to be as hard as it is for a reason you know you want to really earn your spot and you want to make it clear that you belong there. You want to make it clear that you're the best in the world, and if it wasn't hard to do, I don't think it would be as big of a reward at the end.
Nat Ross:Yeah, and I'm curious, have you got to speak with, like Georgia Gould, who, uh, when she got the bronze, that was the biggest thing for USA cycling, um, and, and mountain biking, and that trajectory like it had been years since the third place, um, and then here you come along and you're elevating the U? S back to where we once were again.
Haley Batten:Yeah, um, no, elevating the US back to where we once were again. Yeah, no, I'm so glad you brought that up. I was really lucky to be both Georgia Gould's and Leah Davison's teammate as well, and Catherine Pendrell, who also got the bronze medal for Canada, which was really cool. But it was crazy. Like the week before the Olympic Games, I felt like that's where I really started to get a lot of my nerves. Like I really started to feel like whoa, like I've been counting down for this day for a year now, you know, or more or more actually. And, um, now you know like it's starting to feel really real, like you're, you're working really hard, and then you're, yeah, you really feel like okay, it's, it's almost game time and, uh, it's almost like I'm just ready to get on the other side now, like I just need this to be done, cause it's just there's so much that it takes to to be able to focus on that one day, that one hour and a half. So I was lucky that I got a lot of those nerves the week prior. I don't know why I did, but I did and I actually messaged Georgia, cause we were teammates and I, I just know, actually, before I messaged her. I was.
Haley Batten:I knew that she wrote a blog before when she was an athlete and I remember that for some reason, um, when we were teammates I was young, you know, I was a first year junior rider when we were teammates on on the, the Luna pro team at the time and um, so I found her blog. And I found her blog from the Olympic games in London and I read it like one of the like nights where I was just feeling super nervous and I didn't know how to process, like when you know you are one of the best in the world, you've podiumed at races I won my first World's Cup, cross Country World's Cup this year and I know I'd have been focusing everything on that one day. Like, how should I process that? Like what should I think? Like, am I ready? You know, do other people feel the nerves that I'm feeling? Feel the nerves that I'm feeling so like, her blog helped me so much to like be in her head for someone that had found success at the Olympic games and who I know and could relate to and just saw what a great human being she is. And, um, and after I read that blog, I messaged her and just just want to. I was like you know the things you wish. Someone said to you you know, if she knew that I read her blog and it helped me like I would want her to know that, you know, I would think maybe she would. So I messaged her. I said I read your blog and it helped so much and I hope you're doing well. And so we are actually messaging quite a bit like pre into the Olympics, which I feel so grateful for and I'm really lucky that I have her as a resource.
Haley Batten:And then when I got my number plate for the Olympics, it was actually number 11, which was the same number that she had at the Olympic games in London. So, and that's actually like my lucky number. So I it was like whoa, okay, I have number 11,. Georgia had number 11. Her photo was like USA cycling, set up this awesome hotel for us pre-Olympics that was dialed. We had like amazing chefs. They did all this decoration to still feel like we had the Olympic experience.
Haley Batten:But we were isolated from the Olympic village, which was really nice, and her photo was up and it had like her number plate, number 11 and her hands up like after getting bronze. And so I got a lot of energy that from that and by the time I was in that week at the Olympics preparing for Paris, I I, like my mind was so clear. I felt no nerves, I was just free for some reason. I just knew that I was prepared and I was excited and I just couldn't wait to race. So, yeah, I'm glad you brought Georgia up. She helped me a lot in the lead-up to Paris and it's really cool that, yeah, I was able to get a medal with, yeah, the support of her as a mentor as well.
Nat Ross:And the special years, like the Luna chick.
Nat Ross:So you were with a director like a famous director who he has put together that when you had some teammates, you had disciplines, like you said, from other nationalities and even like Katarina Nash, who, katarina, she still is lining up and racing with you guys. But Katarina is another special person too, because she also came from the Nordic kind of background side of things, where it was cycling but it's also skiing, it's also hanging out with your friends and just being outdoors, and I think that's a big success that a lot of times people miss and they put so much effort into the bike. And what's your opinion on that of like having other things um other than just the single focus, or even a couple of focuses, like you gotta, you gotta split things up right.
Haley Batten:Yeah, I mean like being part of the Luna protein and what became the cliff protein was, I think, one of the best things that could have happened for me in my development. And yeah, katerina Nash is one of the coolest person and people as well. Like I remember she was one of the first people I got to hug after I finished the Olympic games. Like she was there, um, and yeah, it's like so cool to see how much my race also meant to them, just like sharing that experience for them and with them and seeing how you know they I, they really paved the way in so many ways. I mean I was a kid when I was on that team and they were the best athletes in the world. They were pretty consistently the best team on the circuit, like winning the women's overall series and the world's cup and, you know, catherine Pendrell, katerina and Georgia would share podiums together. That's been my dream ever since to do with my teammates, having seen them go one, two, three at a world's cup. I'd love to do that. That's like the dream, I think. Um, but you're right, I mean I think their approach on that team was so real, like they were humans and they, they, you know, um, they did other sports.
Haley Batten:You know Georgia like to do cyclocross and and do other things. Katerina was skiing, catherine was, you know, you know cross training and and I think, when you see how people still do what they love and it doesn't become this all-encompassing, you know, toxic world of performance I think I grew, you know, in that environment I realized that this pursuit can be so joyful and so fun and filled with these amazing ways to train and be outdoors and do what you love, and so I still have this approach to that day and to this day, and I think you're day and I think, um, I, I think you're right doing cross training, doing like skiing, hiking, all this, I, you know, I windsurf, like random sports, just because that makes you a more, you know, capable or human, and I think it it brings up your racing as well.
Nat Ross:We are so excited to have you guys training in Bentonville, so Haley, what is like one of the favorite things that helps when you're riding here prepare you for the race courses or terrain in Europe, or a certain course. Like what does Bentonville have that helps? Like what's one thing that these kids that are growing up and riding on these trails are benefiting from, and they may not even know it.
Haley Batten:Yeah, I mean, I think when you compete at the highest level, there's a lot of aspects of the terrain that are really unique to World Cup racing.
Haley Batten:You know you have big man-made rock gardens, you have really, you know, maybe some natural technical terrain, loose corners and it's all-in-one jumps. You know all these features and you can't find that just like in the wilderness. You know you don't just like go, oh, there's a rock garden. You know Sometimes you can. The wilderness, you know you don't just like go, oh, there's a rock garden. You know, sometimes you can. But I think when you have a place where not only provides a full landscape of different terrain for you to explore, you know fun natural terrain, where you know the corners are naturally loose, there's places where you have to like ledges during the you know little little sugar. They have that section of the course. That's natural technical terrain. But then they also have the man-made rock gardens, they also have the jump features. So when you put all that together you're building the full skill set of what it takes to win world's cups or perform at the highest level. So to be able to have those resources to be able to go train is huge for not only us like when we come to race here or train here, but also for the next generations. Just, we want team USA and USA cycling to be one of the best in the world, and we also want more us cups in the in the U? S as well. So I think, as we're, you know, trying to push for those things, we need to make sure that all of our you know, june, from our juniors to under 23s to our elite riders are really some of the best in the world and developing that full package of not just fitness but but riding skills.
Haley Batten:Um, I think also what we love, what we do. We love cycling, you know, not just for racing, but because we love exploring the mountains. We love, you know, exploring different terrain and different places outdoors. But we also like riding bike paths to the coffee shop, you know, or being able to commute from from bike or to work, from school or to work. So I think providing an infrastructure that also celebrates the thing we love so much and how we see how much it's brought to our lives and also to other people in our communities. It's just for mental health, physical health, well-being, right. It connects communities, it helps us appreciate outdoor landscapes and our world. So I think another place that celebrates that and builds the infrastructure to be able to ride is just fun for us, and I think another place that celebrates that and builds the infrastructure to be able to ride is just fun for us, and I think we would only like that more places are like that.
Nat Ross:Yeah, I think, and especially when you're over in Europe and you guys are training or in between races. Over there the infrastructure is set up and I think the US it's so sparse, there's so many different pockets of it. Bittenville, luckily, is a pocket where you're at, in Park City and the Wasatch Mountains. That's another beautiful pocket. You have these communities but we are competing against others that they grow up and people ride to the grocery store people ride to school.
Nat Ross:The commuting that you're talking about is part of their lifestyle, and for here it's not everybody.
Haley Batten:Yeah, yeah, I think you're right. I mean, cycling's just in the culture. You go to France, you go to Italy, you go to Belgium, Germany, almost every country In Europe. It's like whoa, cycling's just part of the culture. Yeah, it's what people love to do and it starts riders really young, just from biking to school. And I think what we're missing is not just how that leads to to racing and to getting your best natural talent and, you know, not in soccer or football. I mean, okay, soccer is a global sport, but maybe American football or volleyball or something like that, but into cycling. So you need to have that pipeline there. And I think also, just what it does for wellbeing and for creating great communities is there's just so much benefit, and I think we all see that when we race and we do it every day. But I think, um, all of the U? S could really benefit from that type of culture as well.
Nat Ross:Yeah, and I think one thing in Bentonville that we really have a lot of is, uh, the commuting to school within cargo bikes with kids and parents and stuff. So, um, there's a, there's a uh even a brand here that they repurpose cargo bikes and that they'll take a old frame and turn it into a bike. So they've done a podcast with us lately too.
Haley Batten:So the culture is starting to happen here. That's rad. Yeah, that's really cool to hear.
Nat Ross:Yeah. So I think for some of our listeners that have kids that mountain bike, what would be a couple pointers for the parents so that they can still let their kids enjoy it but maybe not push too much. I think that's one of the things a lot of folks really want to see success and they want their. Everyone wants to be a pro. We all know like what it's like when you get the questions of how can I get to the next level, but what would be some way that a kid or someone in the community can ride their bike, have fun and still be healthy?
Haley Batten:Yeah, that's that's a great question. I think there's a fine line between being able to seek it, you know, with through competition or with racing, but also just to enjoy the sport for what it is. And I think you're right, that's so important, especially, you know, coming from the parents as well. But for all ages, and I think the thing is is what's so cool about our sport is because it's a skill sport. It just takes time and practice. So if it's confidence that you're lacking, you know, it's just about finding the right community to help you. You know, yeah, sure, ride with people that are better you than you and challenge you, but also find those groups that can help you learn the basics or practice the basics. Slow down a little bit, I think you know our sport because it's on trails. Sometimes there's technical features that intimidates a lot of people, and I think that is what's great about Benville. You have that, those, you know those lower level, intermediate trails, but you also have the more advanced trails and if there is workup, that's great.
Haley Batten:I think what's also important about sport in life in general is that you always have to embrace the challenge. That's what life's about. I think. If racing's taught me anything, it's that it's hard. Sometimes you will have challenges when you least expect it, when you think it's already hard, and then you just get pushed to the ground, you're injured, you're ill, something's wrong and everything's kind of falling apart. It sucks sometimes, but I think if you're able to embrace that challenge, you can really see how much growth comes out of it.
Haley Batten:And I really think that's where you know, athletes become special or great or unstoppable. Really, I really like every challenge or mishap I've had. I can really see how that, you know, really helped me flourish and become the athlete I am today, and I think that's what you know. Sport and cycling can really help people and I think of parents and and young riders, but also older riders realize it's like, yeah, it's hard and that's where the good stuff happens. You know, if you challenge yourself to learn that new skill or ride a challenging trail or make it up the steeper climb like man, that view looks good, you know, and I think that's so important in society today and I think it's it's. It's a great way to to change your perspective a little bit and see how how that, just, you know, makes the makes life look that much more beautiful and and uh, yeah, it's, it's, it's good.
Nat Ross:So, haley, fill us in on a USA cycling and kind of that trajectory and what it looks like for the future. Cause you've really guys, the team this year came together like none other and and honestly, especially in women cycling on usa like team usa road and mountain bike, but you took the, the, the gals that you are teammates with, you guys took, uh, a formula that seems to be working. And what does that look like for um the future of usa cycling and for the future of just um gals wanting to ride bikes, girls wanting to ride bikes or even kids just getting into cycling, and what does the stage look like for them now?
Haley Batten:I think really really good, like we're at such an exciting point right now, and I think what's so cool is because USA Cycling has been the underdogs for a while, you know, in cross-country World's Cup racing. It's a European-dominated sport. Most of our World's Cups are in Europe and so when we can kind of bring like Team USA, like we want to show up and perform, we just won, you know, the World Championships team relay for the first time for Team USA. So that's super cool. And I think what that does for us as riders is especially in women's sport is we want everybody to be stronger, we want to be the best country in the world and I think we want everybody to get stronger and we want to have five strong women going for two Olympic spots, because that's what Switzerland and France has. If we don't have that, we're not capable of beating the best nations in the world or maybe growing our sport in the US or bringing more World Cups back home, you know. So I think we're in a really cool place where the level is rising. We have incredible support and development pathways with USA Cycling and also, you know, we're showcasing amazing results at the highest stage.
Haley Batten:You know, both the Olympic Games, world Cups, you know road stage races, you know the Tour de France, tour de Femmes. There's so many opportunities for women in sport right now and I think, because you know we're in the underdogs as women, but also as Team USA, we're just on fire to get on top and I think it's bringing a lot of excitement for the younger generations and for the opportunities we have ahead. It's really exciting. I'm excited to see what LA brings and everything in between. It'll be really cool.
Nat Ross:And the other thing too is that you get the short track side of things and the cross country. So if folks want, they can race marathon and other disciplines and that. But between the short track and the cross country format the Team USA women. You guys are a force to be reckoned with. You gals are constantly pushing the Europeans like down in the places and the fields are stacked with Americans now.
Haley Batten:Yeah, and I think what's cool is because they're, you know, moving some of the world's cups outside of Europe as well. We had two races in Brazil, we have had two races in North America. I think it evens the playing field a little bit where we know how to travel, like we've been doing this for a while, so we know how to minimize jet lag.
Haley Batten:We know how to travel Like we've been doing this for a while, so we know how to minimize jet lag. We know how to live in different places. We know how to spend time away from home, and so I think that is our advantage. And I think you know, sometimes I hate to say it, but I don't think the Europeans are good at that Like I think they like to sleep in their own bed and drive from home. So, no, not to be mean, I have the best European teammates ever, so I feel really lucky for the team that I'm on. But I think it is cool to see how we've really stepped up and I think it will only get better and better. So I'm excited to see, yeah, how we'll continue to grow.
Nat Ross:Well, shout out to Benno real quick, and your teammates, because what a specialized factory racing season your team has had.
Haley Batten:Yeah, it's been really, really cool. I mean, I think it's rare that you have, you know, a few of the best riders in the world, but we have six of some of the best riders in the world together and it's, I mean, Victor just had an amazing season across the board, you know, getting on podiums at the start of the season, the end of the season and also the Olympics and world championships, and in between and I'm lucky to have him as a mentor in that way you know, I put a lot of my focus on the Olympic games and I I think that you know physically, mentally, it was, it was hard. I didn't want more than that, but then, after the Olympic games, I did want more. I was like, oh, I want to perform at world championships, I want to wear the world's cup overall, and I think that's a good mindset. Maybe also not, you know, you have to know what your goals are and you have to be able to focus on them. But it's been able to see at what a high level he's at and how much he can accomplish and, um, it's continuing.
Haley Batten:Yeah, I'm happy I won an Olympic medal, but I think there's always a way to become, you know, an even even more accomplished athlete, so that's been really cool. But also, you know my teammates, laura and Sina. They've, yeah, just been so awesome to be around. I think it's amazing that we have such great camaraderie and I had a great start of the season. They've had a great end of the season, so we won the Women's World Cup overall, so that was amazing to share that with them. And then they also went a couple times, both of them on the podium, so I was injured. No-transcript if you can share the success with them, and I think that's the environment we have right now and, yeah, it's pretty cool.
Nat Ross:Well, I can't wait to see someday you, laura and Sina, all on the podium together, and what a special moment that would be.
Haley Batten:Yeah, no, I think we can do it for sure. So that's one of our team goals going into the upcoming years and I think we can do it.
Nat Ross:That's coming for sure. Well, haley Baden, what a wonderful chat about mountain biking and just how much success you've had over the years and actually what it took to get there too. Like you said, it was not an easy journey to climb to the top, like you have.
Haley Batten:Yeah, thanks so much. I love the questions. Great to chat with you.
Nat Ross:Wonderful. Well, this is a new American Town podcast presented by Visit Bittenville. Your host, nat Ross, here with Haley Batten, and she's had an incredibly long season, so she is signing off. Haley, I wish you a wonderful recovery in the off season.
Haley Batten:Yeah, thank you. I think you're right. I need it for sure, but I'm riding the wave and I'm really enjoying it. So thanks for the chat.
Nat Ross:What an epic year. If you want to learn more and find out anything additional that you missed, hit visitbittenvillecom, and Haley will be there on the website with this memory of this entire season and yet to come. So, for those of you that want to watch the Olympics in four more years, you've learned some history here and we can lay the ground to some good storytelling. So a new American Town podcast. We'll see you next time.