MEET THE RIDERS AND THEIR RIDES: CROSS-COUNTRY RACER HALEY BATTEN

“It all began when I was 9 years old with my little brother by my side,” Haley Batten recalls. “We started joining in on the local mountain bike races with my dad.”

“When I was 14, I earned my first national title as a junior in Sun Valley, Idaho,”  Haley says.

She would go on to win two more national titles as a junior and another in the U-23 class in the coming years.

Haley remembers when she raced in Europe for the first time, in 2012, and landed on the podium after all three of her races. It was the same year as the London Olympics, and she still remembers watching the Olympic women’s mountain bike race: “That year I watched Georgia Gould get the bronze and Lea Davison place 11th, but I could not have predicted that I would become teammates with both of them later in my career.” Three years later, Haley joined them on the Clif Pro team (previously known as the Luna team). It was the top all women’s mountain bike team in the world.

When Haley was 20 years old, in the spring of 2019, she won the U23 class at the Nove Mesto World Cup race in the Czech Republic. Later that summer, Haley rode as a member of the U.S. relay team in the World Championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne. The team placed second in that event, and Haley recalls that she set the fastest women’s time of the day.

In 2021, Haley scored her first Elite Women’s World Cup XCC (Short Track) win in Nove Mesto. The result earned her a place in the Tokyo Olympics that summer, where Haley ended up being the top American woman in that event, finishing ninth overall, one place ahead of multi-time World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot; five spots ahead of  2016 Olympic champion Jenny Rissveds; and six places ahead of Kate Courtney, the 2018 UCI World Champion and 2019 World Cup champion.

By the time the Paris Olympics rolls around in the summer of 2024, Haley will be aiming to win a medal (it’s not hard to guess which one) in the most prestigious mountain bike race in the world.

Haley rails a turn on her way to the bronze medal in the Elite Women’s XCO race at the 2022 World Championships in Les Gets, France. Photo by Michal Cerveny

RIDER PROFILE

Name: Haley Batten

Age: 24

Birthdate: September 19, 1998

Birthplace: Fort Collins, Colorado

Height: 5-foot-8

Learned to ride a bike: When I was 6 years old in Germany when my family was living there

Started racing: When I was about 9 doing small local races in Park City, Utah

Turned pro: I joined the Clif Pro team (Luna at the time) when I was 17

Racing specialty: Cross-country mountain bike

Favorite course (North America): Mont-Sainte-Anne

Favorite course (Europe): Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech

Favorite food: Thai

Goals: Olympic medal, World Championship title, and live life most fully!

Heroes: Eluid Kipchoge, Jesse Diggins, my coach Kristin Armstrong, my parents

Favorite hobbies: Learning to play the ukulele, big adventure hikes, baking

Always takes on a trip: A new book

What you would be if you were not a racer: A Nordic ski racer! But, if I weren’t racing in another sport, I would try to design a new school!

MBA Q&A

MBA: Where did you grow up? 

Haley: I was born in Colorado and grew up in Park City, Utah.

MBA: What kind of work do your parents do?

Haley: My dad is a mechanical engineer, and my mom was a preschool teacher growing up and a full-time BA mom.

MBA: When did you learn to ride?

Haley: I started riding when I was about 6, and throughout my youth we would go on many road trips to ride, like Moab. My racing took off in Park City, Utah, with all the local race series there and the amazing riding community.

MBA: What other kinds of bikes have you raced?

Haley: Although I ride a whole variety of bikes, I don’t race any other disciplines! I dipped my toes into cyclocross and even enduro racing when I was younger.

MBA: When did you get your first mountain bike?

Haley: I had a Specialized Rockhopper when I was about 8 years old!

MBA: What was your best racing result?

Haley: World Championships bronze medal this 2022 season in Les Gets, France.

MBA: College plans or degree(s)?

Haley: I am currently attending Quest University to receive a Bachelor in Arts and Science. I am focusing my studies on education. I am currently based in Santa Cruz, California, with my family between traveling for races and university. In the fall/winter, I live in Squamish, British Columbia, to attend Quest University Canada. In the balance of attending university alongside my professional cycling career, my timeline for graduation has extended a bit!

MBA: What other sports have you done?

Haley: Softball, tennis, cross-country skiing, Alpine skiing, windsurfing, currently learning how to surf and always trying new things!

HALEY BATTEN’S S-WORKS EPIC

Specialized S-Works Epic 12M carbon with custom team paint job, size M

Fork: RockShox Specialized SID SL Ultimate Brain, Debon Air, 100mm travel, 44mm offset, custom rider-tuned, custom team paint job

Shock: RockShox/Specialized BRAIN, 265×52.5, custom rider-tuned, 100mm

Stem: Specialized S-Works SL alloy, titanium bolts, 6-degree negative mounted, 70mm length

Handlebar: Specialized S-Works Carbon Mini Rise, 6-degree upsweep, 8-degree backsweep, 10mm rise, 720mm width, 31.8mm clamping diameter

Grips: Supacaz Grips Siliconez SL 32mm

Stem: Specialized S-Works SL alloy, titanium bolts, 6-degree negative mounted, 70mm length

Headset: Cane Creek  

Tires: Specialized Fast Trak Control T7 2.35″ (front); Specialized Renegade Control T5/T7 2.35″ (rear)

Tire sealant: Specialized Race Sealant

Rims: Roval Control SL Carbon, 29″ offset design, 29mm internal width, 4mm hook width, 24 holes

Front hub: Roval Control SL, DT Swiss internals, ceramic bearings, six-bolt, 15x110mm Boost, torque caps, 24 holes, straight-pull T-head

Rear hub: Roval Control SL, DT Swiss 180 internals, DT Swiss Ratchet EXP, ceramic bearings, 6-bolt, 12×148 Boost, 24-holes, straight-pull T-head

Spokes: DT Swiss Aerolite T-head, straight-pull

Brakes: SRAM Level Ultimate 2 piston, SRAM Centerline X 160mm rotors

Bottom bracket: SRAM DUB BSA

Bottom bracket height: 324mm

Cranks and length: SRAM DUB XX1 Eagle 170mm crankset with Quarq power meter

Chainring: SRAM XX1 Eagle X-Sync 2 SL 104mm four-bolt, 32T (is what’s now on)

Pedals: HT M2T Rainbow

Chain: SRAM XX1 Eagle Rainbow

Derailleur: SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS

Shifter: SRAM Eagle AXS controller

Cassette: SRAM XX1 Eagle Rainbow XD, 10-50T

Saddle: Specialized Women’s S-Works Power Mimic 143mm

Seatpost: SRAM Reverb AXS 125mm, 30.9mm

Head angle: 67.5 degrees

Titanium parts: Titanium bolts on stem, rotors, brake calipers and Matchmakers

Extras: Wahoo Element Bolt mounted on stem, MRP chainguide