If there was ever any doubt that Central Oregon is a hotspot for cycling, consider that young cyclists from Bend will make up 30% of the USA Cycling Olympic Development Academy (ODA) for cyclocross this summer and fall.

Natasha Visnack, 17; Jake Olander, 17; and Ian Brown, 16, have all been accepted into the ODA program for cyclocross. Run by world championship level coaches and program directors, the ODA is designed to elevate young riders to the elite ranks of international cycling.

The Bend riders are three of the 10 participants that will take part in the program that starts with a training camp in Bentonville, Arkansas, Aug. 10-15. The riders will then compete at weekend races throughout the East Coast and Midwest from September through December with the support of USA Cycling.

“To have three kids coming from the same small town to represent is pretty exciting, and I think it’s definitely a reflection of the cycling scene here in Central Oregon,” said Lauren Olander, Jake’s mother. “It gives them access to a completely different level of coaching than they’ve had before, and it really gives them a glimpse of what really goes into pursuing a pro career.”

The three Bend cyclists, who all attend Summit High School, have posted top national-level results as juniors in both cyclocross and mountain biking. Olander also competes in road cycling.

Olander was accepted into the ODA program for road cycling last year, but it was canceled due to the pandemic. He was able to switch to the cyclocross program for this year.

“In Bend, we have so many high-level cyclists,” Jake Olander said. “I’m able to compete with and learn from other people here. That definitely gives us an advantage.”

USA Cycling ODA programs also exist for mountain biking, track cycling and BMX. Cyclocross is the only ODA discipline that is not an Olympic sport, though the Bend cyclists are holding out hope that one day it might be.

A form of bike racing staged during the fall and winter, cyclocross consists of multiple laps on a short course that typically includes pavement, grass, dirt and mud. Most races feature steep hills, stairs and wooden barriers that competitors must clear by carrying their bikes. Most cyclocross bikes are similar to road bikes but have knobbier tires and disc brakes to handle a variety of terrain and conditions.

“There’s not really any other sport like it,” Olander said of cyclocross. “It’s super intense. You’re riding super hard the whole entire time but the races aren’t super long. You’re on and off the bike. You have to work on so many different things. It’s definitely fun to train for.”

Brown said he likes how the conditions on cyclocross courses are always changing.

“It’s really such a condition-based sport,” Brown said. “The course can be dry on Friday and then a complete mud-fest the next day. It’s just the uncertainty and how raw it is. That really drew me to the sport.”

Cost of the ODA program was $10,000 per participant, but the Bend riders were able to supplement the cost through partial scholarships from USA Cycling and from GoFundMe pages.

All three cyclists are hoping the ODA program will help them to qualify for international races in Europe this season, and for the world championships, which are scheduled for Fayetteville, Arkansas, in late January.

“We know each other pretty well, so it will be awesome to have friends on the team,” Visnack said. “I’ll try to absorb everything I can. We’re working with some of the top coaches in the country. I also want to learn from my peers, because these are the top racers in the country.”

Visnack and Olander will both be seniors at Summit, and Brown will be a junior at Summit. They will complete much of their schoolwork remotely this fall as they will be busy traveling to races, but that is something with which they are now accustomed after enduring the pandemic. All three say they plan to attend college, though they are all undecided as to where, but all three also have dreams of pursuing professional cycling careers.

“I’m planning on racing at a professional level through college, and then hopefully take time before I enter the workforce and truly dedicate myself to becoming a professional cyclist,” Visnack said.

Brown said that coaches at the Arkansas camp will observe the riders’ skills and identity weaknesses that they can work on. Once the racing season starts, the riders will be responsible for getting themselves to the race venues. Once there, USA Cycling will support them with lodging, food, bike mechanics and course logistics.

Race locations include Rochester, New York; Baltimore; Mason, Ohio; Indianapolis; Northampton, Massachusetts; and Falmouth, Massachusetts. The cyclocross nationals are scheduled for Dec. 7-12 in Chicago.

“It’s going to be really cool, but it will be a challenge with school,” Brown said. “It’ll be awesome to get out of Oregon and see this broader spectrum of cyclocross.”

Brown, who grew up in Bend watching his father race in mountain biking, road cycling and cyclocross, said he is lucky to have hundreds of miles of trails on which to train in Central Oregon.

“I could ride every day of the week and ride somewhere different every time,” Brown said.

Brown, Olander and Visnack have been riding those trails together and competing together for a long time now, starting as youngsters in the Bend Endurance Academy program.

“It’s definitely cool that three of us are from Bend,” Olander said. “I’ve been riding with them for a long time. It’s definitely cool to see all of us do something like this.”