2023 Team Roster
The Levine Law Group - CCB Elite Women’s Cycling Team gains increased support for 2023 with the addition of co-title sponsor, Alpine Carbon. With this new partnership the team remains the premier women’s development team in the U.S., having sent four riders onto professional contracts for the upcoming season. In keeping with the team’s roots both historically in New England and in U.S. based criterium racing, the program combines support for athletes in their journey within the sport of cycling as well as in pursuit of higher education through athletics.
Honoring CCB’s legacy in New England, the team has added several New England based riders including Tokyo 2021 Olympic rower Kendall Chase and rising talent Katherine Rusch. With the loss of many established races and teams in the New England region, there is currently no pathway forward for young women in the region to gain experience outside of what few local opportunities remain. CCB - Alpine Carbon aims to create a pipeline for women’s development with a focus on the New England community.
The 2023 roster:
Kate Selier (Louisville, KY)
Lizzy Gunsalus (Dudley, MA)
Betty Hasse (Providence, RI)
Natalie Quinn (Harrisville, UT)
Kendall Chase (Boston, MA)
Katherine Rusch (Kingston, RI)
Grace Saccone (Bloomington, IN)
Ella Grier (Rockville, VA)
Staff
Lauren LeClaire, Sports Director (Sutton, MA)
Tim Mitchell, Technical Director (Ashland, MA)
Zach Meszoely, Mechanic (Allston, MA)
Marcuss Orr, Mechanic (Kingston, RI)
Meet them all below!!
Kate Seiler
Hometown: Louisville, KY
Currently resides in: Grand Junction, CO
Pets: Willett, my sweet golden lab.
School/Job/Stuff you do off the bike: I currently go to Colorado Mesa University and race for the cycling team there. I love to hike and camp and do all the outdoorsy stuff in my spare time as well.
One weird/interesting fact about yourself: The only bones I’ve ever broken have been in my right arm… 3 of them.
Why do you race bikes: All my life I had constantly been doing a sport (my parents are the type to do a trail run on thanksgiving if you can’t tell <3) but I never stuck with any of them like I did when I started cycling. I really enjoyed the freedom and time away from normal life that it gave me. The amount of amazing people I’ve met through racing and traveling for races is uncountable and I’m very thankful for it.
How did you get into cycling?: My dad started racing when he was in college and continued when I was young. It’s kind of hard not to start racing when you’re going to races every weekend and all of your friends are a part of the cycling community haha.
Favorite color: Green
What is your secret (or not so secret) strength: Somehow keeping plants alive
What animal do you most identify with?: I’d say a black bear
What are your 2023 goals?: Race more big crits with the team! (No more injuries!)
What’s your favorite race pump up jam?: Life Goes On- Alok remix
Bucket list race you haven't done yet?: ToAD!!
What's the name of your pre-race playlist?: Get Psyched
Lizzy Gunsalus
Hometown: Dudley, MA
Currently resides in: going to school in Indianapolis
Pets: Max the boston terrier and Shelby the cat
On the bike accomplishments: 2x cyclocross junior national champion, 8th at 2020 cyclocross junior worlds in Switzerland
School/Job/Stuff you do off the bike: I am a student at Marian University studying chemistry and mechanical engineering. I love to play my guitar and hang out with my friends
One weird/interesting fact about yourself: I can solve a rubix cube in under 30 seconds
Why do you race bikes: To feel free
How did you get into cycling?: My dad raced mountain bikes and cyclocross growing up. At age 5 I started BMXing with my brother. I haven’t looked back since
What are your 2023 goals?: To grow as a road racer and have fun traveling with a wonderful group of gals
What animal do you most identify with?: spider monkey
What’s your favorite race pump up jam?: Best Love Song T-Pain
Favorite subject to nerd out about?: chemistry!!!!
What's the name of your pre race playlist?: rave on the rollers
Betty Hasse
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
Currently resides in: Kingston, R.I.
On the bike accomplishments: 3rd at U23 Nationals ITT, 2nd at Croatan Buck Fifty, 1st Killington TT, 2nd in RR, 4th GMSR GC
School/Job/Stuff you do off the bike: I study Mechanical Engineering and Applied Math at the University of Rhode Island, so I spend most of my time doing either school or bikes. I’m not cool enough to read textbooks on the trainer, haha.
Why do you race bikes: I wish I had a deeper response, but it’s just so fun. I haven't experienced anything else like it, and I’m definitely hooked.
How did you get into cycling?: 1PVD :)
Favorite color: Depends on the day, depends on the hue
What animal do you most identify with?: rubber bouncy-ball (not an animal, but roll with it hehe)
What are your 2023 goals?: Snag some results, have some fun!! I definitely have laser eyes on a couple things, but I’m stoked on all of it.
What 2023 event are you most looking forward to and why?: Gravel events and stage races mostly, but really everything!! Oh and and ITTs… and also crits. So, all of it!! AAAA!!!! YAY!!
Bucket list race you haven't done yet?: JMSR, any of the other big-kid stage races; big-kid gravel races
Favorite subject to nerd out about?: Math :)
What's the name of your pre race playlist?: Grrrrr…Whaa!!!
Natalie Quinn
Hometown: Ogden, UT
Currently resides in: Durango, Colorado
Pets: two cats, a dog and a fish
On the bike accomplishments:
1st Collegiate Track Nationals - Points(2022), 3rd Collegiate CX Nationals (2022), 5th Collegiate MTB Nationals (2022), 9th Collegiate Road Nationals (2022)
School/Job/Stuff you do off the bike: Double majoring in environmental conservation/management and anthropology, I work at the bike/ski shop on campus at Fort Lewis and like to read and write in my free time. I also love to roller skate!
How did you get into cycling?: I used to be an alpine ski racer and when I stopped doing that I got more into riding bikes. I joined my high school NICA team and have been racing since.
Favorite color: Neon Pink
What is your secret (or not so secret) strength: I flourish in extreme conditions like heat or snow.
What animal do you most identify with?: I most identify with cats, especially house-cats and big mountain cats like mountain lions and bobcats or snow leopards
What are your 2023 goals?: To grow in experience as a racer on the road, especially since I’m still pretty new to the road racing scene
What 2023 event are you most looking forward to and why?: I am most looking forward to Joe Martin Stage Race - I’ve only done mountain bike stage races and am really excited to see how a road stage race goes
If you weren't racing bikes what other sport would you be competing in?: I’d probably be swimming or running track, or doing roller derby
Kendall Chase
Hometown: Evergreen, CO
Currently resides in: Boston, MA
Pets: my life is too chaotic for me to be responsible for an animal!
Athletic Palmares: 5x U23 World Champion (rowing), 2x NCAA DI Champion (rowing), 2020 Tokyo Olympics (rowing), 1st - W2/3 field, West Dundee River Challenge (Intelligensia Cup), 1st - WPro/1/2/3 field, New Haven Grand Prix
School/Job/Stuff you do off the bike: Just quit my job so I can focus more on training :) One thing I like to do when I am not killing myself on my bike is make abstract art. I also enjoy doing kenkens, sudokus, and EASY crosswords (my brain cell only knows so much)
Why do you race bikes: TYPE 2 FUN BABY!! I love so many things about racing bikes. I love the feeling of going 25+ mph into a turn, being completely surrounded by cyclists. Maybe it’s because I am a thrill seeker or that I exist on the brink of disaster? There is something special about competing in a sport where everyone is throwing themselves into the pain cave. I also really enjoy the fact that cycling is individual, yet there is a team element where everyone plays a different role.
How did you get into cycling?: I got into cycling from all of the cross training that I had to do when I was training with the USRowing team due to my injuries. Post Tokyo 2020, I felt like I had more athletic gas in my tank and I wanted to keep competing, so I switched myself over to another sitting sport where I still get to blow my legs off.
Favorite color: 50 shades of blue
What is your secret (or not so secret) strength: When it comes to sports, I have an ability to keep the mood light even in intense and stressful situations. Humor is the best coping mechanism 🙃
What animal do you most identify with?: In the cycling world, most definitely a rhinoceros.
Favorite subject to nerd out about?: Oh gosh..I find a lot of things interesting, but right now I am trying to nerd out on cycling because I. KNOW. NOTHING. I didn’t even know what a chainring was until a couple months ago!
What's the name of your pre race playlist?: 6k (just rowing things lol…)
Katherine Rusch
Hometown: Farmington, CT
Currently resides in: Kingston, RI
Pets: I like to borrow my parents’ golden retriever, Daisy.
On the bike accomplishments: 1st in the 2022 Tour of the Hilltowns, 4th in the 2022 Green mountain stage race crit, 2nd in the 2022 Women’s Woodstock Cycling Grand Prix, 7th in the 2022 Vermont Overland.
School/Job/Stuff you do off the bike: I’m currently working as an Aerospace Engineer where I mostly run analyses on aerospace parts like airplanes or rockets. Outside of work and biking I love to ski and do pretty much anything outdoors.
One weird/interesting fact about yourself: I dismount on the wrong side for cyclocross.
Why do you race bikes: I’ve always loved any sort of athletic competition. Even if I don’t get a good result, the competition itself is very fun. I also like that bike racing isn’t just about who has the strongest legs because I find the strategy part of it fun to navigate.
How did you get into cycling?: My brother started racing in college and when I got to college and was looking for a new sport coming off of a recurring soccer/running injury from high school, he suggested I try bike racing, so I joined my collegiate team at RPI.
What is your secret (or not so secret) strength: I’m good at baking cakes.
If you weren't racing bikes what other sport would you be competing in?: Alpine ski racing.
Bucket list race you haven't done yet?: I’ve always wanted to do a big stage race like JMSR or Redlands.
What's the name of your pre-race playlist?: It’s just called “bike racing”
Grace Saccone
Hometown: Bloomington, IN
Currently resides in: Bloominton, IN
Pets: The sweetest black lab named Marley and a super cool black cat named Verdell
On the bike accomplishments: 4th at collegiate nationals club road race, 6th at collegiate nationals club criterium, 3rd overall at Intelligencia 2/3 omnium, 3rd at Indiana criterium State championship, (finishing) Steamboat Gravel 140 mile race, 4th U23 at Barry Roubaix, 2nd U23 Big Sugar 100
School/Job/Stuff you do off the bike: I’ll be starting the exercise physiology graduate program this spring at Indiana University. I work with the exercise physiology team for IU athletics as a sports science coordinator. In my free time, I love spending my time outdoors, reading, writing, learning new skills, playing guitar, cooking, trail running, and occasionally going back to my roots and playing soccer.
One weird/interesting fact about yourself: I take a toothbrush and toothpaste with me everywhere-I feel the need to brush my teeth after all meals, after I drink coffee or tea, and random times throughout the day
Why do you race bikes: Bike racing instantly hooked me; All at once, it’s exhilarating and scary, fun and painful, rewarding and disappointing, and physically and mentally demanding. My year in the sport has shown me how to explore my mental and physical limits, learn more about myself and the world around me, travel to some beautiful locations, and meet incredible people.
How did you get into cycling?: My dad spent a few years racing for a team in Europe after his schooling, and he got me into cycling at a young age. Soccer took over my time and identity through college, but I always had it in the back of my mind that in my next chapter I wanted to see what it was like to train and race.
What is your secret (or not so secret) strength: I have an uncanny ability to stay calm in stressful situations, or at least come across that way.
What animal do you most identify with?: According to the online test I just took, an eagle. "Turbulence breaks a tree’s branches, but only tickles an eagle’s wings." -Matshona Dhliwayo.
What’s your favorite race pump up jam?: This is a tough one, I am all over the place with music. 2000s hip hop is my go to for pump up songs, Hate It or Love It by The Game never fails me. Sometimes the vibe needs to be something more slow and emotional like Adele, Coldplay, or Rihanna, but it is all very day/race dependent for me.
Bucket list race you haven't done yet?: The Rift in Iceland, Unbound 200, JMSR, Sea Otter, the list goes on…
Ella Grier
Hometown: Rockville, VA
Currently resides in: Durango, CO
Pets: A horse named Juliette and two dwarf goats, Roger and Clara
On the bike accomplishments: Top 10 in amateur National road and crit, 2nd in Cat 1 MTB marathon state championship, 1st in U23 MTB marathon state championship, 3x varsity overall state champ, U23 2022 MTB state champion
School/Job/Stuff you do off the bike: am pursuing a degree in exercise physiology and my personal training license. Outside of biking I love lifting, riding my horse and training horses for other people, volunteering and teaching lessons at my nonprofit barn, teaching and volunteering at my old mountain bike devo team, skiing, rock climbing, art, and pretty much anything outdoors or sports wise.
One weird/interesting fact about yourself: I am super flexible and can pop almost all my joints out of socket
Why do you race bikes: When I picked up biking I initially started because I am super competitive and wanted to win, but then I developed a love for the sport and the community. Now I bike because obviously, I am competitive, but it keeps me focused and calm. I love the hard training of the sport, but more so because I love the places it takes me and people I get to meet along the way.
How did you get into cycling?: Well, there are two reasons I kinda started the sport. Both of my parents raced amateur road and my dad went pro in road cycling. I didn’t start until mid-high school a year after my younger brothers and my mom will not hesitate to tell you that I was hard stop against bikes until I watched them race. Nothing is more motivating than the idea of competition between siblings. So naturally I told my mom that I would ride, but if I rode I would race and if I raced I would win. Thus the obsession began.
What is your secret (or not so secret) strength: My quads… They’ve become a bit of a nickname and personality trait.
What animal do you most identify with?: My friend said moose so I am rolling with that
What are your 2023 goals?: So many things! I’m excited to snag some results in some specific races, but also experience racing nationally and potentially internationally with this amazing team.…
If you weren't racing bikes what other sport would you be competing in?: I would probably be still competing in eventing, track, or varsity swimming