Devo Wrap: New facility, stellar results top busy week

Devo Wrap: New facility, stellar results top busy week for program's road racers

The competitors in the USA Cycling National Development Program (NDP) donned the red, white and blue in four road races across Europe in the past week. Many stellar performaces were highlighted by a usual performer in the NDP landing on the podium in Belgium.

U23 Men
Liège-Bastogne-Liège Espoirs

Eamon Lucas leading a group of riders in the early goings of Liège-Bastogne-Liège in Belgium. (Photo by Casey Gibson)

The group was gradually pared down with the riders from the Bontager Cycling Team controlling the field behind the small, lead group. At the top of the seventh climb, Brown and three other riders broke away from the field. That group of four stayed away.

"I got away with about 25 kilometers to go with three guys and I just buried it at the end," Brown said. "I couldn't get the win, but I'm still happy with second. This is by far my biggest achievement to date."

Stephen Leece (San Luis Obispo, Calif./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized) and Daniel Eaton (Mesa, Ariz./Gateway Harley-Davidson) produced the USA Cycling contingent's best results, finishing in the second group. In the final results, Leece and Eaton finished 1:35 and 5:07, respectively, behind the winner Michael Valgren Andersen (DEN), who finished the 181.5-kilometer race in 4:26:03.

Max Durtschi (Sun Valley, Idaho/Leopard-Trek), Eamon Lucas (Pebble Beach, Calif./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized) and Justin Mauch (Sterling, Va./Kelly Benefit Strategies-LSV) also contested the race for USA Cycling.

In the 2012 edition of the race, Joshua Berry (Coeur D'Alene, Idaho/La Pomme Marseille), while riding for the USA Cycling National Development Program, placed third, just seconds behind another NDP stalwart, Ian Boswell (Bend, Ore./Team Sky). Boswell finished second while riding for his trade team in that race.

Check out a photo gallery from the race.

ZLM Tour
A group of six riders contested the ZLM Tour in the Netherlands on Saturday. The extremely windy conditions tore the peloton into several groups from the start. The lead group, which included Ty Magner (Athens, Ga./BMC-Hincapie Sportswear Development Team), covered the first 53 kilometers of the race in an hour.

Magner produced the contingent's best result, placing ninth in the final results, seven seconds behind the winner Yoeri Havik (NED), who completed the 177.2-kilometer race in 3:59:14.

Greg Daniel (Englewood, Colo./Bontrager Cycling Team), Alex Darville (Santa Barbara, Calif./Bontrager Cycling Team), Ryan Eastman (Petaluma, Calif./Bontrager Cycling Team), Paul Lynch (Colchester, Conn./BMC Development Team) and Connor O'Leary (Salt Lake City, Utah/Bontrager Cycling Team) also contested the race for USA Cycling.

La Côte Picarde
On Wednesday, a group of six men competed in La Côte Picarde, a one-day race in France. Gavin Mannion (Dedham, Mass./Bontrager Cycling Team), Tanner Putt (Park City, Utah/Bontrager Cycling Team) and Nathan Brown (Covington, Tenn./Bontrager Cycling Team) each finished 22 seconds behind the winner, Caleb Ewan (AUS) in the final results. Ewan completed the race in 3:59:52.

Lawson Craddock (Austin, Texas/Bontrager Cycling Team) was less than a minute behind Ewan. Paul Lynch (Colchester, Conn./BMC Development Team) completed the race 4:02 behind the winner. Max Durtschi (Sun Valley, Idaho/Leopard-Trek) also contested the race as a member of USA Cycling's contingent.

Women's Road
On Sunday, a group of six women traveled to the Netherlands to contest Ronde van Gelderland, a 139-kilometer road race.

The race was very active from the start. The USA Cycling contingent's goal for the day was to prepare for the upcoming La Fleche Wallone Feminine and get to the base of climbs in the best position. With that in mind, Lauren Hall (Dolores, Colo./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) launched a short-lived solo attack on the first climb.

The group split apart over the fifth and sixth climbs with Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Exergy TWENTY16) riding in the the front group. Over the next 50 kilometers, the groups all came back together, placing McGrath, Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif./Team Jeep South Africa), Hall, and Emily Kachorek (Sacramento, Calif./Vanderkitten) in the front of the race.

With 25 kilometers remaining in the race, McGrath and Ryan were stuck behind a crash.

Kachorek was the contingent's best-placed rider, finishing 43 seconds behind the winner, Kirsten Wild (NED), who finished the race in 3:31:04 in the results. Hall was the group's next rider, completing the race 1:08 behind Wild. Jessica Cutler (Seattle, Wash./Vanderkitten) finished the race 5:10 behind the winner.

Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./Vanderkitten) also contested the race for USA Cycling.

Training Facility

Steve Johnson and Limburg officials display the signed agreement. (Photo by Casey Gibson)

Approximately 150 American cyclists and staff will utilize the facility throughout the year to train and race for road, mountain bike, track and cyclo-cross contests throughout Europe.

For more information, check out this press release distributed last week and this photo gallery chronicling the press conference.

COMING UP
U23
On Friday and Saturday, the following group of seven riders are slated to contest two one-day races as part of Arden Challenge in Belgium before competing in Elite Rennen Rund um Düren in Germany on Sunday:

Greg Daniel (Englewood, Colo./Bontrager Cycling Team)
Alex Darville (Santa Barbara, Calif./Bontrager Cycling Team)
Daniel Eaton (Mesa, Ariz./Gateway Harley-Davidson)
Stephen Leece (San Luis Obispo, Calif./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)
Eamon Lucas (Pebble Beach, Calif./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)
Ty Magner (Athens, Ga./BMC-Hincapie Sportswear Development Team)
Connor O'Leary (Salt Lake City, Utah/Bontrager Cycling Team)

Women's Road
The women's road contingent will compete in a pair of road races in the upcoming week. On Wednesday, they will be in Belgium to try to tame the Mur de Huy in La Fleche Wallone Feminine in Belgium on April 17 before going to the Netherlands to contest EPZ Omloop van Borsele WE on April 20.

Jessica Cutler (Seattle, Wash./Vanderkitten)
Lauren Hall (Dolores, Colo./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
Emily Kachorek (Sacramento, Calif./Vanderkitten)
Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Exergy TWENTY16)
Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif./Team Jeep South Africa)
Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./Vanderkitten)

Want to be part of USA Cycling’s Development Program? The first step is getting on USA Cycling’s radar. One of the best ways to do this is by attending a USA Cycling Regional Talent Identification Camp. The primary goal of the Talent ID Camps is to recognize athletes who, at an early age, show signs of potential future success in cycling. Receiving instruction from some of USA Cycling’s finest coaches, the camps also provide the necessary framework to improve the athletes skill set thus progressing their talent development. In some cases, the Regional Talent ID Camps assist in selecting riders for international competition and/or a national development camp.

For more information and the full 2013 schedule of USA Cycling’s Regional Talent ID Camps, please click here.

USA Cycling's National Development Programs are supported by the USA Cycling Development Foundation. Support the future of American cycling with an online donation now.

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