Devo Wrap: Special guest at the Talent ID Camp

All of the riders pose for a group photo with Chris Horner. (Photo by Michael Heitz)
All of the riders pose for a group photo with Chris Horner. (Photo by Michael Heitz)
USA Cycling's National Talent Identification Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., spanned Oct. 30-Nov. 4.

The athletes on the verge of the USA Cycling National Development Program were given specifically timed tests in order to determine certain athletic abilities on the first and third full days of the camp. The second day's ride had a special guest appearance by Chris Horner (San Diego, Calif./Team RadioShack), who accompanied the young riders on a ride stretching two-and-a-half hours. Horner was able to spend time with almost all of the athletes, answered quality questions and told tales from the pro peloton.

The next night the female athletes in attendance were given a breakout talk by Horner's wife, two-time U23 road national champion and a graduate of the National Development Program Megan Elliott, explaining the realities of women's pro racing, potential pitfalls to avoid and some of the aspects of life on the road that younger women might encounter.

Chris Horner took time to answer questions from riders. (Photo by Michael Heitz)
Chris Horner took time to answer questions from riders. (Photo by Michael Heitz)
The coaches' final night with the athletes included a question and answer session where the coaches responded to rider's inquiries collected the first few days. All were anonymous questions that touched on subjects like the differences between European racing and American racing, to fitness questions and how to deal with growing bodies. A wealth of information was delivered to the riders as they continue to progress on USA Cycling's National Development Pathway.

The camp is managed by Barney King (manager of Southwest Camp) and his assistant coaches: David Wenger (South Central Camp Manager), Renee Eastman (Rocky Mountain Camp Coach), Jon Heidemann (Rocky Mountain Camp Manager), Michael Heitz (Coach at various Development Camps) and Billy Innes (Assistant Junior National Development Program Director).

The following riders participated in the camp:

Men
William Barta (Boise, Idaho/BYRDS)
Diego Binatena (Playa Del Rey, Calif./Team Specialized Racing)
Grayson Brookshire (Hendersonville, N.C./DIY Music p/b Asheville Youth Cycling)
Chris Calder (Greenville, S.C./Les Amis)
Zach Carlson (Plano, Texas/Matrix-RBM)
Jos Chalmers (Indian Harbour Beach, Fla./ZMotion Racing Team)
Geoff Curran (Tustin, Calif./Surf City Cyclery)
Michael Dessau (Boulder, Colo./Chipotle Junior Development Team)
Bryan Duke (Salinas, Calif./VOS Racing)
T.J. Eisenhart (Lehi, Utah/FFKR Architects-SportsBaseOnline.com)
Zack Gould (Boulder, Colo./Chipotle Junior Development Team)
Noah Granigan (Cape May, N.J./Specialized-Rising STARS p/b Bicycling)
Jack Maddux (Fresno, Calif./Team Specialized Racing Juniors)
Philip O'Donnell (Suwanee, Ga./Team Specialized Racing Juniors)
Daniel Parks (Dallas, Texas/Chipotle Junior Development Team)
Jon Petrillo (Albuquerque, N.M./High Desert Bicycles Team)
Brandon Pruett (Silvercreek, Ga./Harbin Foundation Cycling)
Greg Ratzell (Blandon, Pa./Young Medalists-Team Rothrock)
Ethan Reynolds (Boise, Idaho/BYRDS)
Jon Schilling (Grover, Mo./Chipotle Junior Development Team)
Jake Silverberg (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Chipotle Junior Development Team)
Noah Williams (Wimberley, Texas/Chipotle Junior Development Team)
Chad Young (Newmarket, N.H./CCB Racing)

Women
Emily Elbers (Syracuse, N.Y./Farm Team Elite Women's Cycling Team)
Sarah Huang (Kenosha, Wisc./ISCorp Cycling Team)
Nadia Latzgo (Fogelsville, Pa./Young Medalists-Team Rothrock)
Tara McCormick (Long Beach, Calif./Team TIBCO II)
Laurel Rathbun (Monument, Colo./JETCycling)
Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./HDR p/b Lombardi Sports)

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.

About USA Cycling’s National Development Programs
One of USA Cycling’s dual missions is to achieve sustained success in international cycling competition. To that end, USA Cycling maintains development programs for all disciplines of competitive cycling, including men’s and women’s U25 and junior road; mountain bike; track (endurance and sprint) and BMX development programs. These programs provide a structured pathway to the top tier of the sport through athlete development that begins with Junior racing series, Regional Development Camps and racing and moves through to international competition. For more about USA Cycling’s Athlete Development Programs, click here.


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This Article Published November 8, 2011 For more information contact: