Devo Wrap: U23 riders keep rolling in Europe
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(May 2, 2014) — A group of U23 riders racing for the USA Cycling National Development Program continued to gain valuable experience over the past several days at several races throughout Europe.
Le Tour de Bretagne Cyclist
A seven-rider squad kicked off Le Tour de Bretagne Cyclist in France on April 25. The race consisted of seven stages over varied terrain and against a mix of older and more-experienced competition. The USA Cycling men earned three top-20 stage finishes, including sixth for Logan Owen (Bremerton, Wash./Bissell Development Team) in stage 5, 16th for Robin Carpenter (Philadelphia, Pa./Hincapie Sportswear Development Team) in stage 1 and 20th for Justin Oien (Escondido, Calif./California Giant Cycling) in stage 7.
At the race’s conclusion yesterday, Owen was the team’s highest-placed rider at 26th in the general classification. He was just a single place behind the top American rider, Alexey Vermeulen (Pinckney, Mich.), who was riding for the BMC Development Team. Geoffrey Curran (Tustin, Calif./Bissell Development Cycling) , Jeff Perrin (Lakewood, Colo./Hagens Berman Cycling) and Daniel Eaton (Mesa, Ariz./Canyon Bicycles-Shimano) also competed for Team USA.
Zuid Oost Drenthe Classic I
A separate squad of U23s took to the roads in Holland for the Zuid Oost Drenthe Classic I on April 26. Miguel Bryon (Miami, Fla./Hincapie Sportswear Development Team) and Paul Lynch (Colchester, Conn./BMC Development Team) finished with the front group, placing 12th and 30th respectively. Robin Eckmann (Boulder, Colo./California Giant Cycling) crossed the line in 74th and Alex Darville (Santa Barbara, Calif./Bissell Development Team) placed 93rd. Willy Zellmer (Missoula, Mont./Gateway Harley-Davidson - Trek) and Eamon Lucas (Pebble Beach, Calif./Hagens Berman Cycling) were also among those contesting the race in USA kits.
Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt
The same group of riders then headed to Germany to race yesterday’s Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt. Darville was the top American rider, finishing in the third group at less than a minute behind the leaders in 36th place. Eckmann slotted in at 51st place and Lynch was 62nd.
Juniors Racing
Last week, a small squad of juniors competed in the one-day Haspengouw Tour in Belgium on April 21. Finishing for the U.S. were Jack Tucker (Newport Beach, Calif./SKLZ-Swami's Development Elite Team) in 75th, followed by Daniel Willett (San Clemente, Calif./ Monster Media Racing Team) in 80th and Rupert Cox (Emerald Hills, Calif./ Limitless Cycling Racing Team) in 86th.
Coming Up
Several U23 riders head back to the Netherlands tomorrow, May 3, for the Ronde van Overijssel. Putting rubber to the road will be Darville, Eckmann, Zellmer, Perrin and Bryon.
MORE ABOUT THE USA CYCLING NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
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.
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This Article Updated June 10, 2014 @ 01:39 AM For more information contact:
