U.S. squad has tough morning at Track Worlds
 Bobby Lea (photo: Casey B. Gibson) |
American Jennie Reed (Kirkland, Wash.) clocked a time of 11.775 seconds in the 200m qualifying round to seed her 13th while Becky Conzelman posted an 11.985 for 18th.
With only the fastest 16 riders advancing to round one, Conzelman did not make the cut.
In the first round, Reed was paired with overall world cup champion Tamilia Abassova (RUS) who she also faced at last year’s world championships. She failed, however, to advance to the 1/4 finals. “I knew she was beatable,” Reed explained. “I wasn’t as decisive in my move as I usually am so I think it was a bit of a tactical error.”
 A rough day for Stahl saw him crash out in the keirin (photo: Casey B. Gibson) |
Other action seen by the U.S. team this morning was in the qualifying rounds of the men’s keirin where neither Giddeon Massie (Colorado Springs, Colo.) nor Christian Stahl (Bethany, Conn.) advanced to the second round. Stahl suffered some bad luck this morning when he broke his left collarbone in a crash with Michael Rodriguez (PUR) in the first heat. Stahl was later taken to a local hospital and released with no other significant injuries.
The top two riders from each of the four first round heats automatically advanced to the second round. Massie placed sixth in the morning’s second heat and was given another chance at racing round two in the first round repechage, but failed to move on.
“The keirin is a lottery,” the 23-year-old commented afterwards. “Sometimes you get a lucky break and other times you can get the worst breaks possible.” After leading the sprint in the first laps, Massie drifted toward the back and ended up in last place. “I definitely made mistakes but I know what I did and it’s something I can learn from for the future.”
 Jennie Reed (photo: Casey B. Gibson) |
Tonight’s session will feature the women’s points race final in which Olympic bronze medalist Erin Mirabella (La Habra, Calif.) will give the U.S. one of it’s strongest chances for a medal. A resident of southern California, Mirabella will use her home field advantage as she faces the winner of the last four world championship points races, Olga Slyusareva (RUS).
For complete event reports following the competition, visit www.usacycling.org.
For complete information on the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, visit www.usacycling.org.
A copy of the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships media guide is available here.
For a photo gallery of images from the week’s competition, click here.
About USA Cycling
Recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling promotes American cycling through its 50,000 members and 2,000 annual events. USA Cycling associations include the BMX Association (BMX), National Off-Road Bicycle Association (mountain bike), U.S. Cycling Federation (road/track), the National Collegiate Cycling Association and the U.S. Professional Racing Organization (professional men’s road). For more information visit www.usacycling.org or contact, USA Cycling Director of Communications, Andy Lee at 719-866-4867.
Recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling promotes American cycling through its 50,000 members and 2,000 annual events. USA Cycling associations include the BMX Association (BMX), National Off-Road Bicycle Association (mountain bike), U.S. Cycling Federation (road/track), the National Collegiate Cycling Association and the U.S. Professional Racing Organization (professional men’s road). For more information visit www.usacycling.org or contact, USA Cycling Director of Communications, Andy Lee at 719-866-4867.
This Article Published March 25, 2005 For more information contact:
