Mirabella Laps Field in Win at Nationals
(Lehigh Valley, PA) - The rain passed through the Lehigh Valley Velodrome early in day sparing the final night of the USCF National Track Cycling Championships in Trexlertown, PA. The final events proved to be very exciting with top finishes by Team Cody X, Erin Mirabella and Colby Pearce.
Team sprint finals opened the evening with team Cody X (Christian Stahl, Andy Lakatosh, and Giddeon Massie) competing against the Gotham Cyclists (Eduardo Cocina, Kevin Belz and Michael Beers) team. Going into the final lap Cody X held the lead by just over six tenths of a second, but Mike Beers (Gotham Cyclists) made a run and nearly overtook Stahl. In the end Gotham Cyclists lost the Team Sprint National Championship by less than two tenths of a second.
The women's points race started off slow but soon began to break apart. An attack by young Lauren Shirock (Coyote Cycling) began the fray. Mari Holden (Team T-Mobile) and Ashley Kimmet (Colavita-Bolla), 2001 Junior World Silver Medallist in the Points Race, then got away to take the lead with thirty-five laps remaining.
From the pack Erin Mirabella (Frisco Cycling Club) and Sarah Hammer (Team T-Mobile) charged to catch the break. The four riders maintained their near half-track lead working flawlessly together only breaking their cohesion in the race for point sprints. With six laps remaining in the bike race it looked as though Kimmet had the race sewn up on points, but an awesome effort by former individual pursuit champion Erin Mirabella gave her the 20 points awarded riders able to lap the field. In a desperate effort Kimmet tried to bridge the gap and gain her twenty point boost, but to no avail as Mirabella powered the field away from Kimmet to take the Women's Points Race National Championship.
In the men's 15-kilometer scratch race cat-and-mouse games between the top riders kept the pace very fast for the entire event. Marty Nothstein, the 2002 winner of the scratch race championship, worked hard to chase down every potential break. When the group of Scott Zwizanski (Team Snow Valley), Colby Pearce (Ofoto/Lombardi Sports), Timmy Reinhart (Saturn Development) and David Godfrey (Team Rubicon) countered a Jame Carney attack, Nothstein was nowhere to be found.
Indeed the quartet of Zwizanski, Pearce, Reinhart and Godfrey were able to take a lap on the field with only 12 laps remaining in the bike race. With three laps remaining Colby Pearce went to front with Kenny Williams (Saturn of Bellevue). The duo powered to take one-two in the final sprint giving Colby Pearce the 15-kilometer Scratch Race National Championship and Kenny Williams fifth place.
2003 USCF National Championships August 30, 2003 Men's Team Sprint Gold Medal Race
Team sprint finals opened the evening with team Cody X (Christian Stahl, Andy Lakatosh, and Giddeon Massie) competing against the Gotham Cyclists (Eduardo Cocina, Kevin Belz and Michael Beers) team. Going into the final lap Cody X held the lead by just over six tenths of a second, but Mike Beers (Gotham Cyclists) made a run and nearly overtook Stahl. In the end Gotham Cyclists lost the Team Sprint National Championship by less than two tenths of a second.
The women's points race started off slow but soon began to break apart. An attack by young Lauren Shirock (Coyote Cycling) began the fray. Mari Holden (Team T-Mobile) and Ashley Kimmet (Colavita-Bolla), 2001 Junior World Silver Medallist in the Points Race, then got away to take the lead with thirty-five laps remaining.
From the pack Erin Mirabella (Frisco Cycling Club) and Sarah Hammer (Team T-Mobile) charged to catch the break. The four riders maintained their near half-track lead working flawlessly together only breaking their cohesion in the race for point sprints. With six laps remaining in the bike race it looked as though Kimmet had the race sewn up on points, but an awesome effort by former individual pursuit champion Erin Mirabella gave her the 20 points awarded riders able to lap the field. In a desperate effort Kimmet tried to bridge the gap and gain her twenty point boost, but to no avail as Mirabella powered the field away from Kimmet to take the Women's Points Race National Championship.
In the men's 15-kilometer scratch race cat-and-mouse games between the top riders kept the pace very fast for the entire event. Marty Nothstein, the 2002 winner of the scratch race championship, worked hard to chase down every potential break. When the group of Scott Zwizanski (Team Snow Valley), Colby Pearce (Ofoto/Lombardi Sports), Timmy Reinhart (Saturn Development) and David Godfrey (Team Rubicon) countered a Jame Carney attack, Nothstein was nowhere to be found.
Indeed the quartet of Zwizanski, Pearce, Reinhart and Godfrey were able to take a lap on the field with only 12 laps remaining in the bike race. With three laps remaining Colby Pearce went to front with Kenny Williams (Saturn of Bellevue). The duo powered to take one-two in the final sprint giving Colby Pearce the 15-kilometer Scratch Race National Championship and Kenny Williams fifth place.
2003 USCF National Championships August 30, 2003 Men's Team Sprint Gold Medal Race
1. Cody Racing 1 1:04.417 Christian Stahl Andy Lakatosh Marty Nothstein Giddeon Massie 2. Gotham Cyclists 1:04.614 Eduardo Cocina Kevin Belz Michael Beers Bronze Medal Race 3. Cody Racing X 1:04.914 Stephen Alfred Andy Sparks Adam Duvendeck 4. East Coast Velo 1:06.844 Ben Barczewski Joshua Weir Erik Bonser Women's 20km Points Race 1. Erin Mirabella Frisco Cycling Club 35 points 2. Ashley Kimmet Colavita-Bolla 29 points 3. Sarah Hammer T-Mobile 24 points 4. Mari Holden T-Mobile 15 points 5. Becky Quinn Unattached 11 points Men's 15km Scratch Race 1. Colby Pearce OFOTO-Lombardi Sports 18:35 2. Scott Zwizanski Team Snow Valley 3. Tim Reinhart Saturn Development 4. David Godfrey Team Rubicon 5. Kenny Williams Saturn for Seattle
This Article Published September 2, 2003 For more information contact:
