Cold and rain greet nation’s best at Collegiate Road Nationals
Madison, Wis.(May 7, 2010) – The nation’s best collegiate cyclists travelled to Madison, Wisconsin on Friday to contest a portion of the proposed 2016 Olympic road race course on the opening day of the 2010 USA Cycling Road Cycling National Championships. More than 350 riders braved the brutally wet and cold conditions – and over 6,000-feet of climbing around the course at Blue Mound State Park, 30 miles west of Madison.
Cal Poly was the story of the morning’s men’s Division I contest, taking first and third in surprising fashion. There were no surprised in the DI women’s race however as Carla Swart (Banner Elk, N.C./Lees-McRae College) took her third consecutive USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championship. The DII men’s race provided one of the most exciting races of the day with a strong group staying away to the finish, while Dartmouth and MIT set the stage for another tight omnium contest after dominating the DII women’s race.
After more than 70 miles and 8,000 feet of grueling climbing, Blake Anton (San Luis Obispo, Calif./Cal Polytechnic-San Luis) grabbed the DI men’s title over Adam Wisseman (Fort Collins, Colo./Colorado State University) and teammate Menso de Jong (Cupertino, Calif./California Polytechnic-San Luis). A strong chase group of around five riders including Adam Leibovitz of Marian College, Jeremy Durrin of UMass and Will Nowak of Northwestern got away and maintained a slim lead much of the five lap race, but the massive peloton reeled them back in with half a lap to go. The contest then blew apart up the final climb with some of the nation’s top climbers proving themselves on the road up to the finish. A dramatic near-photo finish ensued with Anton coming away with the narrow win.
“Our teammate was patrolling for us, so we got to sit in for a while,” said de Jong. “On the second to last climb Blake just started time trialing and everyone just kind of sat up – and it worked.”
While Swart grabbed yet another collegiate national title, it did not come easily in the DI women’s race. A group of 10 strong leaders emerged following the first big climb near the end of the first of four loops for the ladies. The group dwindled each time through leaving seven riders representing University of Colorado-Boulder, UCLA, UC-Davis, Lees-McRae and Marian University, left in contention. Rachel Warner (Luray, Va./Lees-McRae) continued to mount attack after attack on the final lap, but just when it appeared that she might get away, the aggressive rider suffered an untimely flat. Despite a push by UC-Davis, Warner and teammate Swart were able to catch back on at the base of the climb. Swart, Courtney O'Donnell (El Segundo, Calif./UCLA) and Sinead Miller (Pittsburgh, Pa./Marian College) were then able to separate themselves up the hill, with Swart pulling away for the 30 second victory.
“There was no real attack,” explained Miller. “We just pushed up the hill and whoever was stronger was going to win.”
Hear what O'Donnell had to say about the race, here:
Hear what O'Donnell had to say about the race, here:
In the DII men’s race Cory Scott (Williamsburg, Va./William and Mary), Pat Lemieux (Mankato, Minn./Minnesota State-Mankato) and Richard Geng (Grand Junction, Colo./Mesa State) emerged from a early lead group of five to provide an exciting race up the finishing hill and across the line. After Geng and Andrew Baker (Easley,S.C/Furman University) each completed daring and successful bridges up to an early lead group including Patric Rostel of Mesa State as well as and Colin Gibson (Walla Walla, Wash./Whitman College), the leaders gained as much as a four minute lead on the field and held out under the harsh conditions.
The Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference showed its prowess in the DII women’s race with four of the top five riders hailing from its ranks. Reigning USA Cycling Collegiate Cyclo-cross National Champion Arielle Filiberti (Worcester, Mass./Dartmouth College) triumphed over conference rival Martha Buckley (Cambridge, Mass./MIT) to add a road national title to her resume. The powerful MIT squad basically led a three-woman team time trial from the line but were reeled back in by a strong front group in time for the fourth and final lap. Filiberti, along with Whitman’s Kendi Thomas (Walla Walla, Wash.) as well as Elle Anderson (Hanover, N.H./Dartmouth College) was then able to assert herself on that infamous final climb to earn the title.
Collegiate cycling is one of few sports to award an overall team omnium, a cumulative score comprised of the top three men and women from each squad. In the early going, Lees-McRae leads DI while Mesa State jumped out from in DII. Full omnium standings are available here.
With the team omnium battle heating up, racing will continue on Saturday afternoon with the men’s and women’s criteriums around downtown Madison’s Capitol Square. Racing will begin at 3:00 p.m. Click here for a complete schedule.
For complete information regarding the event, visit the website, here.
* Tweet and follow the event on Twitter using the hashtag #colnats.
2010 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships
May 7-9
Madison, Wisconsin
For complete results, click here and to view team omnium standings after day one, click here.
To view photos from the event, visit the USA Cycling photo gallery and to watch videos of the event visit USA Cycling’s YouTube page.
Division I Men’s Road Race
1. Blake Anton (San Luis Obispo, Calif./Cal Polytechnic-San Luis) 3:22:34
2. Adam Wisseman (Fort Collins, Colo./Colorado State University) 3:22:34
3. Menso de Jong (Cupertino, Calif./California Polytechnic-San Luis) 3:23:18
4. Rotem Ishay (Durango, Colo./Fort Lewis College) 3:23:33
5. Chad Haga (College Station, Texas/Texas A&M) 3:23:37
Division I Women’s Road Race
1. Carla Swart (Banner Elk, N.C./Lees-McRae College) 3:06:14
2. Courtney O'Donnell (El Segundo, Calif./UCLA) 3:06:52
3. Sinead Miller (Pittsburgh, Pa./Marian College) 3:06:59
4. Melanie Meyers (Tucson, Ariz./Univ. of Arizona) 3:07:23
5. Larissa Fitchett (Davis, Calif./UC-Davis) 3:07:57
Division II Men’s Road Race
1. Cory Scott (Williamsburg, Va./William and Mary) 3:30:49
2. Pat Lemieux (Mankato, Minn./Minnesota State-Mankato) 3:31:24
3. Richard Geng (Grand Junction, Colo./Mesa State) 3:31:28
4. Andrew Baker (Easley,S.C/Furman University) 3:31:46
5. Colin Gibson (Walla Walla, Wash./Whitman College) 3:32:01
Division II Women’s Road Race
1. Arielle Filiberti (Worcester, Mass./Dartmouth College) 3:28:46
2. Martha Buckley Cambridge, Mass./MIT) 3:28:57
3. Kendi Thomas (Walla Walla, Wash./Whitman College) 3:29:23
4. Elle Anderson (Hanover, N.H./Dartmouth College) 3:29:37
5. Laura Ralston (Cambridge, Mass./MIT) 3:29:49
Division I Team Omnium standings
1. LEES-MCRAE COLLEGE 158
2. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-DAVIS 126
3. UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO-BOULDER 105
4. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES 104
5. FORT LEWIS COLLEGE 98
DII Team Omnium standings
1. MESA STATE COLLEGE 147
2. WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY 125
3. WHITMAN COLLEGE 122
4. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECH 112
5. DARTMOUTH COLLEGE 94
Photo caption: The DII women's field fought the harsh, wet conditions along with the three other groups of racers.
Photos courtesy: David Stluka Photography/davidstluka.com
Photos courtesy: David Stluka Photography/davidstluka.com
About Collegiate Cycling
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross. With over 4,500 student athletes and 300 collegiate clubs and teams, Collegiate Cycling is the division of USA Cycling responsible for administering competitive bicycle racing in 11 unique collegiate conferences. Collegiate Cycling also oversees all four USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships: Track, Mountain Bike, Cyclo-cross, and Road, and recognizes collegiate club and athlete achievements with the Stenner and Kuck scholarships. To learn more about USA Cycling-Collegiate, visit www.usacycling.org/collegiate.
About USA Cycling
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling comprises 66,500+ licensees; 2,200 clubs and teams; and 34 local associations. The national governing body sanctions 2,650 competitive and non-competitive events throughout the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development, and support of American cyclists. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org.
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This Article Published May 7, 2010 For more information contact:
