Eight national champs crowned in the road race on Wednesday
Hundreds of masters contested the road race today in Louisville's Cherokee Park.
Kicking off the day’s festivities were the men in the 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, and 80+ fields as they all toed the line together for six laps of the course, just after 8:00 in the morning.
In the 80+ category, Carl Grove (Bristol, Ind.) rode his way into a Stars-and-Stripes jersey ahead of silver and bronze medalists Donald Werling (Port Charlotte, Fla.) and Link Lindquist (Foothill Ranch, Calif./Team Velosport).
Frederic Schmid(Waco, Texas/Bicycles Outback-Magura) went home with a national title from the men’s 75-79 race.
“It started out very fast,” the Texan said after collecting his gold medal. “The guys ahead of me started fading in the hills and I was able to work my way up near the front.”
Schmid ended up beating out silver and bronze medalists David Ellefson (Banner Elk, NC/VeloProject.com) and Thomas O’Rourke (Westbloomfield, Mich./Cadieux Bicycle Club) while the podium’s fourth and fifth steps were earned by Peter Murphy (Glastonbury, Conn./Masters Cycle Racing Breakaway) and Kurt Eickelmann (Spring Hiull, Fla./Southern Sierra Cyclists).
“USA Cycling officials were unfailingly efficient and friendly. The timing process is great and I really liked the course at Cherokee Park,” Mr. Schmid went on. “This event seems to get better each year."
In the men’s 70-74 contest, it was Kenneth Rosskopf (Decatur, Ga./Fulton Flyers) to climb onto the top step of the podium. The Georgia rider locked horns with second-place finisher Franz Hammer (Oro Valley, Ariz./Echelon Gran Fondo) during the last lap but prevailed in the end to take the national title. After Hammer crossed the line for the silver, Scott Tucker (Golden, Colo./Schwab Cycles) grabbed the bronze and William Meyers (Oak Creek, Colo./Scwab Cycles) and Robert Schulte (Kirksville, Mo.) rounded out the podium in fourth and fifth.
The men’s 65-69 race came down to a sprint finish which was won by Thomas Weil (Naperville, Ill./ABD Cycle Club). The new national champion finished just ahead of silver medalist Richard Shields (Fremont, Calif./Team Hammer Nutrition) while Barry Free (Lebanon, Pa./ERA Cycling) was right behind for the bronze. Jim Fox (Aptos, Calif./Team Hammer Nutrition) and James Youngblood (Silver Spring, Md./NVRC) were fourth and fifth.Next up were the men in the 60-64 group. A field of 42 rolled up to the start line at 10:15 for seven laps of the five mile loop. The contest was aggressive from the get-go with the field spreading out and the main contenders being decided in the race’s early stages.
Eventual race winner, Kenny Fuller (Corona Del Mar, Calif.) explained that it was very hot and humid.
“The heat had a lot to do with the way the race ended up,” he said. “It ended up pretty early going into a group of about 12 people, then it went down to about 8 people, and then two guys went off the front with two laps to go.”
It was Bernard Sanders (Roanoke, Va./East Coasters Bike Shop) and Michael Krywanski (Rockford, Mich./Priority Health Cycling Team) to attack in the final two laps, but Fuller paired up with hometown hero Brad Swope (Louisville, Ky./Sonovelo-Fetzer Cycling Team) to take off after the front men, and by the final kilometers, the race came down to a four-man sprint.
After Fuller won the sprint for the national title, Swope crossed the line for the silver medal while Sanders claimed the bronze and Krywanski grabbed fourth-place. Rounding out the podium in fifth was David Hixson (Knoxville, Tenn./Team Gran Fondo).
CLICK HERE to see a video of KENNY FULLER talking about the race, and the heat…
Often referred to as the “baby masters,” the men in the 30-34 age group toed the line at high noon for a whopping 14 laps on the five mile course. After two hours and 46 minutes of racing, the national title came down to a two-man sprint between Andrew Crater (Asheville, NC) and Jonathan Jacob (Evansville, Ind./Indianapolis Cycling Club). In the finishing stretch, Crater pulled ahead to cross the line first and slip into the Stars-and-Stripes jersey. Almost four minutes later, Adam Bergman (Lino Lakes, Minn./Kentucky Flyers) rode over the line for the bronze medal while John Delong (Blacksburg, Va./Carolina Bicycle Company) and Brian Toone (Birmingham, Ala./Birmingham Velo-Tria Market) grabbed the fourth and fifth steps on the podium.
CLICK HERE to see a video of the men’s 30-34 race start.
In the men’s 50-54 event, Terry Duran (Birmingham, Ala./Birmingham Velo-Tria Market) outsprinted Gerald Finken (La Crosse, Wis./St. Paul Bicycle Racing Club) in the final stretch of the 50-mile race to ride his way into a Stars-and-Stripes jersey. About 50 seconds later, James G Wenzel (Auburn, Ala./Velo Voodoo) beat out Thurlow Rogers (San Diego, Calif./Amgen-UBS Elite Masters) in the race for the bronze. Kevin Hines (East Wareham, Mass./Corner Cycle Cycling Club) then soloed over the line for the final spot on the podium.
The final race of the day went off at 5:30 and featured the men in the 55-59 age group. After nine laps on the five-mile loop, Robert Anderson (Mill Valley, Calif./Team Specialized Racing) soloed over the line a minute ahead of his nearest threat to take the national championship. Putting forth the silver medal effort was David LeDuc (Willow Springs, NC/Atlantic Velo-Virginia p/b Walt) while William Kellagher (Boulder, Colo./Natural Grocers Cycling Team) rode to the bronze. Wayne Stetina (Mission Viejo, Calif./Amgen-USB Elite Masters) and Dennis Raineear (Richmond, Va./Team Nature’s Path-3 Sports) rounded out the podium in fourth and fifth respectively.
More road race action will be on tap for Thursday in Cherokee Park with all of all of the women’s and tandem age groups set to duke it out for more national titles. Stay tuned to www.usacycling.org for daily reports on all the action.
For more information about this event, including a schedule and course maps, click hereto visit the event’s webpage.
Click herefor complete results.
CLICK HERE for a PHOTO GALLERY from the event
2010 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships
Louisville, Ky.
August 3-8, 2010
2. Donald Werling (Port Charlotte, Fla.)
3. Link Lindquist (Foothill Ranch, Calif./Team Velosport)
1. Frederic Schmid (Waco, Texas/Bicycles Outback-Magura)
2. David Ellefson (Banner Elk, NC/VeloProject.com)
3. Thomas O’Rourke (Westbloomfield, Mich./Cadieux Bicycle Club)
4. Peter Murphy (Glastonbury, Conn./Masters Cycle Racing Breakaway)
5. Kurt Eickelmann (Spring Hill, Fla./Southern Sierra Cyclists)
1. Kenneth Rosskopf (Decatur, Ga./Fulton Flyers)
2. Franz Hammer (Oro Valley, Ariz./Echelon Gran Fondo)
3. Scott Tucker (Golden, Colo./Schwab Cycles)
4. William Meyers (Oak Creek, Colo./Scwab Cycles)
5. Robert Schulte (Kirksville, Mo.)
1. Thomas Weil (Naperville, Ill./ABD Cycle Club)
2. Richard Shields (Fremont, Calif./Team Hammer Nutrition)
3. Barry Free (Lebanon, Pa./ERA Cycling)
4. Jim Fox (Aptos, Calif./Team Hammer Nutrition)
5. James Youngblood (Silver Spring, Md./NVRC)
1. Kenny Fuller (Corona Del Mar, Calif./Cycles Veloce)
2. Brad Swope (Louisville, Ky./Sonovelo-Fetzer Cycling Team)
3. Bernard Sanders (Roanoke, Va./East Coasters Bike Shop)
4. Michael Krywanski (Rockford, Mich./Priority Health Cycling Team)
5. David Hicson (Knoxville, Tenn./Tean Gran Fondo)
1. Robert Anderson (Mill Valley, Calif./Team Specialized Racing)
2. David LeDuc (Willow Springs, NC/Atlantic Velo-Virginia p/b Walt)
3. William Kellagher (Boulder, Colo./Natural Grocers Cycling Team)
4. Wayne Stetina (Mission Viejo, Calif./Amgen-USB Elite Masters)
5. Dennis Raineear (Richmond, Va./Team Nature’s Path-3 Sports)
1. Terry Duran (Birmingham, Ala./Birmingham Velo-Tria Market)
2. Gerald Finken (La Crosse, Wis./St. Paul Bicycle Racing Club)
3. James G Wenzel (Auburn, Ala./Velo Voodoo)
4. Thurlow Rogers (San Diego, Calif./Amgen-UBS Elite Masters)
5. Kevin Hines (East Wareham, Mass./Corner Cycle Cycling Club)
2. Jonathan Jacob (Evansville, Ind./Indianapolis Cycling Club)
3. Adam Bergman (Lino Lakes, Minn./Kentucky Flyers)
4. John Delong (Blackburg, Va./Carolina Bicycle Company)
5. Brian Toone (Birmingham, Ala./Birmingham Velo-Tria Market)
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.
This Article Published August 4, 2010 For more information contact:
