Olympians lead elite women’s, jrs riders for 2012 Road Worlds

Amber Neben will be among the women representing the United States at the 2012 UCI Road World Championships. (Photo by Casey Gibson)

The United States has qualified the maximum seven riders in the elite women’s road race. Shelley Olds (Gilroy, Calif./AA Drink-Leontien Cycling Team) Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif./Specialized-lululemon), Evelyn Stevens (Dennis, Mass./Specialized-lululemon), Megan Guarnier (Mountain View, Calif./Team TIBCO-To the Top), Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Exergy TWENTY12), Carmen Small (Durango, Colo./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Andrea Dvorak (Crozet, Va./Exergy TWENTY12) will comprise the team racing for a rainbow jersey.

As members of the 2012 Olympic Team, Olds, Neben, and Stevens earned automatic nominations to the team. Additionally, Guarnier earned an automatic nomination as the elite women’s road national champion as well as being in the top 25 of the UCI rankings. McGrath also earned an automatic nomination to the team after finishing in the top three of the general classification of the Route de France. Small, who will top the final 2012 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar (NRC) women’s standings, won the Citta di Padova in Italy and placed third in the elite women’s road race at the 2012 USA Cycling Elite, U23, Juniors and Paralympic Road National Championships in Augusta in June. Dvorak won the eighth stage of the Route de France and has produced several strong results throughout the 2012 season.

Neben, who won the world championship in the time trial in 2008 and placed seventh in the event at the 2012 Olympic Games will be one of three Americans contesting the individual time trial in the Netherlands. Joining Neben will be discretionary selections Stevens and Small. Stevens placed second to Neben in the time trial in Augusta. Small has been a consistent performer in 2012.

Addyson Albershardt will be racing in the juniors women's road and time trial in the Netherlands. (Photo by Casey Gibson)

Three of the four riders comprising the team that will compete in the juniors women's road race earned automatic nomination to the team. The automatic nominations are Erin Donohue (Norwich, Vt./KMS-Start House Cycling Team), Alexis Ryan (Ventura, Calif./Team TIBCO II) and Addyson Albershardt (Matthews, N.C./NOW and Novartis for MS). Joining them as a discretionary selection will be Grace Alexander (Boise, Idaho/BYRDS (Boise Young Rider Development Squad)).

“We’re really excited about this year’s team,” USA Cycling Vice President of Athletics Jim Miller said. “Coming out of a strong performance in London at the Olympics, we’re very excited about our elite teams putting forth a strong performance at the world championships. Our younger riders are certainly capable of landing on the podium.”

The elite and under-23 men’s teams, which also qualified the maximum starters in the race, will be announced on Friday, Aug. 31.


 

2012 UCI Road World Championships
Sept. 16-23, 2012
Limburg, Netherlands

Elite Women
*Megan Guarnier (Mountain View, Calif./Team TIBCO-To the Top)
*Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Exergy TWENTY12)
*Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif./Specialized-lululemon)
*Shelley Olds (Gilroy, Calif./AA Drink-Leontien Cycling Team)
*Evelyn Stevens (Dennis, Mass./Specialized-lululemon)
Andrea Dvorak (Crozet, Va./Exergy TWENTY12)
Carmen Small (Durango, Colo./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)

Juniors Men
*Miguel Bryon (Miami, Fla./BLUE STAR-BOOM Development Team)
*Geoffrey Curran (Tustin, Calif./Surf City Cyclery-Sterling BMW)
*Gregory Daniel (Englewood, Colo./Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development)
*T.J. Eisenhart (Lehi, Utah/Velosport Racing)
Alexandre Darville (Santa Barbara, Calif./Hammer Nutrition-CMG Racing Team)
Alexey Vermeulen (Pinckney, Mich./Bissell-ABG-NUVO)

Juniors Women
*Addyson Albershardt (Matthews, N.C./NOW and Novartis for MS)
*Erin Donohue (Norwich, Vt./KMS/Start House Cycling Team)
*Alexis Ryan (Ventura, Calif./Team TIBCO II)
Grace Alexander (Boise, Idaho/BYRDS (Boise Young Rider Development Squad))

* — Automatic selection