U.S. women finish 5th in team pursuit at UCI Track Worlds
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Print Cali, Colombia (Feb. 27, 2014) -- The U.S. women's pursuit team fell short of the medal round on Thursday during the second day of competition at the 2014 UCI Track World Championships in Cali, Colombia.
The American squad of Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo./UnitedHealthcare), Lauren Tamayo (Asheville, N.C./UnitedHealthcare), Jennifer Valente (San Diego, Calif./TWENTY16 Pro Cycling) and Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./UnitedHealthcare) placed fifth in the qualifying round with a time of 4:39.026 and did not advance to the evening's finals.
"With the windy conditions, it was a challenging qualifying round for all the teams," said Benjamin Sharp, USA Cycling's high performance director of endurance programs. "Our realistic expectations were to qualify top-4, and to fall short of that is a disappointment. The event is maturing rapidly and at the end of the day we just have to be better, from the riders, to the staff, to the coaching."
Great Britain defeated the team from Canada in the women's team pursuit gold-medal final, while Australia edged Poland for the bronze medal.
Winder will have a chance to rebound on Friday when she races in the women's individual pursuit with teammate and reigning world champion Sarah Hammer (Colorado Springs, Colo./TWENTY16 Pro Cycling). The men's omnium also gets underway on Friday with American Jacob Duehring (Irvine, Calif./GS Ciao) in the mix. Elizabeth Newell (Oakland, Calif.) will represent the U.S. in Saturday's women's points race, while Hammer will also look to defend her title in the women's omnium on Saturday and Sunday.
"For the short term, attention is going to be toward maximizing performances in the remaining events," Sharp said. "Anytime Sarah Hammer takes the track, we are in with a chance. Ruth Winder is looking to improve her performance from the Aguascalientes round of the World Cup in the individual pursuit. In the points race, Beth Newell is looking to back up her silver medal from the Manchester World Cup with another sterling ride."
For a complete schedule of events, visit the official 2014 UCI Track World Championships website.
2014 UCI Track World Championships
Cali, Colombia
February 27, 2014
FULL RESULTS │ PHOTO GALLERY
Women’s Team Pursuit
1. Great Britain
2. Canada
3. Australia
5. United States
Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo./UnitedHealthcare)
Lauren Tamayo (Asheville, N.C./UnitedHealthcare)
Jennifer Valente (San Diego, Calif.)
Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./UnitedHealthcare)
The U.S. women's pursuit team races through a turn at the 2014 UCI Track World Championships on Feb. 27. (photo by Casey B. Gibson)
"With the windy conditions, it was a challenging qualifying round for all the teams," said Benjamin Sharp, USA Cycling's high performance director of endurance programs. "Our realistic expectations were to qualify top-4, and to fall short of that is a disappointment. The event is maturing rapidly and at the end of the day we just have to be better, from the riders, to the staff, to the coaching."
Great Britain defeated the team from Canada in the women's team pursuit gold-medal final, while Australia edged Poland for the bronze medal.
Winder will have a chance to rebound on Friday when she races in the women's individual pursuit with teammate and reigning world champion Sarah Hammer (Colorado Springs, Colo./TWENTY16 Pro Cycling). The men's omnium also gets underway on Friday with American Jacob Duehring (Irvine, Calif./GS Ciao) in the mix. Elizabeth Newell (Oakland, Calif.) will represent the U.S. in Saturday's women's points race, while Hammer will also look to defend her title in the women's omnium on Saturday and Sunday.
"For the short term, attention is going to be toward maximizing performances in the remaining events," Sharp said. "Anytime Sarah Hammer takes the track, we are in with a chance. Ruth Winder is looking to improve her performance from the Aguascalientes round of the World Cup in the individual pursuit. In the points race, Beth Newell is looking to back up her silver medal from the Manchester World Cup with another sterling ride."
For a complete schedule of events, visit the official 2014 UCI Track World Championships website.
2014 UCI Track World Championships
Cali, Colombia
February 27, 2014
FULL RESULTS │ PHOTO GALLERY
Women’s Team Pursuit
1. Great Britain
2. Canada
3. Australia
5. United States
Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo./UnitedHealthcare)
Lauren Tamayo (Asheville, N.C./UnitedHealthcare)
Jennifer Valente (San Diego, Calif.)
Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./UnitedHealthcare)
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This Article Updated March 2, 2014 @ 11:50 PM For more information contact:
