USA Cycling brings Junior, U23, & Elite Road Nationals to Augusta
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Print More than 1,000 riders, spanning the ages of 10 to over 40 will take to the streets for the USA Cycling Juniors, Under-23, Elite and Paralympic Road National Championships in Augusta for the first time beginning on Wed., June 22 and continue until Sun., June 26.
Amber Neben, the new women's NRC leader, leads the women's elite field into Augusta this week. The 1,000 riders slated to compete for national titles over the five days represents the largest number ever registered for the event. This record-breaking attendance will be highlighted by a star-studded women’s elite field. Competitors range from Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho/Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12) and time trial world champion and current USA Cycling National Racing Calendar leader Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif./HTC-Highroad Women) to the nation’s top 10-12 year olds. Among the athletes joining them will be the reigning American Cyclist of the Year Mara Abbott (Boulder, Colo./Diadora Pasta Zara), Evelyn Stevens (Dennis Mass./HTC Highroad Women) and Shelley Olds (Gilroy, Calif./Diadora Pasta Zara) who won the USA Cycling Criterium National Championship in 2010.
The men’s U23 men’s field features several of America’s brightest young stars including USA Cycling National Development Program rider Lawson Craddock (Houston, Texas/Trek-Livestrong), who won all three races in the Junior 17-18 division, last year in this event. Competing with Craddock will be Jacob Rathe (Portland, Ore./Chipotle Development Team) who recently placed third at the 2011 Paris-Roubaix Espoirs, Rob Squire (Sandy, Utah/Chipotle Development Team), a recent crossover to road racing who had a strong road season with USA Cycling’s Development Program; and Lawrence Warbasse (Traverse City, Mich./BMC Racing), who placed seventh in the 2011 Istrian Spring Trophy.
Not to be outdone, the women’s U23 field features the most decorated rider in USA Cycling national championship history, Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif./Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12), who has collected 32 Stars-and-Stripes jerseys since 2006. Competing with Rivera will be Alison Starnes (Mill Valley, Calif./Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12), who won the time trial at the 2010 Nature Valley Grand Prix.
The winner of the men’s Division II road race at the 2011 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships, Andrew Baker (Easley, S.C./Bissell Pro Cycling Team) highlights the local competitors. Joining him in the U23 field will be Oscar Clark (Atlanta, Ga./Realcyclist.com), who finished 13th in the road race and the individual time trial at the 2011 USA Cycling Professional Road and Time Trial National Championships, Mathew Lipscomb (Decatur, Ga./Hincapie Development Team), who recently won the King of the Mountains Jersey at the Tour de Pays du Vaud in Switzerland and Ty Magner (Athens, Ga./Team Type 1 Development), who won the road race and criterium at the 2011 Race for Humanity.
The winners of the elite women’s, U23 men’s and junior 17-18 men’s and women’s road race and time trial contests will receive automatic nominations to the 2011 squad to represent the United States at the UCI Road World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sept. 21-25.
The road races will take place on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at Fort Gordon in western Augusta. The time trial course is set at Lake Strom Thurmond along the border between Georgia and South Carolina northwest of Augusta on Thursday. Friday’s criterium will be in downtown Augusta.
The short road race course, which will be contested on Wednesday by women 10-16 years of age and men 10-14 years of age, is comprised of differing amounts of laps (depending on age group) around a course of nearly 11 kilometers. At the end of each lap, competitors will ascend 125 feet in less than a half of a mile.
The long road race course, which will be contested on Saturday and Sunday by men ages 15-elite and women 17-elite as well as various groups of paracyclists, consists of varying amounts of laps (depending on age group) of a 23.7 kilometer loop. The course features two climbs within the first eight kilometers of each lap. The second – steeper – of those two climbs gains 194 feet in less than one mile.
The time trial course, which will be used on Thursday by all competitors, stretches as long as 30 kilometers and narrowly crosses the state border into South Carolina. The course features an overall elevation of 561 feet, gaining 205 feet from the start to the midway point. The course is shortened to 10 kilometers for men and women ages 10-14. The elite and U23 men and women as well as the Junior men 17-18 years of age will compete on the full 30-kilometer course, while women 15-18, men 15-16 and the paracyclists will race against the clock on 19 kilometers of the course.
The rectangular criterium course in Downtown Augusta will highlight the nation’s top sprinters featurings a varying amount of laps (depending on age group) around a 1.25-kilometer course with a maximum elevation gain of only three feet.
For more information, please click on the event web site and follow the races on Twitter at #roadnats.
Amber Neben, the new women's NRC leader, leads the women's elite field into Augusta this week.
The men’s U23 men’s field features several of America’s brightest young stars including USA Cycling National Development Program rider Lawson Craddock (Houston, Texas/Trek-Livestrong), who won all three races in the Junior 17-18 division, last year in this event. Competing with Craddock will be Jacob Rathe (Portland, Ore./Chipotle Development Team) who recently placed third at the 2011 Paris-Roubaix Espoirs, Rob Squire (Sandy, Utah/Chipotle Development Team), a recent crossover to road racing who had a strong road season with USA Cycling’s Development Program; and Lawrence Warbasse (Traverse City, Mich./BMC Racing), who placed seventh in the 2011 Istrian Spring Trophy.
Not to be outdone, the women’s U23 field features the most decorated rider in USA Cycling national championship history, Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif./Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12), who has collected 32 Stars-and-Stripes jerseys since 2006. Competing with Rivera will be Alison Starnes (Mill Valley, Calif./Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12), who won the time trial at the 2010 Nature Valley Grand Prix.
The winner of the men’s Division II road race at the 2011 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships, Andrew Baker (Easley, S.C./Bissell Pro Cycling Team) highlights the local competitors. Joining him in the U23 field will be Oscar Clark (Atlanta, Ga./Realcyclist.com), who finished 13th in the road race and the individual time trial at the 2011 USA Cycling Professional Road and Time Trial National Championships, Mathew Lipscomb (Decatur, Ga./Hincapie Development Team), who recently won the King of the Mountains Jersey at the Tour de Pays du Vaud in Switzerland and Ty Magner (Athens, Ga./Team Type 1 Development), who won the road race and criterium at the 2011 Race for Humanity.
The winners of the elite women’s, U23 men’s and junior 17-18 men’s and women’s road race and time trial contests will receive automatic nominations to the 2011 squad to represent the United States at the UCI Road World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sept. 21-25.
The road races will take place on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at Fort Gordon in western Augusta. The time trial course is set at Lake Strom Thurmond along the border between Georgia and South Carolina northwest of Augusta on Thursday. Friday’s criterium will be in downtown Augusta.
The short road race course, which will be contested on Wednesday by women 10-16 years of age and men 10-14 years of age, is comprised of differing amounts of laps (depending on age group) around a course of nearly 11 kilometers. At the end of each lap, competitors will ascend 125 feet in less than a half of a mile.
The long road race course, which will be contested on Saturday and Sunday by men ages 15-elite and women 17-elite as well as various groups of paracyclists, consists of varying amounts of laps (depending on age group) of a 23.7 kilometer loop. The course features two climbs within the first eight kilometers of each lap. The second – steeper – of those two climbs gains 194 feet in less than one mile.
The time trial course, which will be used on Thursday by all competitors, stretches as long as 30 kilometers and narrowly crosses the state border into South Carolina. The course features an overall elevation of 561 feet, gaining 205 feet from the start to the midway point. The course is shortened to 10 kilometers for men and women ages 10-14. The elite and U23 men and women as well as the Junior men 17-18 years of age will compete on the full 30-kilometer course, while women 15-18, men 15-16 and the paracyclists will race against the clock on 19 kilometers of the course.
The rectangular criterium course in Downtown Augusta will highlight the nation’s top sprinters featurings a varying amount of laps (depending on age group) around a 1.25-kilometer course with a maximum elevation gain of only three feet.
For more information, please click on the event web site and follow the races on Twitter at #roadnats.
This Article Published June 20, 2011 For more information contact:
