USA Cycling's National Development Program polishing skills worldwide

USA Cycling sent development teams across the world to ride in several of the most prestigious races in different disciplines. There was a group of six women competing in the Tour of Chongming Island in China, four mountain bike riders in the Saalhausen Bundesliga in Germany and junior roadies gaining exposure to what competitive European racing is all about at the Etappen der Rad in Frankfurt, Germany.

ROAD

The USA Cycling women relaxing before contesting the Tour of Chongming Island in China. (Photo by team liaison in China)

Lauren Tamayo's (Asheville, N.C./Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12) seventh-place finish in the overall led a group of USA Cycling's women riders in the Tour of Chongming Island and the Tour of Chongming Island World Cup on May 11-13 and 15.

The first of the three stages was a fairly straightforward loop, stretching 74 kilometers. The team's goal was to sprint for Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif./Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12) and aim for time bonuses. Tamayo placed third on the first bonus sprint before Rivera was second on the next bonus sprint. Coming into the finish, Rivera was taken out by a crash with a little more than three kilometers remaining, losing time on the day. Tamayo finished in the lead split and was fifth overall in the general classification.

The second stage spanned 118 kilometers and the team was focused on helping Tamayo earn time bonuses as well as placing well at the finish. Shortly before the second sprint, the peloton split due to a cross tailwind and Tamayo was in the lead group. She stuck with the lead group, sprinting to a seventh-place finish, allowing her to move to fourth overall entering the third stage.

The third stage featured 11 laps of 7.2 kilometers in the city of Chongming. In the end, the race came down to three intermediate sprints, which each provided time bonuses. Some riders below Tamayo in the general classification earned points in the sprints, bumping Tamayo to seventh in the final general classification.

In the Tour of Chongming World Cup, a separate one-day event on May 15, the team's best finish was Rivera's placing 19th. The course, which crossed back and forth over part of the Shanghai Yangstze Bridge, stretched an uneventful 136.3 kilometers with two climbs. The riders set Rivera up into the final turn and she sprinted in for 19th.

Riding with Rivera and Tamayo were:

Jackie Crowell (Maitland, Fla./Team Type 1)
Andrea Dvorak (Crozet, Va./Colavita-Forno d'Asolo)
Lindsay Myers (Paradise, Calif./Chico Corsa Cycling)
Jessica Prinner (South Elgin, Ill./ABD Cycle Club)

MOUNTAIN BIKE

The start of the Saalhausen Bundesliga, where Stephen Ettinger placed ninth. (Photo by Marc Gullickson)

A group of four of USA Cycling's U23 riders contested the Saalhausen Bundesliga, a UCI Category 1 XCO race, in Saalhausen, Germany. The riders were split into categories with U23 competitors separated from the elite riders.

The race was held on a tough course with lots of steep climbing, complicated by overnight rain. The U23 race consisted of a strong 75-man field and right away the four USA Cycling riders were near the front. Stephen Ettinger (Cashmere, Wash./BMC MTB Development) quickly worked his way into the lead pack of five riders while Kerry Werner (Banner Elk, N.C./BMC MTB Development), Jack Hinkens (Eden Prairie, Minn./BMC MTB Development) and Russell Finsterwald (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek) all settled into the top 25.

Just beyond halfway through the race, Finsterwald had a shifting problem and began dropping back and was eventually lapped. Ettinger took command of the front group with two laps remaining splitting the group up the main climb, but his good ride was wrecked when he flatted his front tire on the ensuing downhill. Ettinger would ultimately finish in ninth place in the final results. Werner surged out of a large group on the final lap to secure 11th place while Hinkens placed 18th.

JUNIORS

The group of junior riders before contesting the Etappen der Rad. (Photo by William Innes)

A group of six of USA Cycling's junior riders were introduced to European road racing at the Etappen der Rad, a three-stage road race in Frankfurt, Germany.

The first day was a time trial on a flat eight-kilometer course through a park near the Frankfurt airport. Kristo Jorgenson (Boise, Idaho/Boise Young Riders Dev. Squad) had the best finish, placing 21st, just 27 seconds behind the stage winner. Benjamin Wolfe (Niantic, Conn./Corner Cycle Cycling) and Erik Volotzky (Chatsworth, Calif./Cycle World) each placed in the top 50, finishing 36th and 39th, respectively.

The second day featured four King of the Mountains and the USA Cycling team found it to be a tough day as Austin Boswell (Bend, Ore./Hot Tubes Development) led the team, placing 51st, in a group about one minute behind the stage winner.

The third and final stage was held on a rolling course, winding through the hills and valleys surrounding Frankfurt. Wind and rain greeted the riders about midway through the stage, but the USA Cycling team remained near the front of the bunch, following attacks and staying out of trouble. Jorgenson powered up the final climb to place 14th on the day, for the best single-day placement among the team. In the final general classification, Boswell was 45th, Dean Haas (Lakewood, Colo./Team Specialized Racing) finished 84th, Jorgenson finished 105th, Volotsky was 109th and David Benkoski (Menlo Park, Calif./Team Specialized) placed 111th.

COMING UP

The group of six USA Cycling's U23 riders below will contest the Ronde l'Isard U23, a three-stage race from May 20-22, in the Pyrenees mountains in France:

John Bennett (El Cerrito, Calif./California Giant)
Max Durtschi (Boulder, Colo./Chipotle Development)
Anders Newbury (Fairfield, Conn./Chipotle Development)
Jacob Rathe (Portland, Ore./Chipotle Development)
Rob Squire (Sandy, Utah/Chipotle Development)
Larry Warbasse (Traverse City, Mich./BMC Racing)

USA Cycling will also send two women mountain bikers along with three U23 male mountain bikers to Dalby Forest in Yorkshire, United Kingdom, for the Dalby Forest World Cup, from May 21-22. Below is the list of riders contesting this UCI event:

U23
Stephen Ettinger (Cashmere, Wash./BMC MTB Development)
Jack Hinkens (Eden Prairie, Minn./BMC MTB Development)
Kerry Werner (Banner Elk, N.C./BMC MTB Development)

Women
Amy Dombroski (Boulder, Colo./Crank Brothers Race Club)
Chloe Forsman (Tucson, Ariz./BMC MTB Development)

A group of junior riders will aim to improve upon their experience at Etappen der Rad as they travel to the Netherlands to compete in the Internationale Junioren Driedaags in Axel, from May 20-22. Below is the list of USA Cycling's junior riders contesting:

David Benkoski (Menlo Park, Calif./Team Specialized)
Austin Boswell (Bend, Ore./Hot Tubes Development)
Dean Haas (Lakewood, Colo./Team Specialized Racing)
Kristo Jorgenson (Boise, Idaho/Boise Young Riders Dev. Squad)
Erik Volotzky (Chatsworth, Calif./Cycle World)
Benjamin Wolfe (Niantic, Conn./Corner Cycle Cycling)

USA Cycling's National Development Programs are supported by the USA Cycling Development Foundation. Support the future of American cycling with an online donation now.