Hincapie makes fifth Olympic cycling team
George Hincapie is getting a fifth chance at winning Olympic gold.
The longtime American cycling star - best known for helping Lance Armstrong win the Tour de France seven consecutive times - was announced Tuesday as one of nine discretionary selections to the U.S. Olympic team that'll race in Beijing next month.
Hincapie, 35, becomes the first U.S. racer to make five Olympic cycling teams. No other American has raced a bike in more than three.
"It's very exciting," Hincapie told The Associated Press on Tuesday from his home in Spain. "I never would have imagined being in five Olympics. It's a huge accomplishment, and I feel honored to do another one."
Hincapie - who'll begin his 13th Tour de France on Saturday - joins two-time Olympians Jason McCartney and Christian Vande Velde (a 2000 track cycling Olympian), along with Olympic rookie David Zabriskie as discretionary picks to the five-man American road squad. Levi Leipheimer earned an automatic Olympic spot by finishing third in last year's Tour.
A quest for Olympic gold might be the highlight of Leipheimer's 2008 campaign, because his Astana team isn't allowed to enter this year's Tour.
All five American men will take part in the mass start Olympic road race. Only Leipheimer and Zabriskie will ride in the time trial, an event where Tyler Hamilton won gold and Bobby Julich won bronze in Athens four years ago.
USA Cycling claimed three medals at the Athens Games, including Dede Barry's silver in the women's time trial. With the addition of BMX, it's conceivable the United States could match that total next month.
Donny Robinson, the world's No. 1 ranked BMX racer, had his spot confirmed Tuesday. He joins automatic qualifiers Kyle Bennett and Mike Day on the men's squad. Jill Kintner, who qualified by winning USA Cycling's year-long Olympic points series, will be the lone American woman to race on the BMX track in Beijing.
In track cycling, 2004 Olympians Adam Duvendeck and Giddeon Massie both were selected again and will ride the team sprint, and Michael Friedman was selected to ride the Madison. They join automatic track qualifiers Phinney (individual pursuit), Bobby Lea (points race and Madison), Michael Blatchford (team sprint and match sprint), Sarah Hammer (women's individual pursuit) and 2004 Olympian Jennie Reed (women's match sprint).
In mountain biking, Adam Craig was the discretionary pick to join automatic qualifier Wells.
Tuesday's nominations leave three spots unclaimed on the 24-racer American roster; two women still must be selected to ride alongside two-time Olympian Kristin Armstrong on the road team, and Georgia Gould's teammate on the women's mountain bike squad remains unknown.
USA Cycling said it intends to name those final three riders in the next two weeks.
Copyright 2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
USA Cycling names partial MTB world's squad
USA Cycling has announced the 12 junior and U23 cross-country athletes that have been nominated to represent the United States at the upcoming 2008 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy, June 17-22.
Four men and two women have been nominated to the U23 cross-country squad, while four men and two women were also nominated to the junior crosscountry team.
In the U23 ranks, Sam Jurekovic (Colorado Springs, Colo.) received the only automatic nomination to the men's team after placing fourth among the elites at the Fontana National in March. He is joined by Colin Cares (Boulder, Colo.), Mitchell Peterson (Sandy, Utah) and Tim Allen (Flagstaff, Ariz.), who received discretionary nominations.
On the women's side, Jamie Dinkins (Powell, Tenn.) received the only automatic nomination after turning in the top U23 performance at the Fontana National. Chloe Forsman (Boulder, Colo.) received the sole discretionary nomination.
In the junior division, Kerry Werner (Birdsboro, Pa.) and John Bennett (El Cerrito, Calif.) received automatic nominations after Werner's victory at the Greenbrier Challenge and Bennett's win at the Santa Ynez National. Robbie Squire (Sandy, Utah) and Seamus Powell (Round Top, N.Y.) will join them as discretionary selections.
Jill Behlen (Boulder, Colo.) won the Greenbrier Challenge in April to solidify her automatic nomination, while Deidre York (Indio, Calif.) took the victory at Santa Ynez to earn her spot on the junior women's squad.
USA Cycling will announce the entire squad that will represent the United States at the 2008 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships on June 9.
2008 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships
Val di Sole, Italy
June 17-22
U23 Men's Cross Country
1. Sam Jurekovic (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
2. Colin Cares (Boulder, Colo.)
3. Mitchell Peterson (Sandy, Utah)
4. Tim Allen (Flagstaff, Ariz.)
U23 Women's Cross Country
1. Jamie Dinkins (Powell, Tenn.)
2. Chloe Forsman (Boulder, Colo.)
Junior Men's Cross Country
1. Kerry Werner (Birdsboro, Pa.)
2. John Bennett (El Cerrito, Calif.)
3. Robbie Squire (Sandy, Utah)
4. Seamus Powell (Round Top, N.Y.)
Junior Women's Cross Country
1. Jill Behlen (Boulder, Colo.)
2. Deidre York (Indio, Calif.)
(c) Competitor Group, et al. All Rights Reserved
Bruseghin tops while Astana romps
Lampre's Marzio Bruseghin ruled the damp day in the Giro d'Italia's 10th stage, a difficult 39.4-kilometre individual timed test from Pesaro to Urbino. The 33 year-old Italian, whose last win came in the mountain time trial of the 2007 Giro d'Italia, clocked a time of 56 minutes and 41 seconds and then waited nervously while the favourites tried but fail to unseat him.
"We worked with attention to every detail," exclaimed the day's winner, Bruseghin. "We were all working towards this win, the mechanics, everyone. My characteristics were favoured here. I can't take the maglia rosa, but there are certain stages, like this one, where I can take advantage."
The Italian's three wins in 12 years as a professional came in time trials, in addition to Urbino and Oropa, he won the 2006 Italian championship.
While the day belonged to Bruseghin, the coup of the race came from Astana. The team of Johan Bruyneel took control of the general classification fight thanks to Tour de France champion Alberto Contador second at eight seconds and Andreas Kloden third at 20 seconds.
Italian Champion Giovanni Visconti (Quick Step) held onto the race leader's maglia rosa which he gained on the escape of stage six, clocking a time of 57'46", just over one minute back from the stage winner. He even passed his closest GC rival, German Matthias Russ, and now leads by over three minutes. "I tried to do something good and I think that I did it. So, I am satisfied with the day," noted the 25 year-old from Silica.
Alberto Contador is first of the race's main classification contenders at 6'59" back, Kloden 55" further back, Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) 1'04", Paolo Savoldelli (LPR Brakes) 1'09", Riccardo Ricco (Saunier Duval-Scott) 1'33", Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes) 1'34" and Denis Menchov (Rabobank) 1'58".
Contador steadily gained time throughout the time trial as it gained 446 metres from start to finish. The 25-year-old was fourth fastest at the first time check (km 9.6), third at the second (km 23.4) of Monte di Colbordolo, top at the third time check (32.2) of Ca Angelone, but lost time on the wet finale, sliding to seventh best in the final section.
"I lost due to the wet roads," he stated after climbing through the narrow city centre roads in Urbino. "I was sliding around too much in the finale and it was cold."
Copyright Future Publishing (Overseas) Limited, a Future plc group company, 1995-2007. All rights reserved.
Bayern Rundfahrt announces teams
The Bayern Rundfahrt can boast of five ProTour teams this year, including the two German teams Gerolsteiner and Milram, as well as formerly German-based Team High Road. The trio will be joined by two French teams, Credit Agricole and Bouygues Telecom. The race will be rounded out by seven Professional Continental teams and four Continental teams.
Stefan Schumacher of Gerolsteiner will look to repeat his overall win in the race, which runs from May 28 to June 1. Milram won't have Erik Zabel, who won two stages last year, as he will be riding the Giro d'Italia in place of the suspended Alessandro Petacchi, but it will send local rider Sebastian Schwager.
The race's organiser considers Team High Road to be a favourite to take the title this year. The team is sending its top German riders Marcus Burghardt and Gerald Ciolek to contest the event.
Teams for Bayern Rundfarht: Gerolsteiner, Milram, High Road, Credit Agricole, Bouygues Telecom, Ceramica Flaminia, Elk Haus, Acqua & Sapone, Topsport Vlaanderen, PSK Whirlpool, Volksbank, Benfica, Team 3C gruppe, Kuota Senges, Thuringer Energie and Mapei Heizomat.
Copyrigth Future Publishing (Overseas) Limited, a Future plc group company, 1995-2007. All rights reserved.
USA development team scores big at Fleche du Sud
By BikeRadar & USA Cycling
Last Updated: Mon 5 May, 6:20 pm BST
The USA Cycling National Development Team completed a successful Fleche du Sud on Sunday, collecting several victories throughout the five-stage race.
Tejay Van Garderen was responsible for most of the individual honors as the 19-year-old won the opening stage, placed second overall, won the Best Young Rider and Points classifications and finished second in stage two.
In Thursday's 163-kilometer stage from Schifflange to Rumelamge, Van Garderen escaped from the 133-rider peloton and finished two seconds up on Velentin Iglinskiy to record one of the biggest wins of his career. The result moved him into fourth place overall entering stage two. On Friday, Van Garderen followed up his stage win with a second-place effort in the 142-kilometer stage two from Ettelbruck to Wiltz - a performance that moved him into second place in the general classification. Click here to see a video of his performance.
In Sunday's fourth and final stage - a 165-kilometer race from Karyl to Alzette, Van Garderen finished fifth to maintain his second-place finish overall. He finished just nine seconds off the pace of overall winner Marcel Wyss of Switzerland.
Van Garderen's aggressive racing and high stage finishes resulted in his winning the Best Young Rider classification by 22 seconds over National Development Team teammate Peter Stetina. Van Garderen also tallied enough points to win the Points classification with 66 points over Denys Kostyuk of the Ukraine (62).
Stetina gave the USA Cycling National Development Team two riders in the top ten overall with a sixth-place finish, 31 seconds off the pace of Wyss.
Solid efforts from other National Development Team members also propelled the squad into first place in the final Team classification. Guy East placed fifth in the opening Prologue in Petange on Wednesday, while Cole House recorded a fifth-place finish of his own in the 168-kilometer stage three from Preiserdaul to Roeser.
The overall performance gave the USA Cycling National Development Team the overall victory with a cumulative time of 47:11.59 by its top-three riders - Van Garderen, Stetina and East (29th, +2:01). The squad finished first by 55 seconds over the Differdange - Apiflo Vacances amateur squad.
(c) BikeRadar & USA Cycling 2008
Canada boasts another stage race
Canada can count itself another cross country stage race with The Intermontane Challenge, a 450km race spanning five days from July 27-31, 2008. Unlike many races, this one will stay based out of one location, Kamloops. A singletrack, cloverleaf design means that every day racers will tackle a different course, and every night the competitors will end up back in Kamloops.
"The networks of single track in Kamloops are endless and exciting," said Dustin Adams, course designer, World Cup racer and winner of back to back Canadian National Championships. "The Intermontane Challenge will give riders worldwide a small taste of the outstanding riding available in Kamloops."
Local race organizers and creators, Chuck Brennan, Kelly Servinski and Adams, are looking forward to hosting the race in their own backyard. Servinski, who has participated in staged mountain bike races around the world, says he sees unlimited potential for the event, which will host solo and two-rider categories for men and women. Registration for the first-year event will be limited to 300 riders. The lucrative event will feature a prize list of CAN$60,000.
Copyright Future Publishing (Overseas) Limited, a Future plc group company, 1995-2007. All rights reserved.
Underfunded, self-managed FSU cycling ends tough semester
By David Stotts - DEMOCRAT CORRESPONDENT - April 29, 2008
Doug Owen, head coach of the four-time collegiate national cycling champion Lees-McRae Bobcats, thinks he knows why Florida State's 35-member squad missed an entire semester of conference road races.
"Kids who have some cycling experience get to college and just want to ride their bikes," said Owen, who took over a small team at an obscure North Carolina school four years ago and forged it into the undisputed South East Collegiate Cycling Conference and national champion of bicycle racing.
"They have no knowledge about creating and managing an athletic team, which is what they have to do," Owen added. "It's complicated. There are rules and deadlines.
"The kids have no money and no guidance. It's a credit to the success stories of their cycling teams that they are able to pull it off at all."
Unlike the familiar NCAA sports - which can have hundred-thousand-dollar-plus budgets, athletic scholarships and professional coaching staffs - bicycle racing teams at all but 15 of 400 American colleges are treated as club sports.
FSU Cycling is a club under the Sports Club Council and receives an annual grant of anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per year. All the details of coaching, hosting races, training, uniforms, travel, scheduling, entry fees, bicycles and maintenance are up to the student athletes.
Forces coalesced to keep FSU Cycling from assembling road-racing teams for the spring season. Top Seminole road riders from 2007 - Mike Beck, Alane Ballweg, Jason Stoner, John Dascomb, Ted Bibby and Jeremy Furman - either graduated or took a semester away from active racing.
The conference lost longtime USA Cycling official Carol Simmons, which delayed scheduling spring races. Race dates came and went without FSU Cycling sending any teams to SECC Conference races.
Graduating senior Mason Manis, a team member for three years, said that the high cost of gas, food and motels combined with the geographic shift to distant races held in North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky made it too expensive for the mountain-bike oriented squad to participate. Manis actually did one collegiate race on his own - the University of Florida's contest in February where he finished 8th in the Men's B criterium.
FSU Cycling club president-elect, Clayton Anderson, who won the non-collegiate Cat 5 cyclocross race at Jack McClean Park in December, hopes to bring new energy and reform to the team. He intends for FSU to race a full program of SECC Conference mountain bike races in the fall as well as host a race.
"We have many high aspirations (for the cycling team)," said Anderson who begins his third year at FSU in the fall. "The problems of the past are in the forefront of our planning for this coming year but, as with all problems, they are learning experiences."
Help for FSU and other student-managed and underfunded bike racing teams may be on the way.
Owen and Daniel Matheny, USAC's new director of collegiate and high school racing, are at the forefront of a movement to elevate collegiate cycling to the level of football, basketball and baseball. The way to do that, according to Owen, is with funding and coaching within athletic departments.
To aid FSU and other struggling racing clubs, Owen and Matheny have written a Collegiate Race Manual about the details of running a bicycle racing team and promoting races. The new manual is due out in the fall and is tailored for the officers of collegiate cycling clubs.
Owen said he would meet with the athletic director of any school in the conference to present the case for funding and coaching within the department. He has already sold the idea, modeled on his success at Lees-McCrae, to Cumberland College and Lindsey-Wilson College, which now have paid coaches and budgets in their athletic departments.
Copyright (c)2008 Tallahassee Democrat. All rights reserved.
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