DEVELOPMENT WRAP: Van Garderen, Neben post top results

DEVELOPMENT WRAP: Van Garderen second in Tour de L'Avenir; U.S. National Team third It was an excellent week for USA Cycling's Development Programs, with the USA Cycling National Development Team ranking third among national squads in the Tour de L'Avenir which ended on Sunday. Tejay Van Garderen (Superior, Colo./Rabobank Continental Team) rode to second-place overall in the event. Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif./ Equipe Nürnberger) represented the U.S. National Team with a fifth-place overall result in the Tour Cycliste Feminin International Ardeche in France while National Development Program graduate Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho/Cervelo-Lifeforce) won the event. National Development Team alumn Dave Zabriskie also scored a big win with his overall victory in the Tour of Missouri (Salt Lake City, Utah/Garmin-Slipstream). NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM PROGRAM The following six riders represented the USA Cycling National Development Team in the Tour de L’Avenir, September 5-13: Peter Stetina (Boulder, Colo./Garmin-Felt-Holowesko), Christopher Barton (Ojai, Calif.) Kirk Carlsen (Boulder, Colo./Garmin-Felt-Holowesko), Daniel Holloway (Morgan Hill, Calif.), Alex Howes (Boulder, Colo./Garmin-Felt-Holowekso), and Tejay Van Garderen. Van Garderen finished the nine-day French stage race in an impressive second-place overall after grabbing three top-ten stage finishes. His result is the best for an American since Greg LeMond won the overall prize in 1982. (Floyd Landis was third in 1999.) Stetina, who rode to second-place in stage four, also grabbed a top-ten overall ranking with seventh-place in the GC. The U.S. National Team was ranked third in the team standings.  Click here for the event website. JUNIOR Development PrOGRAM The USA Cycling Junior Development Team fielded six riders for a pair of Belgian races this weekend - the Curitas Classic on Saturday and the Vlaams Brabant on Sunday. The U.S. squad for both events was comprised of Ryan Eastman (Petaluma, Calif./All Sport-Team Swift), Anders Newbury (Fairfield, Vt./Hot Tubes), Juan Carmona (Breinigsville, Pa.), Colt Peterson (Huntington Beach, Calif.), Zack Noonan (Kutztown, Pa.), and Jake Arnold (Cary, N.C.) WOMEN'S DEVELOPMENT TEAM PROGRAM Six women rode for the U.S. National Team in the Tour Cycliste Feminin International Ardeche in France, September 8-12. The team included Meredith Miller (Fort Collins, Colo./Team TIBCO), Kristin McGrath (Durango, Colo./Valueact Capital), Evelyn Stevens ( New York, N.Y./Team Lip Smacker), Jessica Phillips (Aspen, Colo ./Team Lip Smackers), Shelley Olds (Scotts Valley, Calif./Proman), and Amber Neben. Neben was the highest ranked rider in the overall GC at the end of the event, in fifth-place overall. She also scored second-place in stage two and third-place in stage six. Olds rode to a fifth-place finish in stage five while Stevens was the second highest-placed rider for the team in the overall GC, in 12th-place. Click here for more on this event. NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM GRADUATES   USA Cycling National Development Team graduate Dave Zabriskie grabbed the overall win at the Tour of Missouri on Sunday, in addition to a win in the stage five time trial. Click here for more on the Tour of Missouri. USA Cycling Women’s National Development Team graduate Kristin Armstrong took the overall win at the Tour Cycliste Feminin International Ardeche on Sunday. Click here for more on this event. DEVELOPMENT CAMPS USA Cycling is holding an elite Madison camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, September 17-27. COMING UP... Six women will represent the U.S. National Team at the Giro della Toscana International Femminile in Italy, September 15-20. The squad will be comprised of Meredith Miller, Kristin McGrath, Evelyn Stevens, Jessica Phillips, Shelley Olds, and Megan Guarnier  (Los Gatos, Calif.) Click here for more information about this event.   Photo Caption: Van Garderen scored second overall in the Tour de l'Avenir - the best result for an American in the important U23 stage race since Greg Lemond won the event in 1982. Photo courtesy of Mario Varrewaere About USA Cycling Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ licensees including 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 1,800 clubs and teams, 350 professional cyclists, 200 certified mechanics, and 34 local associations. The national governing body sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive events throughout the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development, and support of American cyclists through various initiatives and programs. Additionally, USA Cycling conducts national championship events for all categories of amateur and professional cycling. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org.

This Article Published 2009-09-14 12:19:35 For more information contact: kkahn@usacycling.org