USA Cycling Madison Camp wraps-up in California
USA Cycling is happy to announce the success of its Madison Clinic which marked the official beginning of its U23 Madison Program. The instructional camp took place at the ADT Event Center Velodrome, Oct 7-9 with seventeen individuals participating in both classroom and riding sessions. The camp was designed as an opportunity to scout and educate riders interested in inclusion in the U23 program, but was open to all riders 17 years and older from any category.
“We were extremely pleased with the turnout and the progress made over the three-day session,” said Madison Program Director Clay Worthington. “A variety of talent levels attended the camp, as well as a mix of junior and senior athletes and even a pair of coaches. Although each participant had previous experience with the Madison, every rider made improvements on the finer details of the event, which can be the difference between racing to win and racing to keep up. By the end of the second day of riding we had a more competent pace line riding at a higher speed than when they showed up.”
Due to the skill, technical, and awareness requirements, USA Cycling believes the value of the Madison for developing rider ability is extremely high. The inaugural Madison camp was the first step toward achieving the program’s primary goal of increasing knowledge, skill, and technical proficiency for American riders and coaches. The program’s next phase hopes to take this opportunity to other locations in effort to increase rider accessibility in gaining this knowledge and proficiency. USA Cycling currently has plans to hold a women’s Madison exhibition during next year’s Elite Track National Championships and is looking to host similar instructional clinics and exhibitions in various locations throughout the upcoming year.
The program’s U23 riders will begin their season this month as Guy East (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Austin Carroll (Orange, Calif.) are set to contest the UIV races in Amsterdam, Dortmund, Munich and Gent. Coming off a second-place finish in the Madison at the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships, this team looks to be fighting for the podium in their first race of the winter season. The strong junior pairing of Danny Heeley (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) and Ian Moir (Long Beach, Calif.) are expected to contest the UIV race in Zurich in December. Both riders had strong, late-season performances with Heeley winning the UIV U23 race in Michigan, Moir winning the junior omnium at the Grand Prix International Ville de Barcelone, and the pair finishing third at the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships in early October. Rider selection for the 2009 portion of the season is pending. Individuals interested in being considered for inclusion in the U23 program, should contact Clay Worthington at cworthington@usacycling.org, or 719-229-3768.
For more Information about the UIV, including race results and announcements, visit www.UIV.dk.
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 and sanctioning body, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ members, including 57,000 competitive cyclists, 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 350 professional cyclists, and 200 certified mechanics. USA Cycling also sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive organized cycling events throughout the United States annually, as well as 1,800 clubs and teams. Associations of USA Cycling include the United States Cycling Federation (road, track & cyclo-cross), the National Off-Road Bicycle Association (mountain bike), the BMX Association, the National Collegiate Cycling Association and the United States Professional Racing Organization. USA Cycling is also responsible for the identification, development, support and promotion of American cyclists through various athletic initiatives and programs including the USA Cycling National Development Team, the USA Cycling Women’s National Team, the USA Cycling Junior Development Team, Talent Identification and Regional Development Camps, domestic and international race calendars, direct athlete funding and support programs, and educational camps and seminars. USA Cycling also fields and supports U.S. National Teams for various international events, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan American Games, Continental Championship and World Cups across all levels and disciplines of competitive cycling. USA cycling further supports grass roots and locally-based initiatives through its 32 Local Associations and comprehensive network of licensed and certified coaches and officials. Additionally, USA Cycling conducts National Championship events for amateur and professional cyclists, awarding more than 600 national titles annually to men and women in junior, U23, masters, elite, professional and paralympic categories throughout the various disciplines of competitive cycling. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org. For media-related or general inquiries, please contact USA Cycling Director of Communications, Andy Lee at 719-866-4867 or alee@usacycling.org.
This Article Published October 18, 2008 For more information contact:
