WEEKLY WRAP-UP: Juniors finish 1,2 at L'Abitibi

Juniors finish 1,2 at L'Abitibi; U.S. BMXers dominate Worlds Down Under USA Cycling Junior National Team riders finished first and second in the overall at the Tour de l"Abitibi in Canada last week, while Americans took 12 of 26 world titles at the junior/amateur level at the UCI BMX World Championships in Adeliade, Australia. JUNIORS USA Cycling Junior National Team riders Andrew Barker (Lakewood, Colo.) and Charlie Avis (Palo Alto, Calif.) finished one, two in the general classification of the Tour de l’Abitibi, a junior stage race in Canada often referred to as the North American junior "Tour de France." Barker earned his number-one spot primarily with his win in the 14.5-kilometer individual time trial, while Avis scored two third-place stage finishes on the event. Four additional riders contested the stage race as part of USA Cycling’s Junior National Team: Ryan Eastman (Petaluma, Calif.), Connor O’Leary (Belt, Mont.), Danny Heeley (Hermosa Beach, Calif.), and Benjamin Swedberg (Kent, Wash.). American Anders Newbury (Fairfield, Vt./Baraboo Sharks) also finished in fourth overall. Fourty-three of the 104 juniors who finished the race hailed from the U.S. Click here for photos and complete results on the event’s website. Americans took 12 of 26 world titles at the junior/amateur level at the UCI BMX World Championships in Adeliade, Australia over the weekend. Several of the gold medals were scored by USA Cycling’s Junior Development Program athletes, including Rusty Nesgiv (San Diego, Calif.), Paul Wassenaar (San Diego, Calif.), and Brooke Crain (Visalia, Calif.). For more infomation on the dominating American performance Down Under, visit the BMX portion of the USA Cycling website, here. Six fully-supported juniors participated in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup at Mont-Saint-Anne last weekend as the USA Cycling All-Star team. Three riders finished in the top 10 of the junior cross country World Cup contest in Canada, including Zach McDonald (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Classic Cycles) who just missed the podium with a sixth-place effort. Seth Kemp (Campobello, S.C./Carolina Cycles) finished ninth, Eric Emsky (Fall City, Wash./Rad Racing) 10th, Wes Lamberson (Limestone, Tenn./Kenda-MTBAndy) 16th, Brae Patten (Boulder, Colo.) 17th and Russell Finsterwald (Colorado Springs, Colo./Front Rangers) 18th against some of the world's best juniors. For complete results from the World Cup event, click here. U23 Six members of the USA Cycling National Development Team program helped the squad finish ninth overall at the 2.12-rated Ronde Van Vlaams Brabant, July 22-27 in Belgium. Cole House (Oneida, Wis./BMC) secured the highest overall individual placement with a 27th-place finish and a top-10 result in stage four in Rotselaar. Daniel Holloway (Lonlord, Calif./Garmin-Holowesko-Felt) also turned in an eighth-place finish in stage two to help lead the young American squad. Click here for more information and complete results from Ronde Van Vlaams Brabant. NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM GRADUATES   Each women's stage winner in last week's Cascade Classic has been a part of USA Cycling Women's National and Development Team programs, including overall winner Evie Stevens (New York, N.Y./Webcor Builders) and the stage five criterium winner, 16-year old Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif./Proman Hit Squad). DEVELOPMENT CAMPS All 11 of USA Cycling's Regional Development camps have wrapped up for 2009. A total of 256 riders participated in the nearly dozen camps set around the country. COMING UP... Some of the nation's top junior riders will be contesting the Liege la Glieze in Belgium, July 30-Aug. 1 in preparation for the UCI Junior Road and Track World Championships which are set for Aug. 7-15 in Moscow, Russia. Seven USA Cycling National Development Team program riders are set to contest the Tour du Namur in Belgium, Aug. 1-5. The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Bromont, Canada takes place Aug. 1-2 with six riders competing in the junior cross country contest as the USA Cycling All-Star squad. The Pan American Road and Track Championships will continue in Mexico City. Photo: Mario Varrewaere www.cycling-pics.be 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 2009-07-27 16:19:01 For more information contact: