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Eighteen-Year Old Captures Second Straight Elite Individual Pursuit Championship

Carson, Calif. (October 4, 2008) Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo./Garmin-Chipotle) set a new track record in the men's 4,000-meter individual pursuit and won his third national title of the week on Friday at the 2008 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships at the ADT Event Center veldorome at The Home Depot Center.

Phinney clocked a time of 4 minutes, 23.514 seconds in the qualifying round to establish the new record before beating Daniel Harm (Seattle, Wash./Broadmark) in the gold medal final to win his second consecutive elite title in the individual pursuit and complement his kilometer time trial and team pursuit titles from earlier in the week.

Third-place finisher Julian Kyer (Lyons, Colo./RMCEF Racing) took the bronze medal ahead of Daniel Lionberg (Fort Collins, Colo./Colorado State University) and also earned the U23 national championship.

In the women's 3,000-meter individual pursuit, Kimberly Geist (Emmaus, Pa./Metro Volkswagen) claimed the national title over Alison Powers (Boulder, Colo./Colavita-Sutter Home). Powers qualified first with a mark of 3:50.496, but fell to Geist in the head-to-head final by less than a half second. Geist, 21, was also awarded the U23 championship.

In the race for the bronze medal, Shannon Koch (Flower Mound, Texas/Metro Volkswagen) beat Annette Williams (Kenmore, Wash./Avanti).

The men's and women's scratch races were also contested as Daniel Holloway (Boulder, Colo./Garmin-Chipotle) and Shelley Olds (Los Gatos, Calif./Proman Paradigm) claimed victory. Holloway lapped the field in his 15-kilometer race to secure the men's title as Kenny Williams (Kenmore, Wash./First Rate Mortgage) and Cody O'Reilly (Santa Barbara, Calif./Successful Living) finished second and third overall. In the women's race, Olds outsprinted Kacey Manderfield (Davisburg, Mich./Verducci Breakaway Racing) and Rebecca Quinn (Carlsbad, Calif./Southbay Wheelmen) in the 15-kilometer contest to take the win.

After the men's match sprint field was pared down to the final four on Thursday, Jimmy Watkins (Bakersfield, Calif./Momentum) beat Stephen Hill (Winston, Ga./East Point Track Club) in two straight rides to claim the gold medal while Lanell Rockmore (Bethlehem, Pa./Gotham Cycling) was awarded the bronze. Michael Blatchford (Cypress, Calif./Cody Racing) withdrew before his semifinal match against Hill due to a lingering injury but was still awarded the U23 title.

In the final title decided on Friday, Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo./Proman-Paradigm) won the women's keirin over runner-up Dana Feiss (Telford, Pa./Tri State Velo) and Cristin Walker (Houston, Texas/Northwest Cycling Club).

The 2008 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships continue on Saturday evening with national titles up for grabs in the elite men's keirin and the elite and U23 women's match sprint.

2008 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships

October 1 - 5, Carson, California

Men's Individual Pursuit
1. Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo.)
2. Daniel Harm (Seattle, Wash.)
3. Julian Kyer (Lyons, Colo.) 4:46.696*
*U23 National Champion

Women's Individual Pursuit
1. Kimberly Geist (Emmaus, Pa.) 3:52.826*
2. Alison Powers (Boulder, Colo.) 3:53.211
3. Shannon Koch (Flower Mound, Texas) 3:58.789
*U23 National Champion

Men's Scratch Race
1. Daniel Holloway (Boulder, Colo.)
2. Kenny Williams (Kenmore, Wash.)
3. Cody O'Reilly (Santa Barbara, Calif.)

Women's Scratch Race
1. Shelly Olds (Los Gatos, Calif.)
2. Kacey Manderfield (Davisburg, Mich.)
3. Rebecca Quinn (Carlsbad, Calif.)

Men's Sprint
1. Jimmy Watkins (Bakersfield, Calif.)
2. Stephen Hill (Winston, Ga.)
3. Lanell Rockmore (Bethlehem, Pa.) 4. Michael Blatchford (Cypress, Calif.)*
*U23 National Champion

Women's Keirin
1. Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo.)
2. Dana Feiss (Telford, Pa.)
3. Cristin Walker (Houston, Texas)

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.

Contact:
Andy Lee
(Tel.) 719.866.4867
(Mobile) 719.231.2041
(E-mail) alee@usacycling.org
(Website) www.usacycling.org