Home Depot Center News

Phinney Claims Second National Championship of the Week

Four more national champions were determined Thursday as the 2008 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships continued at the ADT Event Center at The Home Depot Center with team pursuit and women's 500-meter time trial contests.

In the men's 4,000-meter team pursuit, Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo.) claimed his second national title of the week when he teamed up with Garmin-Chipotle teammates David Koesel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.), Daniel Holloway (Boulder, Colo.) and Colby Pearce (Boulder, Colo.) to clock a winning time of 4:21.047. On Wednesday, Phinney also scored a Stars-and-Stripes jersey in the men's kilometer time trial.

In the women's 3,000-meter individual pursuit, the Metro VW Cycling Team of Kimberly Geist (Emmaus, Pa.), Alison Powers (Boulder, Colo.) and Shannon Koch (Flower Mound, Texas) rode a 3:43.959 to earn the national title.

Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo./Proman-Paradigm) won the elite women's 500-meter time trial national title with a winning mark of 36.781 seconds, besting runner-up Liz Reap-Carlson (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Verducci Breakaway) by a mere .07 of a second and third-place finisher Anna Lang (La Jolla, Calif./Aaron's).

As the highest-placed U23 in the standings in sixth, Cristin Walker (Houston, Texas) was awarded the U23 national title in the 500-meter time trial after posting a time of 37.745.

In other competition on Thursday, Jimmy Watkins (Bakersfield, Calif./Momentum), Lanell Rockmore (Bethlehem, Pa./Gotham Cycling), Stephen Hill (Winston, Ga./East Point Track Club) and Michael Blatchford (Cypress, Calif.) all advanced to the semifinals of the men's sprint. Watkins and Rockmore will square off on Friday in a best-of-three head-to-head format for a spot in the finals while Hill and Blatchford will do the same.

On Friday, national titles will be awarded in the men's elite and U23 match sprint, the men's and women's elite and U23 individual pursuit, the women's keirin, and the men's and women's scratch race.

2008 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships
Carson, Calif.
Oct. 1-5:

Men's Team Pursuit
1. Garmin-Chipotle (David Koesel, Taylor Phinney, Daniel Holloway, Colby Pearce) 4:21.047
2. First Rate Mortgage (Kenny Williams, Roman Kilun, James Stangeland, Daniel Harm) 4:30.163
3. Team Colorado (Zach Watson, Daniel Lionberg, Ian Burnett, Julian Kyer) 4:34.384

Women's Team Pursuit
1. Metro VW Cycling (Kimberly Geist, Alison Powers, Shannon Koch) 3:43.959
2. Proman Racing (Shelley Olds, Christen King, Megan Guarnier) 3:45.370
3. Southbay Wheelmen (Kelli Jones, Morgan Kapp, Jennifer Reither) 3:51.976

Women's 500-Meter Time Trial
1. Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo.) 36.781
2. Liz Reap-Carslon (Jim Thorpe, Pa.) 36.858
3. Anna Lang (La Jolla, Calif.) 37.066
6. Cristin Walker (Houston, Texas) 37.745*

*U23 National Champion

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