Largest Number of Americans to Race at a World Cup Event

Colorado Springs, Colo. (Jan. 11, 2005) - The United States will be represented by the largest American contingent at a World Cup when the Los Angeles edition of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Track Cycling World Cup Classics begins Friday, Jan. 20 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Two UCI track trade teams - TIAA-CREF and SPIKE - will compete alongside the U.S. National team for World Cup titles. The Los Angeles event marks the first international track event in which these additional UCI teams will be competing.

\"The way (the U.S. National Team, SPIKE and TIAA-CREF) have been able to work together as we approach this event is a good sign of things to come,\" said Pat McDonough, director of Track Programs for USA Cycling. Currently the three teams are training at a USA Cycling Camp in Los Angeles to prepare for the World Cup.

U.S. National Team
Kevin Belz (CKR Racing / Irving, Texas)
Michael Blatchford (Veloworx / Cypress, Calif.)
Christian Stahl (CKR Racing / Bethany, Conn.)
Lauren Franges (Victory Brewing / Barto, Pa.)
Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif.)
Tina Pic (Quark Cycling / Dahlonega, Ga.)
Sima Trapp (Subway / Boise, Idaho)
Curtis Gunn (Veloworx / Tucson, Ariz.)
Chad Hartley (TIAA-CREF / Boulder, Colo.)
Josh Kerkhof (Northwestern Mortgage / Fort Worth, Texas)

SPIKE
Jennie Reed
Stephen Alfred
Ben Barczewski
Giddeon Massie
Becky Quinn
Ryan Luttrel
Kevin Suhr

TIAA-CREF
Raashan Bahati
Michael Creed
Michael Friedman
Brad Huff
Danny Pate
Taylor Tolleson

U.S. National Team members were selected from the preliminary Talent Pool comprised of riders who've won a national championship, met the selection procedure time standard or were named to the team by coaching staff. Selection procedures for the Track Talent Pool can be found here.

Points gained in the UCI Track Cycling World Cup have a major bearing on qualification for the World Championships and Olympic Games.

Media credential applications for the event are available online now through USA Cycling.  Media must apply before Jan. 18 to be considered for credentials.

About the World Cup
The three-day event runs Jan. 20-22 and includes five sessions:

Friday, January 20
Session 1: 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Session 2: 6:00 p.m. to 9:25 p.m.

Saturday, January 21
Session 1: 10:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Session 2: 6:00 p.m. to 8:55 p.m.

Sunday, January 22
Session 1: 11:00 a.m. to 2:05 p.m.

Individual tickets start at $18.50 and all-event packages (includes all five sessions) start at just $60.  Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by calling 1-877-AEG-TICKETS, by visiting www.aegtickets.com or through Ticketmaster.  Tickets are also available at The Home Depot Center box office.

Exclusive to USA Cycling members, members may purchase reserved seating for $25 for any session that regularly sells for $30.50.  USA Cycling members may purchase their exclusive offer by visiting www.aegtickets.com/usacycling or by calling 877-234-8425. 

A complete schedule of events can be found at www.uci.ch under \"UCI Track World Cup Website,\" or at http://www.uci.ch/modello.asp?1stLevelID=BB&level1=0&level2=0&idnews=3471. For more information about the UCI Track Cycling World Cup, please visit www.usacycling.org or www.uci.ch.

About USA Cycling
Recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling promotes American cycling through its 54,000 members and 2,000 annual events. USA Cycling associations include the BMX Association (BMX), National Off-Road Bicycle Association (mountain bike), U.S. Cycling Federation (road/track), the National Collegiate Cycling Association and the U.S. Professional Racing Organization (professional men's road). For more information visit www.usacycling.org or contact, USA Cycling Director of Communications, Andy Lee at 719-866-4867.

About The Home Depot Center
The Home Depot Center is southern California's new home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes.  The $150 million privately financed facility was developed and is operated by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez (CSUDH) Hills in Carson, California.  The Home Depot Center features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer, rugby, lacrosse & other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, an 8,000-seat facility for track & field, the ADT Event Center (a 2,450-seat indoor velodrome for cycling) and other facilities for softball, baseball, beach volleyball, basketball and other sports. The Home Depot Center is home to MLS' 2005 MLS and Open Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy and Club Deportivo (CD) Chivas USA.  Named an Official U.S. Olympic Training Site, The Home Depot Center is also home of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) USA Tennis High Performance Training Center as well as the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF).  The complex is the home of The David Beckham Academy for youth soccer, Andre Agassi's Safe Passage All-Stars at-risk youth tennis program and the nationally recognized Athletes' Performance training center for elite and professional athletes.  The Home Depot Center has additionally been designated official training sites for USA Cycling, USA Track & Field and the USTA.

Contacts:
Andy Lee / Jessica Delos Reyes, USA Cycling
(719) 866-4867 / (719) 866-4940

Alison Groendal, The Home Depot Center
(310) 630-2032