Dear USA Cycling Member,

Now that the 2008 competitive cycling season is in full swing, I know many of you are already thinking about this season’s USA Cycling Junior, U23 and Elite Road National Championships.  Scheduled for Aug. 6-10 in Anaheim, Calif., this year’s edition will once again crown national champions in time trial, road race, and criterium events.

Based on valuable feedback from our members, USA Cycling has implemented several changes in order to create a better experience for our athletes.  Some of these changes include the elimination of field size limits and the addition of qualifying heats if necessary, the implementation of on-site registration and race-day packet pick-up, a refund option in case your plans change, and an escalating registration fee structure.

The following guidelines provide all of you with the information you need to experience an enjoyable and successful event.  Please take a moment to read the below eligibility requirements, registration guidelines and general rules.

In the next few weeks, USA Cycling will publish a daily event schedule, course maps and profiles and additional information pertaining to the 2008 USA Cycling Junior, U23 and Elite Road National Championships.  Should you have any further questions related to the event, please don’t hesitate to contact the National Events Department of USA Cycling at 719-866-4581 or e-mail USA Cycling National Events Manager Tom Vinson at tvinson@usacycling.org.

Good luck in 2008!

Yours in Cycling,

Steve Johnson

CEO, USA Cycling

2008 USA CYCLING JUNIOR, U23 AND ELITE ROAD NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

ELIGIBILITY, RULES & REGISTRATION GUIDELINES

LICENSE REQUIREMENTS

1.       ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST HAVE A CURRENT & VALID USA CYCLING LICENSE WITH THE PROPER CATEGORY AT THE TIME OF REGISTRATION. Only riders who have a current and valid USA Cycling license will be allowed to register. Riders must also be licensed for the category in which they are attempting to register. If you do not have a current and valid USA Cycling license, the easiest way to obtain one is via the USA Cycling website at www.usacycling.org. You may purchase, renew and/or request a category upgrade online on your My USA Cycling page.

 

ELIGIBILITY

1. At the time of registration, all participants in the USA Cycling Junior, U23 and Elite Road National Championships MUST meet the minimum required category for the respective races according to the 2008 USA Cycling Rulebook. Riders attempting to register for a race without having the required category will be removed from the registration list with no refund provided.

 

2. All participants in the 2008 Junior, U23 and Elite Road National Championships MUST be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident depending upon the category as outlined below:

 

a.       Junior 10-16: Participants MUST be either a U.S. Citizen OR permanent resident

b.      Junior 17-18: Participants MUST be a U.S. Citizen

c.       U23: Participants MUST be a U.S. Citizen

d.      Elite: Participants MUST be a U.S. Citizen

 

3. U23 athletes who are on a UCI ProTour roster are not eligible to compete at the USA Cycling Junior, U23 and Elite Road National Championships.

 

4. Men over the race age of 22 who are members of any UCI-registered trade team (ProTour, Professional Continental, Continental) are not eligible to compete at the USA Cycling Junior, U23 and Elite Road National Championships.

 

5. Age Group/Category Participation:

 

a. Junior 10-16 participants MUST race in their respective age groups, subject to category restrictions

b. Junior 17-18 participants MAY race in both their age group and/or the Elite races, subject to category restrictions

c. U23 participants MAY race in both their age group and/or the Elite races, subject to category restrictions.

REGISTRATION

1. PARTICPANTS MAY ONLY REGISTER ONE START SPOT PER ATHLETE. Riders are allowed to register one start spot per athlete, per race. Start spots are not allowed to be held, sold or otherwise transferred to other riders at a later time.

 

2. REGISTRATION FOR THE 2008 USA CYCLING JUNIOR, U23 AND ELITE ROAD NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS WILL OPEN 60 DAYS PRIOR TO THE FIRST DAY OF THE EVENT. Online registration for the 2008 edition will open at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 7 at www.sportsbaseonline.com. Please note: In 2008 USA Cycling has introduced an open registration process with NO MAXIMUM FIELD SIZE LIMIT and the option of running heats if warranted by the number of registrants. The determination of whether or not heats are necessary will be made by USA Cycling officials following the close of online registration and all affected participants will be notified by e-mail. Online registration will close at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 1.

 

3. In an attempt to encourage members to register for the event early, USA Cycling has implemented a LATE ONLINE REGISTRATION period. The late online registration period will begin two weeks prior to the close of online registration at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 18. Members who register online after this time will incur an additional $25.00 late registration fee PER RACE in addition to the original registration fee.

 

4. Also, in an attempt to allow as many competitors as possible to register for the event, USA Cycling will also allow late on-site registration. Participants may register for the 2008 USA Cycling Junior, U23 and Elite Road National Championships up until one day prior to their respective race. All on-site registration must be completed by the close of registration the day BEFORE your race. Please note: All on-site registrants will incur a 100% increase in the original registration fee.

 

5. USA Cycling will accommodate refund requests up until two weeks prior to the opening of on-site registration. Refunds will no longer be considered after 12:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, July 22. All refunds are subject to a 20% processing fee.

 

6. Packet Pick-up/On-site Registration will be available every day throughout the event at the host hotel (Hilton Anaheim Convention Center). There will be specific times designated each day. USA Cycling encourages participants to pick up their race packets during these times. In order to pick up your packet, you MUST present your valid USA Cycling license at packet pick-up/registration. Additional on-site packet pick-up will be available at the start line each day, subject to a $20.00 late fee.

 

IMPORTANT REGISTRATION DATES

Sat., June 7 (12:00 p.m. EDT): Online Registration Opens at www.sportsbaseonline.com

Fri., July 18 (12:00 p.m. EDT): Late Online Registration Period Begins ($25 late fee charged)

Tues., July 22 (12:00 p.m. EDT): Refunds No Longer Granted

Fri., Aug. 1 (12:00 p.m. EDT): Online Registration Closes

Tues., Aug. 5: On-Site Registration Begins (100% increase in registration fee)

RULES

1. NEW FOR 2008 USA CYCLING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: For all National Championships for riders ages 17 and up (i.e., junior 17-18, U23, elite, and masters), all bikes must be UCI legal. For any questions regarding bike measurements please click here. 

 

2. Individual Time Trials are open to ALL categories – men’s categories 1-5 and women’s categories 1-4.

 

3. ROAD RACE RULES:

·         The Junior 10-14 men’s and Junior 10-18 women’s road races are open to ALL categories

·         The Junior 15-18 men’s road races are restricted to category 1-3 participants only

·         The U23 women’s road race is restricted to category 1-3 participants only

·         The U23 men’s road race is restricted to category 1-2 participants only

·         The Elite women’s road race is restricted to category 1-2 participants only

·         The Elite men’s road race is restricted to category 1 participants only

 

4. CRITERIUM RULES:

·         The Junior 10-14 men’s and Junior 10-18 women’s criteriums are open to ALL categories

·         The Junior 15-18 men’s criteriums are restricted to category 1-3 participants only

·         The U23 women’s criteriums is restricted to category 1-3 participants only

·         The U23 men’s criteriums is restricted to category 1-2 participants only

 

LODGING

 

The Hilton Anaheim Convention Center will serve as the official race hotel. Other area accommodations are available through the event’s housing website at: www.gettravel.com/sports/USACycling/

Fort Collins, Colo.  – The 2008 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships concluded on Sunday as Lees McRae College claimed the overall Division I team title and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology won the overall Division II team championship. Eight individual titles were also awarded on Sunday as the three-day event closed with criterium racing in Old Town Fort Collins. 

 

Lees-McRaeamassed 473 points to take the national title home to Banner Elk, N.C. Rival Fort Lewis College finished in second (424) and host Rams of Colorado State University (362) earned the third spot. After winning the women’s DII team time trial and placing fourth in the men’s race against the clock, MIT never looked back, using a balanced attack to score 394 points and win the DII team title. Last year’s runner-up Dartmouth (365) repeated their performance, while 2007 winner Western Washington University (341) finished third. Overall team titles were awarded based point contributions from both men’s and women’s squads in the team time trial, road race and criterium contests. 

 

A pair of Lees-McRae riders, Andrew Talansky and Carla Swart captured the individual Division I overall titles while Craig Leukens (Yale University) and Devon Haskell (University of Chicago) rode to overall wins in the Division II standings.

 

Both first time collegiate road omnium national champions, Talansky and Swart used road race wins and top ten finishes in Sunday’s criterium to propel them to the overall individual honor and help their team to the title. Leukens, a recent Yale Divinity School graduate, was able to run away with the men’s DII overall title after a second place finish in the road race and a criterium victory. The DII women’s individual omnium race was much tighter with Haskell and Kendi Thomas (Whitman College) technically tying with 304 points apiece. With the number of first-place finishes acting as the tie breaker, Haskell was awarded the stars-and-stripes jersey due to her win in Saturday’s road race competition.

 

Four individual criterium national championships were also awarded on Sunday with the DI women once again starting things off in Old Town Fort Collins. With the incredibly tight omnium competition going into the race, the top schools were scraping for every point, providing animation from the start in the 60-minute contest. Several top riders from leading schools Lees-McRae College and Fort Lewis College pushed the front, but it was Michigan’s Julie Bellerose and Harvard’s Anna McLoon who were able to get away halfway through the race. Although numerous attacks were mounted no one team took initiative to chase the leaders and Bellerose was able to outsprint McLoon to win the national championship ahead of a surging field. Swart and her Lees-McRae teammate, Kasey Manderfield were able to win the field sprint to earn valuable points for third and fourth places. Fort Lewis College was able to earn points for sixth place as Kristin McGrath finished just behind Colorado State University’s Amanda Miller in fifth.  

 

“I felt pretty good, so I thought I’d try to get away,” explained Bellerose. “We could hear the splits, so knowing how close the field was we were working together with around 20-30 second pulls.”

 

Dartmouth took the points for both first and third after the DII women’s race came down to a field sprint to the finish. After being fairly quiet all day, Jen Stebbins (Dartmouth) turned it on in the finishing stretch to win the criterium national championship. Whitman’s Kendi Thomas, repeated last year’s performance, pulling in second, while Eve McNeal (Dartmouth) took third. The powerful MIT squad was however able to put two riders inside the top 10, helping assure them the DII team omnium national championship.

 

Colorado State University’s own Phil Mann was able to repeat on last year’s performance in the DI men’s criterium by winning the field sprint to the finish. Despite several breakaway attempts nearly the entire field remained in tact on the technical eight-turn course. Steve Scholzen (University of Wisconsin – Madison) was barely taken at the line by Mann to earn second while last year’s road race champion Alex Boyd (Midwestern University) took third. Road race and omnium champion Talansky was able to pull off a ninth-place finish and lock down the overall team omnium for Lees-McRae.

 

A mid-race breakaway filled with powerhouse riders was the story of the DII men’s criterium. With Furman, Dartmouth and Yale putting two-riders in the break, team tactics were on display.  A pair of groups were able to bridge up to the leaders, making a strong 14-man break. Even on the tough, technical course the group was able to stay away with Leukens turning it up on the last lap to take the stars-and stripes jersey.

 

“The course was very exciting,” said Leukens, who was able to bridge up to the front mid-way through the race. “We weren’t sure if a break could stay away with all the turns, but they were killing it so I knew I had to go.” 

 

In addition to the stars-and stripes national championship jerseys and the medals presented to all podium finishers, the USA Cycling Development Foundation will contribute a total of $5,000 to the top three programs in the final Division I and Division II team standings. As part the USA Cycling Collegiate Performance Awards program, Lees-McRae College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will each receive $1,200, while runner-ups Fort Lewis and Dartmouth College will each receive $800 and Colorado State University and Western Washington University will each receive $500. Awards are provided to the collegiate club budget to be used for operational and developmental purposes. The winning teams were also awarded numerous prizes, including performance glasses courtesy of Habervision.

 

 

2008 USA Cycling Collegiate Road Nationals

May 9-11

Fort Collins, Colo.

 

For complete results, click here.

To view photos from the event, click here.

 

Division I Men’s Criterium

1. Phil Mann (Colorado State University) 1:26.55

2. Steve Scholzen (University of Wisconsin – Madison) s.t.

3. Alex Boyd (Midwestern State University) s.t.

4. Joshua Lipka (University of New Hampshire) s.t.

5. Rodney Santiago (Pennsylvania State University) s.t.

 

Division I Women’s Criterium

1. Julie Bellerose (University of Michigan) 57:06.5

2. Anna McLoon (Harvard University) s.t.

3. Kasey Manderfield (Lees-McRae College) +42.7

4. Carla Swart (Lees-McRae College) s.t.

5. Amanda Miller (Colorado State University) s.t. 

 

Division II Men’s Criterium

1. Craig Leukens (Yale University) 1:14:37

2. Spencer Beamer (Furman University) s.t.

3. Thomas Brown (Emory University) s.t.

4. Jason Sears (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) s.t.

5. Zak Grabowski (Colorado School of Mines) s.t.

 

Division II Women’s Criterium

1. Jen Stebbins (Dartmouth College) 58:26.4

2. Kendi Thomas (Whitman) s.t.

3. Eve McNeill (Dartmouth) s.t.

4. Devon Haskell (University of Chicago) s.t.

5. Tela Crane (Western Washington University) s.t.

 

Division I Overall Results

1. Lees-McRae College 473

2. Fort Lewis College 424

3. Colorado State University 362

4. University of California – Davis 342

5. Stanford University 290

 

Division II Overall Results

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 394

2. Dartmouth College 365

3. Western Washington University 341

4. Colorado School of Mines 320

5. Yale University 283

 

Division I Men’s Overall Results

1. Andrew Talansky (Lees McRae College) 244

2. Phillip Mann (Colorado State University) 223

3. Steve Scholzen (University of Wisconsin – Madison) 220

4. Joshua Lipka (University of New Hampshire) 208

5. Alex Boyd (Midwestern State University) 191

 

Division I Women’s Overall Results

1. Carla Swart (Lees-McRae College) 281

2. Anna McLoon (Harvard University) 226

3. Julie Bellerose (University of Michigan) 209

4. Amanda Miller (Colorado State University) 208

5. Amy Dombroski (Fort Lewis College) 205

 

Division II Men’s Overall Standings

1. Craig Leukens (Yale University) 310

2. Chris Butler (Furman University) 259

3. Zak Grabowski (Colorado School of Mines) 242

4. Ben Showman (United States Military Academy) 211

5. Spencer Beamer (Furman University) 202

 

DII Women’s Overall Results

1. Devon Haskell (University of Chicago) 304

2. Kendi Thomas (Whitman College) 304

3. Jen Stebbins (Dartmouth College) 254

4. Martha Buckley (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 217

5. Eve McNeill (Dartmouth College) 186

 

 

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.   

 

Yoga makes good athletes better!  This time-honored discipline imparts flexibility, balance, and whole-body strength, creating improvements in an athlete’s form, efficiency, and power.  And though there have been yoga options for endurance minded athletes for the last couple of years, there hasn’t been a product that was up to the standards of the most trusted name in video training, Endurance Films.

 

“If the endurance world is embracing Yoga, they might as well have a product created by a seasoned endurance athlete and coach that knows how to work the two styles of training together.  We knew we found that person when we met Sage Rountree.” says producer Eric Feller.



"The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga" is designed and narrated by Sage Rountree, author of the book of the same name. Sage is an endurance athlete, a Registered Yoga Teacher, and a coach with certifications from USA Triathlon and USA Cycling. She has created a program to fit specifically within the base, build, and peak cycles of endurance training.  And using the interactive menu, the viewer can choose from three preset sequences or can completely customize their routine by choosing from a list of twenty stand alone segments. 



“An athlete’s training needs are in constant change. To address this we’ve made the DVD menu such that each person can tailor their workouts from 2 minutes to 2 hours and focus on their specific needs for that day.” Sage continues saying, “It was a lot more effort to make the DVD like this but ultimately it will serve our customers well.  I’m proud of what we’ve done here.”



Sage appears in the video with her students Laurence Wilkinson, a tennis pro and adventure racer who demonstrates modifications for beginners, and Dan Lehman, an Ironman triathlete who shows deeper expressions of the poses.  Both students are USAT certified coaches as well.

The DVD currently lists for $29.95 and can be found at www.endurancefilms.com.

……………………………………………

Sage Rountree runs a successful career in blending yoga and endurance sports coaching in Chapel Hill, NC.  You can learn more about her practice at www.sagerountree.com.



Endurance Films, Inc. is a full service digital video production company focusing on the production and worldwide distribution of endurance and extreme sports video entertainment. 

For more information visit www.endurancefilms.com