USA Cycling names 12 to U.S. BMX World Championships squad

USA Cycling announced Friday the 12 athletes nominated to the team that will represent the United States at the 2011 UCI BMX World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, July 25-31.

After winning the opening Supercross World Cup in South Africa this year, Corben Sharrah(Tucson, Ariz./GT Bicycles) will lead the elite men’s contingent in Denmark. Ranked #2 in the Supercross World Cup standings, Sharrah is the only automatic nomination to the men’s team. Joining Sharrah in elite men’s competition will be four discretionary nominations via the USA Cycling Selection Committee. A two-time Supercross winner, Nicholas Long (Lakeside, Calif./Haro-Rockstar.) was fourth in this year’s USA Cycling BMX National Championships. Another discretionary nomination is David Herman (Wheat Ridge, Colo./Intense BMX) who was seventh at the first Supercross World Cup this season and also the silver medalist at the USA Cycling BMX National Championships. Also competing for the United States as a discretionary nominee is Mike Day (San Diego, Calif./GT-Red Bull), the top-ranked American at the Supercross World Cup race in Papendal, Netherlands placing ninth. Another discretionary nominee, Connor Fields (Henderson, Nev./Chase BMX), who was the highest-ranked U.S. rider in the world in 2010, is coming back from a knee injury. Day and Fields are promising time trial performers, a new UCI medal event.

The elite women’s squad will be led by two automatic nominations: Alise Post (St. Cloud, Minn./Redline Bicycles) and Arielle Martin (Spanaway, Wash./Intense BMX). Post earned her start spot by virtue of her bronze medal finish at last year’s world championships while Martin grabbed her automatic invite as the ninth-ranked woman in the Supercross World Cup rankings. The pair will be joined by discretionary nominees Amanda Carr (Punta Gorda, Fla./Endeavor-Rip XX Racing) and Amanda Geving (Largo, Fla./MCS-Troy Lee Designs). Carr made it to the main in the Frejus Supercross World Cup event last October and she currently leads the USA Cycling Power Rankings. Geving showed her promise by making it to the finals during the Madrid and Chula Vista Supercross World Cups last year.

In junior men’s competition, Rusty Nesvig (San Diego, Calif./Factory Intense) will be the lone rider for the U.S. National team. The reigning national champ, Nesvig grabbed a discretionary nomination as the top-ranked junior male in the USA Cycling power rankings.

In junior women’s racing, two automatic nominations will comprise the U.S. contingent: Brooke Crain (Visalia, Calif./Haro-Rockstar) andDani George (Palmdale, Calif./Supercross BMX). Crain was the silver medalist in last year’s junior women’s world championship race and George is currently ranked 20th in the overall Supercross World Cup standings.

Stay tuned to www.usacycling.org for complete coverage of all the action during the UCI BMX World Championships in Copenhagen, July 25-31.