Bike World News

Cycling news, race results, new products, fitness, maintenance and more

USA Cycling News Update – November 19, 2008

November 20th, 2008 by Ron Callahan 222 views No Comment

USA Cycling sent out a news update. Here are some of the highlights:

The recent growth trends of participation in competitive cycling are continuing as USA Cycling this week exceeded 63,200 members for the 2008 season – an increase of nearly 2.7% compared to this week last year. USA Cycling finished the 2007 season with 61,564 licenses sold. Currently, mountain bike license sales are up over 2.6% while Road, Track and Cyclo-cross license sales are up nearly 3.6%.
Applications for USA Cycling’s Club of the Year are now available on-line here and special award applications are also available, here. USA Cycling’s “Club of the Year” Awards are designed to recognize USA Cycling clubs that have made exceptional efforts to develop programs and promote all aspects of competitive cycling. Overall Club of the Year awards will be given in three different divisions along with several special awards. All applications must be postmarked by Friday, December 5. Winning clubs will be announced on December 15 and will be featured on the USA Cycling website. For more information on how to apply, click here.
The inaugural USA Cycling National Racing Calendar (NRC) Promoter Summit was conducted Nov. 14-16 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs as 32 individuals representing 23 events on the 2009 NRC converged to share their thoughts regarding the nation’s premier Pro-Am road racing calendar.
The first-ever USA Cycling Mountain Bike Summit went off Nov. 14-16 in Colorado Springs with the simple goal of providing a forum for industry stakeholders to share ideas. The three-day conference offered a variety of industry members the opportunity to collectively meet and discuss direction and changes within the sport, share best practices and develop initiatives to advance mountain bike racing in the United States.
The second of five 2008-09 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics is set for Nov. 20-22 in Melbourne, Austrailia. For more information on the track World Cup Classics, including results and standings, click here. When available, start lists and results will be posted here.
USA Cycling has announced a revamped track program designed primarily to expand international track racing opportunities for emerging talent. With an emphasis on cultivating the next generation of U.S. track riders, the program will closely align itself with existing European-based development programs currently utilized by USA Cycling and provide increased exposure to world-class competition at various non-traditional events. Click here to read more on USA Cycling’s revitalized track program.
The United States Olympic Committee announced BMX cyclist Donny Robinson (Napa, Cailf.) as its male Athlete of the Month for October. Robinson won the overall 2008 UCI Supercross BMX World Cup title in October.
The third UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup event went off Nov. 9 in Pijnacker, Netherlands. In 29th place, Jonathan Page (Northfield, N.H.) was the only American finisher in the elite men’s field, 5:12 behind first-place-finisher Lars Boom of the Netherlands. Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Spike Shooter) returned to the international racing scene with a bang, taking second to Germany’s Hanka Kupfernagel by only eight seconds in the elite women’s contest.
The fourth of nine UCI Cyclo-cross World Cups will go off in Koksijde, Belgium on November 29. For more information on the 2009 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cups, click here.
On the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Calendar, Christopher Jones (New Haven, Ct.) earned the pro men’s victory while Rachel Lloyd (Fairfax, Calif.) took the women’s pro win at the Dam ‘Cross on Nov. 9 in Los Angeles.
The USGP of Cyclo-cross – Mercer Park I and II marked the 26th and 27th races on the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Calendar on Nov. 15 and 16. Tim Johnson (Middleton, Mass./Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale) earned the men’s pro victory in the first of the pair of category-one races, while Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./GT) came out on top of Sunday’s muddy affair. Teammates Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna) and Katerina Nash (Truckee, Calif./Luna) went one-two in both of the pro women’s events held in West Windsor, N.J. Click here for complete results.
The USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships will mark the final national championship event of 2008. Click here for more on the race set for Dec. 11-14 in Kansas City. The marquee event in domestic cyclo-cross racing will begin with the B and masters men 55 and over races on Thursday, Dec. 11. The event will continue throughout the weekend on a brand new course in Kansas City’s Tiffany Springs Park with the collegiate and elite competitions highlighting Sunday’s final day of competition. Click here for a complete schedule of the event and here to visit the official race website.