Nebraska Cycling News

Twenty-eight titles up for grabs in Providence; Entries climb 14 percent over 2005

Colorado Springs, Colo. (December 12, 2006) -- The 2006 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships will kick off this weekend with a record-breaking 1,940 entrants. Riders will converge on Providence, Rhode Island for the second year in a row to fight for 28 national titles in this unique discipline of cycling that can best be described as one-third mountain bike, one-third road cycling and one-third steeplechase.

The nearly 2,000 riders expected to make their way to Providence’s Roger Williams Park represent a 14-percent increase over the 2005 edition which saw 1,700 entrants and a 41-percent growth compared to 2004.

Racing will kick off Friday and crown 14 master national champions. Saturday will include junior racing, the U23 and collegiate women’s events, and the U23 men’s contest before an elite men’s field of nearly 150 riders takes center stage.  Competition will close Sunday with the collegiate men’s and elite women’s races. Two non-national championship categories – the class-B events and the Pro-Elite Cup – will also be contested Sunday.

Known as the “Jewel of Providence,” Roger Williams Park will serve as a battleground for world-class racing and top-level talent from all over the country in the fastest-growing discipline of competitive cycling in the United States.

Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./GT-Hyundai) will look to defend his 2005 elite men’s title, but he’ll have to hold off attacks from some dangerous opponents. Hoping to add another win to an already successful season will be Kona rider Ryan Trebon (Ventura, Calif.) who is the current Mountain Bike National Champion and overall winner of the 2006 U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross series (USGP). USGP overall runner-up Tim Johnson (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) will also present Wells with some tough competition, as will perennial ‘cross powerhouses Adam Craig (Bend, Ore./Giant) Mark McCormack (Northeaston, Mass./Clif Bar), Barry Wicks (Corvallis, Ore./Kona), and Jonathan Page (Northfield, N.H./Cervelo).  Even though Wells is the defending champ, a top-ten finish for Trebon at last weekend’s Superprestige in Belgium suggests he will be marked as the man to beat. 

Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Spike-Primus Mootry) will line up as the two-time defending champion in the 81-rider elite women’s field. To take the win for a third year in a row, she’ll need to be stronger than other primary contenders like Anne Knapp (Seattle, Wash./Kona), Dorothy Wong (Altadena, Calif./Figueroa Farms-Redline-MS Society) and Georgia Gould (Ketchum, Idaho/Luna), who is the reigning Mountain Bike National Champion and second-place finisher in this year’s USGP Series.

The presenting sponsor of the 2006 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships is California Giant Berry Farms, a family-owned company that grows and ships over 14 million trays of berries annually. The company also supports the California Giant Strawberry cycling team which will send eight riders to Providence this weekend.

For more event information, please visit www.cyclocrossnationals.com.

Race reports will be available at www.usacycling.org after each day of racing.

2006 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships

Providence, R.I.

December 15-17

Event Schedule

Friday, Dec. 15

7:30: Open Course

8:30: Master Women (40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55+)

9:30: Master Men (50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65+)

10:30: Master Women (30-34, 35-39)

11:30: Master Men (45-49)

12:30: Open Course, Awards

13:00: Master Men (40-44)

14:00: Master Men (35-39)

15:00: Master Men (30-34)

16:00: Closed Course, Awards

Saturday, Dec. 16

7:30: Open Course

8:30: Junior Women (Under 12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18)

9:30: Junior Men (10-12, 13-14, 15-16)

10:30: Women (U23, Collegiate)

11:30: Junior Men (17-18)

12:30: Open Course, Awards

13:00: Men (U23)

14:00: Elite Men

15:00: Closed Course, Awards

Sunday, Dec. 17

7:30: Open Course

8:30: Women Category B

9:30: Men U35 Category B Race

10:30: Men 35+ Category B Race

11:30: Men (Collegiate)

13:00: The Giant Strawberry Cup

14:00: Elite Women

15:00: Closed Course, Awards