Nebraska Cycling News

Three Americans Record Top Five Finishes on First Day of Competition

BEIJING, China - The second round of the 2007-08 UCI Track World Cup Classics kicked off on the Olympic track in west Beijing's Laoshan Velodrome Friday as 15 Americans were in action on the first day of the three-day competition.

After qualifying third, two-time defending world champion Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif./Ouch Pro Cycling) went on to take the bronze medal in the women's 3-kilometer individual pursuit. After recording a qualifying time of three minutes, 37.682 seconds, Hammer went on to defeat Switzerland's Karin Thurig in the evening's bronze-medal ride.  Hammer's bronze medal winning time of three minutes, 37.112 seconds gave the U.S. its best result of the day.  

After qualifying first with a 3:35.181, Australia's Katie Mactier beat second-seeded Rebecca Romero (GBR) in the head-to-head gold medal final for the victory.

In her second-career UCI Track World Cup, Dotsie Bausch (Irvine, Calif./Colavita-Sutter Home-Cooking Light) placed 18th overall in the pursuit with a qualifying time of 3:45.853.  Neva Day (Manhattan Beach, Calif./South Bay Wheelmen) and Kele Murdin (Kenmore, Wash./Proman Racing) also rode the individual pursuit, finishing 31st and 32nd respectively.   

In the men's 4-kilometer individual pursuit, the sole American competitor, 17-year-old Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo./Slipstream-Chipotle) just missed the podium, finishing fourth overall.  Again lowering his personal best with a time of 4:24.364, Phinney qualified fourth to move on to the evening's bronze medal ride. Facing off against Russia's Alexander Serov, Phinney recorded a time of 4:26.349, falling by just over one tenth of a second to earn fourth place. Phinney, the reigning junior time trial world champion and member of USA Cycling's junior national team, earned an elite national title in the pursuit in his first-ever track race in October with a 4:35.550.

In the gold medal ride, Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain recorded a time of 4:25.316 to win the gold over runner-up Volodymyr Dyudya (UKR). 

In the women's 10-kilometer scratch race - a non-Olympic event - Becky Quinn (Quakertown, Pa./South Bay Wheelmen) finished fifth to give the U.S. another top-five performance on opening day. Four additional Americans including Murdin, Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, Mich./Verducci Breakaway Racing), Christen King (Huntington Beach, Calif./South Bay Wheelmen) and Shelley Olds (Saratoga, Calif./Proman Racing), failed to qualify for the final round. 

The Netherland's Marianne Vos sprinted to the scratch race win over runner-up Belinda Goss (AUS) and third-place finisher Yumari Valdivieso (CUB).

In the women's sprint, Jennie Reed (Kirkland, Wash./Momentum) qualified fifteenth with a flying 200-meter time of 11.542 seconds to advance to the 1/8 finals where she won her head-to-head match over Simona Krupeckaite (LTU).  In the ensuing quarterfinals, Reed was relegated in the first of three battles with Clara Sanchez (FRA) and dropped the next race, ending her hopes of a medal.  In the four-woman race to decide fifth through eighth place, Reed out sprinted Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez (CUB), but finished behind Shuang Guo (CHN) and Willy Kanis (NED) to place seventh overall. 

Also in the women's sprint, Liz Reap (Jim Thorpe, Pa./T-Town Express) clocked a qualifying time of 11.804 seconds to finish 24th overall. 

After ousting Reed from medal contention, Sanchez went on to claim the bronze, while Natallia Tsylinskaya (RUS) won the gold over Victoria Pendleton (GBR).

With nearly 50 athletes entered in the men's points race, a top-eight finish in one of three qualifying heats was necessary just to make the finals - a feat that none of the four Americans entered accomplished.  In the first heat, David McCook (Mountain View, Calif./Proman) placed 11th.  Colby Pearce (Boulder, Colo./Cody Racing) and Kenny Williams (Kenmore, Wash./Cody Racing) placed 11th and 17th respectively in the second heat and  Bobby Lea (Mertztown, Pa./Toyota-United) was 17th in the third heat.

In the men's 30-kilometer points race final, Joan Rossello of Spain scored 60 points to win the gold medal ahead of Great Britain's Chris Newton (54) and Australia's Cameron Meyer (53).   

2007 UCI Track World Cup Classics

#2 - Beijing, China

Day One Results:

Women's 3-kilometer Individual Pursuit

1. Katie Mactier (AUS) 3:37.620

2. Rebecca Romero (GBR) 3:40.528

3. Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif.) 3:37.112

18. Dotsie Bausch (Irvine, Calif.) 3:45.853

31. Neva Day (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) 3:56.742

32. Kele Murdin (Kenmore, Wash.) 3:57.644

Men's 4-kilometer Individual Pursuit

1. Bradley Wiggins (GBR) 4:25.316

2. Volodymyr Dyudya (UKR) 4:25.847

3. Alexander Serov (RUS) 4:26.240

4. Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo.) 4:26.349

Women's 10-kilometer Scratch Race

1. Marianne Vos (NED)

2. Belinda Goss (AUS)

3. Yumari Gonzalez (CUB)

5. Becky Quinn (Quakertown, Pa.)

DNQ. Murdin

DNQ. Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, Mich.)

DNQ. Christen King (Huntington Beach, Calif.)

DNQ. Shelley Olds (Saratoga, Calif.)

Women's Sprint

1. Natallia Tsylinskaya (RUS)

2. Victoria Pendleton (GBR)

3. Clara Sanchez (FRA)

7. Jennie Reed (Kirkland, Wash.)

24. Liz Reap (Jim Thorpe, Pa.)  

Men's 30-kilometer Points Race

1. Joan Rossello (ESP) 60

2. Chris Newton (GBR) 54  

3. Cameron Meyer (AUS) 53

DNQ. Colby Pearce (Boulder, Colo.)

DNQ. Bobby Lea (Mertztown, Pa.)

DNQ. David McCook (Mountain View, Calif.)

DNQ. Kenny Williams (Kenmore, Wash.)

About USA Cycling
Recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling promotes American cycling through its 60,000 members and 2,500 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.