Category Archives: Cycling

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Joe Dombrowski Finishes Giro d’Italia a Season High 34th

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All of the riders in the final stage of the Giro d’Italia finished together in the peloton so now ground was gained or lost. Joey Rosskopf was the only American who finished in the top 100, 41st overall.

The important standings on Sunday were the overall standings and that’s where Joe Dombrowski found himself 34th, 1:32:56 back. That finish was the best of the year for the 25-year-old, surpassing a 37th finish in the Volta a Cataluyna. 24-year-old Nathan Brown also finished in the top 100 in 48th. Ian Boswell finished 71st, Chad Haga was 78th and Rosskopf ended up 85th.

There will be a little break before the next UCI World Tour event, the eight-stage Criterium du Dauphine, which runs June 5th-12th in France.

Previous UCI World Tour Coverage:
Giro d’Italia Preview
Stage 1 Update
Stage 2 Update
Stage 3 Update
Stage 4 Update
Stage 5 Update
Stage 6 Update
Stage 7 Update
Stage 8 Update
Stage 9 Update
Stage 10 Update
Stage 11 Update
Stage 12 Update
Stage 13 Update
Stage 14 Update
Stage 15 Update
Stage 16 Update
Stage 17 Update
Stage 18 Update
Stage 19 Update
Stage 20 Update

Cycling, Mountain Bike, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup

Howard Grotts and Lea Davison Finish 18th at World Cup Cross-Country Event

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For the first time this year no Americans finished in the top 15 at a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup cross-country event. The top finishers from the US were Lea Davison and Howard Grotts, both in 18th. Davison was fifth after the first lap and still in the top six after the third lap but fell behind in lap four to drop out of the top 15. She was just 11 seconds ahead of fellow American Georgia Gould who took the opposite path, 43rd after the first lap and slowly moving up the standings. Erin Huck was twenty seconds further back in 23rd after spending the whole race in the top 25.

On the men’s side Grotts started off 41st after the opening lap but moved up steadily to reach 18th before the end where he was 5:06 behind the leader. Stephen Ettinger made it two Americans in the top 30 when he finished 26th, 6:43 back. Ettinger was in the top 30 throughout the race.

The next UCI Mountain Bike World Cup cross-country event, the fourth of six, is in Lenzerheide, Switzerland on July 10th. In the mean-time the Mountain Bike World Cup will return to the downhill events with a stop in Fort William, Scotland on June 4th and 5th.

Previous Mountain Bike World Cup Cross-Country Coverage:
La Bresse Preview

BMX, Cycling

Alise Post and Nicholas Long Win Bronze at UCI BMX World Championships

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For the second straight day Nicholas Long and Alise Post both finished in the same place at the UCI BMX World Championships in Medellin, Colombia. Thankfully on Sunday that place was third and not fourth as they grabbed medals. Long didn’t come close to moving up the standings in this race, finishing over a second and a half behind the second place rider while Post was a half a second behind silver in the women’s race. The third place finishes were season best marks for the two Americans who have been consistent finalists but yet to medal.

Post and Long were the only two Americans to reach the finals though Corben Sharrah and Felicia Stancil both were eliminated in the semifinals after crashes knocked them behind the pack. Additional quarter finalists from the US were Tanner Sebesta and Danielle George.

The top riders return to the UCI BMK Supercross World Cup way after the Olympics when the next event is held in Rock Hill, South Carolina from September 29th to October 1st. In the meantime the US riders will have the BMX Olympic Trials on June 11th in Chula Vista, California.

Previous UCI BMX World Championship Coverage:
Preview
Saturday Update

Cycling, Road

Megan Guarnier and Greg Daniel Win Pro Time Trial National Championships

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Megan Guarnier didn’t compete in the time trial on Friday but she sure showed why she is the top American road racer right now with a national title on Saturday. Guarnier held off Cory Rivera, Mandy Heintz, and Brianna Walle to win the title in a time of 3:48:20. The other three all finished a second behind Guarnier in a race where the top 14 all finished within five seconds. Heintz was a bit of a surprise to find in the top four after posting an 82nd place finish in the Amgen Tour of California last week. Both Rivera and Walle finished in the top 15 in that event. Friday’s time trial winner, Carmen Small, finished seventh, two seconds back, runner-up Amber Neben was 21st, 14 seconds back, and Kristin Armstrong was 16th, seven seconds back.

On the men’s side Gregory Daniel took the top spot in a race that saw more riders drop out than finish.Daniel led the 25 riders who finished the race holding off Alex Howes, Travis McCabe, and Chad Beyer by five seconds.  Howes was 21st recently in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race which speaks well for the young 21-year-old Daniel. Yesterday’s time trial winner, Taylor Phinney, didn’t take part in the race while runner-up Thomas Zirbel did not finish. Bronze medalist Alexey Vermeulen finished 15th, 48 seconds back.

USA Cycling will host the Mountain Bike National Championships in Mammoth Mountain, California July 13th-17th. The next UCI World Tour event is in France, the Criterium du Dauphine from June 5th-12th. The women will stay stateside for the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic on June 5th.

Previous USA Cycling Pro Road & Time Trial National Championships Coverage:
Preview
Friday Update

BMX, Cycling

Alise Post and Nicholas Long Finish Fourth in Time Trial at UCI BMX World Championships

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Both Nicholas Long and Alise Post came within a second of medaling in the time trial at the UCI BMX World Championships in Medellin, Colombia on Saturday night but both ended up in fourth place. Long’s margin of defeat was an incredible .081 seconds behind bronze and just .323 seconds from a world title. Long was one of two US riders to reach the final as Corben Sharrah finished ninth, though within a second of the world title.

Post was 0.307 seconds behind the bronze, an eternity compared to Post’s margin, but was over a second faster than fifth place as the leaders really showed their talent. Felicia Stancil was the second US woman in the final and finished 11th.

Sunday will be the World Championship Races with men’s and women’s competitions working their way through motos, 1/8 finals, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals.

Previous UCI BMX World Championship Coverage:
Preview

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Outstanding Ride for Joe Dombrowski, Third in Stage 20 at Giro d’Italia

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Joe Dombrowski hadn’t finished better than 58th and had finished outside the top 140 twice in the three stages since his run of four straight top 40 finishes. He rebounded in a big way on Saturday finishing the final mountain stage in 3rd place, the best finish by any American on the World Tour this year. Nathan Brown had finished fourth in the 10th stage of this race and Tejay Van Garderen had done the same in the Volta a Catalyuna, but no one had cracked the top three. Dombrowski was 1:17 back of winner Rein Taaramae of Estonia.

Dombrowski wasn’t the only American to find success as Joey Rosskopf, coming off his first sub-90 finish in six stages, finished a season best 33rd, 17:19 back, and Brown made it three in the top 50 for the first time in the event as he finished 41st, 20:17 back. Ian Boswell was 66th and Chad Haga 73rd as the US had all five of their riders in the top 75 for the first time in the Giro d’Italia as well.

Overall Dombrowski moved up a big to 34th overall (1:32:56 back) while Brown stayed in 48th (2:15:18 back). Boswell (71st) and Haga (78th) rose slightly while Rosskopf had the big jump rising 21 spots to 85th.

Things close out on Sunday with a 101 mile flat stage. Don’t expect the standings to change much.

Previous UCI World Tour Coverage:
Giro d’Italia Preview
Stage 1 Update
Stage 2 Update
Stage 3 Update
Stage 4 Update
Stage 5 Update
Stage 6 Update
Stage 7 Update
Stage 8 Update
Stage 9 Update
Stage 10 Update
Stage 11 Update
Stage 12 Update
Stage 13 Update
Stage 14 Update
Stage 15 Update
Stage 16 Update
Stage 17 Update
Stage 18 Update
Stage 19 Update

Cycling, Mountain Bike, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup

Lea Davison Headlines 13 Americans at World Cup Cross-Country Event in La Bresse

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13 Americans will compete in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup cross-country event in La Bresse, France on Sunday in the third of six events on this year’s schedule. Through two events Lea Davison has been the most successful American with an eighth place finish last week in Albstadt, Germany. Davison was also in the top 20 in Cairns, Australia earlier this year. She’s joined by six other women in the start list including Chloe Woodruff, the top American in Cairns with a 13th place finish. On the men’s side Stephen Ettinger was the top American in Cairns when he finished 20th while Howard Grotts was 31st in Albstadt. There have been no other top 40 finishes by American men this year.

Previous Mountain Bike World Cup Cross-Country Coverage:
Albstadt Recap

Cycling, Road

Taylor Phinney and Carmen Small Win Pro Time Trial National Championships

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Carmen Small didn’t compete in the Amgen Tour of California last week unlike most of her rivals for the top spot in the pro time trial national championship on Friday. It didn’t seem to matter though as Small performed at her best on the 33km course posting a time of 42:31.91 in the second to last run that took the top spot and wouldn’t be passed. Small finished 23 seconds ahead of Amber Neben, 24th in California, while Kristin Armstrong went last but was only able to place third with a time of 43:40.47. Rounding out the top five were Brianna Walle, 13th in California, and Lauren Stephens, tenth in California.

On the men’s side Taylor Phinney was the last to go and ended up winning by a minute and 10 seconds over fellow Boulder, Colorado native Thomas Zirbel. Alexey Vermeulen rounded out the medal winners 2.78 seconds behind Zirbel. Brent Bookwalter and Evan Huffman finished fourth and fifth.

Saturday will be the road races to wrap up the national championships.

Previous USA Cycling Pro Road & Time Trial National Championships Coverage:
Preview 

BMX, Cycling

UCI BMX World Championships Begin Saturday in Medellin, Colombia

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The UCI BMX World Championships take place in Medellin, Colombia this week and begin with a time trial world championship tonight. Six US men and three US women will be competing for the world title. The top contenders for the US are Corben Sharrah, Nicholas Long, and Jeffrey Upshaw on the men’s side and Alise Post and Danielle George on the women’s side. There will be a qualifying round followed by a final.

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Ian Boswell is Top American for First Time Since Stage 4 at Giro d’Italia

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Ian Boswell had made a push up the standings at the Giro d’Italia lately; finishing in the top 100 in three out of four stages at one point recently and moving into the top 100 overall. Friday he finished as the top American and in 27th overall on a 101 mile mountain stage. Boswell was just 8:27 behind the winner and was joined by Nathan Brown in the top 50 as Brown finished 13:36 back in 33rd. Joe Dombrowski (58th) and Chad Haga (71st) made it four in the top 100.

Dombrowski stayed in 39th overall (1:39:12 back) with Brown moving up to 48th (2:02:29 back). Boswell made a huge jump from 100th to 75th while Haga is 81st.

The final mountain stage will be Saturday, 83 miles starting in France, with a 101 mile flat stage on Sunday to close the competition out.

Previous UCI World Tour Coverage:
Giro d’Italia Preview
Stage 1 Update
Stage 2 Update
Stage 3 Update
Stage 4 Update
Stage 5 Update
Stage 6 Update
Stage 7 Update
Stage 8 Update
Stage 9 Update
Stage 10 Update
Stage 11 Update
Stage 12 Update
Stage 13 Update
Stage 14 Update
Stage 15 Update
Stage 16 Update
Stage 17 Update
Stage 18 Update