Category Archives: Cycling

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Lawson Craddock Finishes Among 52 Riders With Top Time, Now in 14th After Day Three of Tour of the Basque Country

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Much like stage one a medium-mountain stage on day three resulted in over 50 riders finishing with the same time at the front of the pack in the Tour of the Basque Country. Stephen Cummings of Great Britain was the overall winner in 5:01:57, but finishing 24th with the same time actually allowed Lawson Craddock to jump one spot to 14th where he is still just 22 seconds off the overall lead held by Mikel Landa of Spain.

No other American was in the top 100 for the day however Larry Warbasse is still hanging in the top 100 overall, 23:40 back in 98th.

Stage four on Tuesday will be 103 miles and another medium-mountain stage.

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Strong Day Leaves Lawson Craddock 15th After Day Two of Tour of the Basque Country

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The tour of the Basque Country hit their first mountain stage today and Lawson Craddock had a strong performance. Craddock found himself 15th today just 22 seconds behind winner Mikel Landa of Spain. Yesterday 51 riders had finished with the same time but Landa is now alone atop the overall standings after winning today’s stage by a full second.

Peter Stetina had a good 46th place finish, 1:37 back, and was the only other American in the top 100 today. Stetina is now 84th for the event and 10:39 behind the leader. Larry Warbasse is still in the top 100 overall, 9:47 back in 79th.

Stage three on Tuesday will be 120 miles and a medium-mountain stage.

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

American Lawson Craddock Among 51 Riders With Top Time on Day One of Tour of the Basque Country

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It was a 51 rider bunch that crossed the line on Monday at the end of the first stage of the Tour of the Basque Country. Luis Leon Sanchez of Spain was the winner but there was no separation in final time going back 51 spots. Lawson Craddock, riding for the Cannondale team, was the top American and the only one in that bunch finishing 30th.

Other Americans in the top 100 were Larry Warbasse (75th – 2:05 back), Joey Rosskopf (89th – 6:48 back), and Carter Jones (96th – 6:48 back). Tomorrow will feature stage two, a 108 mile mountain stage.

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour, UCI Women's WorldTour

Megan Guarnier Fourth at Tour Of Flanders

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Megan Guarnier’s strong start to the 2016 UCI Women’s World Tour continued on Sunday with a fourth place in the Tour of Flanders finish two seconds behind winner, teammate, and tour leader Lizzie Armitstead. Guarnier’s team, Boels-Dolmans, went 1, 3, 4, 6 and has nearly doubled up their competition so far this year.

Fellow American Cory Rivera finished in 16th 2:03 back while Brianna Walle was 23rd at the same time. Other Americans in the top 100 included Katie Hall (62nd), Evelyn Stevens (63rd), Kaitlin Antonneau (65th), Alison Tetrick (66th), all 3:26 back, Jessica Cerra (4:41 back in 77th), and Leah Thomas (84th) and Alexis Ryan (87th) both 7:03 back.

The women’s tour’s next event is La Flèche Wallonne Féminine in Belgium on April 20th. Guarnier has quite a bit of space around her in the tour standing at fourth as she is 45 points behind third place and 40 points ahead of fifth. Ryan, who placed 87th, is fourth amongst riders who were born in 1994 or later.

On the men’s side of things there were only two Americans in the field. Taylor Phinney was in a pack 7:19 back of winner Peter Sagan and finished 61st while Tyler Farrar was 12:48 back in 117th.

On the team side American team Trek-Segafredo had the second place finisher in Fabian Cancellara while Dylan Van Baarle was in sixth for the Cannondale team. The highest finisher for the BMC team was Daniel Oss in 16th. BMC remains the highest ranked American team this year in third.

The men’s tour begins the six day Tour of the Basque Country tomorrow.  It’s a mountainous event with 89 miles on deck for tomorrow. Americans in the field are Joey Rosskopf of BMC, Lawson Craddock and Alex Howes of Cannondale, Kiel Reijnen and Peter Stetina of Trek-Segafredo, Caleb Fairly and Carter Jones of Giant-Alpecin, and Larry Warbasse of IAM Cycling.

Cycling, World Championships

Sarah Hammer Wins Second Straight Omnium World Championship With Lowest Point Total in History

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Previous 2014 Track Cycling World Championships Coverage

Sarah Hammer came into the day with a six point lead at the top of the omnium standings and maintained that lead all day en route to her second straight women’s omnium World championships. Hammer started things off with a win in the individual pursuit by over a second over Laura Trott. That took some of the pressure off as she held a seven point lead on Trott with just two events left.

2014 Track - Womens Omnium - Individual Pursuit

2014 Track - Womens Omnium - Scratch Race

Next up was the 10km scratch race. Hammer didn’t come tops, in fact Xiao Juan Diao had a great race and gained a lap on the field. Still Hammer finished ahead of Trott all but sealing the title with an eight point lead. In the final event, the time trial, Hammer came in fourth which was more than enough to give her the omnium title.

2014 Track - Womens Omnium - Time Trial

2014 Track - Womens Omnium - Standings - 3-3-14

 

Hammer’s title this year was even more dominant that last year as she accumulated just 14 points this year after 20 last year. Her margin of six was also better than the four point win she had last year and the 14 point total was the first time in the six-year history of the event that someone finished with less than 20 points.

This ends the major track cycling events for the 2013-14 season. The next Track Cycling World Cup will begin with an event at a location yet to be announced on November 7th-9th. Next year’s world championship will be held from February 18th-22nd but the location for that has not been announced either. The next cycling on our schedule is the start of the Mountain Bike World Cup in Pietermaritzburg on April 10th-13th. Check back then for more cycling coverage on WeSupportTheUS.com.

Cycling, World Championships

After Day One Sarah Hammer Leads Women’s Omnium at Track Cycling World Championships

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Previous 2014 Track Cycling World Championships Coverage

The best chance for the US to win a World Championship in Cali is probably going to be the Women’s Omnium. After one day it certainly looks like the US is the favorite to win with Sarah Hammer sitting on top with a six point margin.

Men’s Omnium

2014 Track - Mens Omnium - Individual Pursuit

In the first event of the second day of the men’s omnium Jacob Duehring finished the individual pursuit in 4:41.062. That placed him 13th around 17 seconds behind the winner. The second event was different event, same result, as Duehring placed 13th in the 15km scratch race.

2014 Track - Mens Omnium - Scratch Race

2014 Track - Mens Omnium - Time Trial

Duehring placed 14th in the time trial to wrap up the omnium. He finished in 1:06.297, a little over 4.5 seconds behind the winner. In the final standings he had 74 points and placed 15th. He was in 12th-15th for all of the events except for the points race where he was 7th.

2014 Track - Mens Omnium - Standings - 3-2-14

Women’s Omnium

2014 Track - Womens Omnium - Flying Lap

Sarah Hammer didn’t get the women’s omnium off with a win but she came very close as she placed second in 14.165 but was topped by a little over a tenth of a second by Annette Edmondson. Hammer did get the win in the points race where she was one of only two women to gain a lap on the main pack. Hammer didn’t do much in terms of sprinting, she only finished in the top four on one sprint, the seventh, which she won. That combined with the 20 point bonus for gaining the lap was enough to put her on top.

2014 Track - Womens Omnium - Points Race

2014 Track - Womens Omnium - Elimination Race

The final event of the day was the elimination race where Hammer once again took top honors. That left her leading the overall standings with just four points through three events. Laura Trott sits second but is six points behind Hammer so there is a good margin heading into the final three events on Sunday. Hammer is looking to defend her World Championship in the event from last year and is five points ahead of her winning pace in the event from last year.

2014 Track - Womens Omnium - Standings - 3-2-14

Women’s Points Race

2014 Track - Womens Points Race

In the women’s point race on Saturday Elizabeth Newell wasn’t able to gain a lap on the field and didn’t do much in terms of being at the front on the sprints. That left her with just three points gained from a second place finish on the final sprint and a 14th place finish with 3 total points.

Sunday Preview

Sunday wraps up the World Championships with Sarah Hammer the only one left for the US in action. She’ll have the final three events of the women’s omnium as she bids to repeat as World Champion. Check back to WeSupportTheUS.com for coverage of the final three events.

Schedule:

  • March 2nd
    • 12:20-1:15 PM – Women’s Omnium IV – Individual Pursuit 3km
      • Sarah Hammer
    • 3:40-4 PM – Women’s Omnium V – Scratch 10km
      • Sarah Hammer
    • 4:25-4:50 PM – Women’s Omnium Final – 500m Time Trial
      • Sarah Hammer
Cycling, World Championships

Sarah Hammer Finishes Second in Women’s Individual Pursuit at 2014 Track Cycling World Championships

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Previous 2014 Track Cycling World Championships Coverage

The US took home their first medal of the 2014 Track Cycling World Championships on Friday and also saw the men’s omnium get underway.

Women’s Individual Pursuit

2014 Track - Womens Individual Pursuit - Qualifying

Two American women were in the field for the individual pursuit and Sarah Hammer got the event off to a great start with a 3:29.711 that was tops in qualifying by almost a full second and put her into the gold medal race. The other American, Ruth Winder, finished 10th in 3:42.908. Hammer wasn’t able to find the same speed in the gold medal race and actually finished nearly two seconds slower than in qualifying. That left her with a silver medal. Hammer will be back in action on Saturday when the women’s omnium starts.

2014 Track - Womens Individual Pursuit - Gold Medal Race

Continue reading Sarah Hammer Finishes Second in Women’s Individual Pursuit at 2014 Track Cycling World Championships →

Cycling, World Championships

Two Events, Two Top Five Finishes for US at UCI Track Cycling World Championships

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Previous Track Cycling World Championships Coverage

After the first two events that the US has competed in at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships they have yet to medal but they do have two top five finishes. Starting things off on Wednesday was Jennifer Valente. The 19-year old competed in the women’s scratch race (just a simple 10km race) and placed 4th in the field of 20.

2014 Track - Womens Scratch Race

On Thursday the women’s team pursuit event was held with the American team of Cari Higgins, Lauren Tamayo, Ruth Winder, and Jennifer Valente taking part. The top two teams from the qualifying round would be in the gold medal race with the third and fourth teams racing for bronze. Unfortunately the US team placed fifth, over ten seconds behind the top team and a little over a second behind the fourth place team.

2014 Track - Womens Team Pursuit

Friday sees the start of the 18-man men’s omnium and the first three parts of the event. Jake Duehring will represent the US in the event. Friday is also when the women’s individual pursuit is contested. Sarah Hammer and Ruth Winder will both be in the 15-woman field for the qualifying portion of the individual pursuit and hoping to make the gold or bronze medal races. The events will be going on all afternoon so I’ll have coverage of the results on Saturday morning.

Schedule:

  • 12:35-1:05 PM – Men’s Omnium I – Flying Lap
    • Jake Duehring
  • 1:35-2:35 PM – Women’s Individual Pursuit – Qualifying
    • Sarah Hammer
    • Ruth Winder
  • 3:05-3:45 PM – Men’s Omnium II – Points Race 30km
    • Jake Duehring
  • 8:35-8:50 PM – Women’s Individual Pursuit – Finals
    • Sarah Hammer
    • Ruth Winder
  • 9:45-10 PM – Men’s Omnium III – Elimination
    • Jake Duehring
Cycling, World Championships

UCI Track Cycling World Championships Set to Begin in Cali, Colombia

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The UCI Track Cycling World Championships begin on Wednesday evening in Cali, Colombia with seven women and one man set to represent the US. The first American to get underway will be Jennifer Valente. Valente will take part in the women’s scratch 10km race on Wednesday evening. The scratch race is the simplest race in the World Champions to explain. It starts with all of the competitors together at the start and the first one across the line wins. Just your basic race. Valente is just 19 and won the Junior World Championship scratch race in 2011.

We’ll have coverage of the results of Valente’s event tomorrow along with information about tomorrow’s women’s team pursuit event.

Schedule:

  • 7:40-8 PM – Women’s Scratch 10km
    • Jennifer Valente
Basketball, Canoeing, Cycling, Daily Olympic Reviews, Diving, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, London 2012, Olympics, Sailing, Swimming, Taekwondo, Track and Field, Water Polo, Wrestling

Olympic Review – August 10th

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Athletics

Things started with the men’s pole vault final on Friday. Brad Walker skipped the 5.50m height but then went 0-3 at the 5.65 meter height to finish in 13th with no mark in the final.

In the women’s 4x400m relay 1st round the US put up a time of 3:22.09 in the 2nd heat which was the best of the round. The US has now qualified for Saturday’s final. The team on Friday consisted of Keshia Baker, Francena McCorory, Diamond Dixon and DeeDee Trotter.

In the men’s 4x100m relay 1st round the US set a national record with a time of 37.38 and were the fastest in the round by .01 seconds over Jamaica.  Things will be different tomorrow when Usain Bolt steps into the team, but the US will have a stronger team as well. The 1st round team consisted of Jeffery Demps, Darvis Patton, Trell Kimmons and Justin Gatlin.

In the women’s 5000m final Molly huddle finished in 11th (15:20.29) while Julie Culley finished 14th (15:28.22).

Next in the women’s 4x100m relay the US team of Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, and Carmelita Jeter smashed the world record enroute to a gold medal winning 40.82!!

In the women’s 1500m final Shannon Rowbury finished in 6th with a time of 4:11.26. Morgan Uceny had a heartbreaking night as she tripped with a lap to go and did not finish the race.

In the men’s 4x400m relay final the US had a season best time of 2:57.05 but the team of Bryshon Nellum, Joshua Mance, Tony McQuay and Angelo Taylor came in 2nd to a surprising Bahamas team.

Basketball

The US reached the final on Friday when they defeated Argentina 109-83. The US will now face Spain on Sunday for their second consecutive gold medal.

Canoeing

In the men’s K-1 200m competition Tim Hornsby advanced out of the heats with a 36.560, the fastest time among the three sixth-place kayaks. In the semifinals he finished last in his heat, just 1.5 seconds out of 4th. He will be in the B Final on Saturday.

Carrie Johnson was in the women’s K-1 200m on Friday and finished 6th in her heat as well to move into the semifinals. In the semifinals she also finished last, ending her Olympics.

Cycling

In the women’s BMX semifinals Brooke Crain used a 5th, 4th, and 5th place finish to propel her into 3rd overall in her heat and into the final while Alise Post crashed on the last run and missed out on 4th by three points, finishing 6th overall.  In the one-run final Crain finished last. Still this was a result she never could have imagined when the Olympics started.

In the men’x BMX semifinals Connor Fields got 4th on his 1st run but won the next two to move into the final.  David Herman started off well with a 3rd place finish but two 6th place finishes after that, including getting taken out on the last run, left him in 5th with 15 points, four behind fourth. In the men’s final Connor Fields crashed and finished 7th, 25 seconds after the leader.

Diving

In the preliminary round on Friday Nichols McCrory finished in 8th with 480.90 while David Boudia had to sweat it out and finished in 18th with 439.15. Both qualify for the semifinal on Saturday.

Field Hockey

The US women ended their Olympics with more disappointment as they couldn’t hold an early 1-0 lead and fell 2-1 to Belgium in the 11-12 Classification match. The US finished the Olympics in 12th.

Gymnastics

Julie Zetlin scored 24.250 with the ribbon and 24.225 with the clubs to score a 96.675 for the competition and finish in 22nd.

Sailing

Amanda Clark/Sarah Lihan finished last in the women’s 470 medal race, but still ended the Olympics in 9th place.

Swimming

Alex Meyer had a good swim in the men’s 10km open water swim and finished 10th in 1:50:48.2, less than a minute behind the winner.

Taekwondo

The US had disappointment early in taekwondo on Friday when Steven Lopez lost 3-2 to Ramin Azizov of Azerbaijan in the 80kg preliminary round. Azizov lost in the quarterfinals so Lopez did not get a chance at bronze. Paige McPherson started things off with a 5-1 win over Sarah Stevenson of Great Britain in the 67kg preliminary round. She then lost 6-1 to Nur Tartar of Turkey in the quarterfinals, but got a repechage chance when Tartar made the final. In the repechage McPherson beat Andrea St. Bernard of Grenada 15-2 and then defeated Franka Anic of Slovenia 8-3 to win a bronze medal!

Water Polo

In men’s water polo the US lost a tight match to Spain 8-7 in the 5-8 semifinals and will now face Australia on Sunday to determine the 7-8 classification.

Wrestling

Samuel Hazewinkel started Friday vs. Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan in the 55kg round of 16.  Hazewinkel suffered a tough 3-1, 2-0 loss and was eliminated when Niyazbekov failed to make the final.  In the 74kg round of 16 Jordan Burroughs beat Francisco Daniel Soler Tanco of Puerto Rico 4-0, 6-0 to move into the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals were a bit more challenging but Burroughs beat Matthew Gentry of Canada 2-1, 1-1 to move into the semifinals. In the semifinals Burroughs faced a real challenge in two-time world champion Denis Tsargush of Russia. The match went three rounds but Burroughs pulled it out 3-1, 0-2, 2-1 to reach the final.  In the final Burroughs claimed a gold with a tight 1-0, 1-0 victory over Sadegh Goudarzi of Iran.