Category Archives: Cycling

Cycling, Mountain Bike

Erin Huck and Howard Grotts Win National Titles at Mountain Bike National Championships

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Erin Huck hasn’t even been the second best American at any of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events so far this year but Huck stepped up on Friday to win a national title, pulling away from the field and finishing over a minute in front of any of the other riders. Huck finished in 1:40:34 with Georgia Gould grabbing the silver in 1:41:46. Chloe Woodruff won the bronze medal but was almost four minutes behind Huck.

On the men’s side Howard Grotts, the top American in two of the three UCI World Cup races this year, was nearly two minutes clear of the field in his gold medal run. He finished in 1:41:53. Keegan Swenson won a photo finish against Russell Finsterwald to grab silver with both finishing in 1:43:44. Stephen Ettinger, who has been in the top 30 twice in the world cup this year, finished back in fifth.

National titles were also awarded in the dual slalom event with Jill Kintner taking gold over Adrian Sanders and Joanna Petterson on the women’s side while Mitch Ropelato won a close race on the men’s side. Ropelato held off Kyle Strait by 0.56 seconds to claim the title with Joseph Foresta just 0.52 seconds further back.

Saturday will be the finals of the downhill as well as a short track cross country event. Sunday will wrap things up with the enduro races. In the men’s downhill Aaron Gwin is the heavy favorite as the current leader on the world tour while Luca Shaw might be a contender as well.

Previous USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships Coverage:
Preview

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Tejay Van Garderen Now in Sixth at Tour de France

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Tejay Van Garderen moved up another spot at the Tour de France on Friday after finishing 16th in the 23-mile time trial. Van Garderen was 2:50 back of the stage winner and did drop some time to race leader Christopher Froome of Great Britain who is now 3:19 in front of Van Garderen. Van Garderen has now been in the top 25 in seven of the last nine stages at the Tour de France.

Brent Bookwalter was the only other American to finish in the top 100 as he placed 84th. Peter Stetina and Lawson Craddock remain in the top 100 overall in 52nd and 95th respectively.

Saturday is a 130-mile flat stage as the Tour de France features seven straight days of racing. After a day of rest the race ends with five final days of racing. There is one time trial, 11 miles in the mountains in stage 18, remaining.

In the Tour de Pologne on Friday Larry Warbasse finished in a large peloton at the front. Warbasse was 39th, improving on his previous day’s finish for the third straight day, and is now 48th overall, 35 seconds back. Saturday will be a 140-mile mountain stage as the riders should finally separate themselves in the week long race that ends Monday.

Previous Tour de France Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Update
Stage Two Update
Stage Three Update
Stage Four Update
Stage Five Update
Stage Six Update
Stage Seven Update
Stage Eight Update
Stage Nine Update
Stage Ten Update
Stage 11 Update
Stage 12 Update

Previous Tour de Pologne Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Update
Stage Two Update
Stage Three Update

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Tejay Van Garderen Up to Seventh at Tour de France

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Tejay Van Garderen moved up two spots to seventh at the Tour de France on Thursday after finishing 18th in the 12th stage. Van Garderen was 5:24 back of the stage winner but remained close to leader Christopher Froome of Great Britain who is only 1:32 in front of him. Peter Stetina was the only other American in the top 100 as he finished 62nd. Stetina fell out of the top 50 and is now 53rd overall. Lawson Craddock remains in the top 100 in 90th overall.

Friday is a 23-mile time trial as the Tour de France features seven straight days of racing. After a day of rest the race ends with five final days of racing. There is one time trial, 11 miles in the mountains in stage 18, remaining after Friday.

In the Tour de Pologne on Thursday Larry Warbasse finished in a large peloton at the front. Warbasse was 42nd and is now 58th overall, 25 seconds back. Friday will be a 135-mile hilly stage in the week long race that ends Monday.

Previous Tour de France Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Update
Stage Two Update
Stage Three Update
Stage Four Update
Stage Five Update
Stage Six Update
Stage Seven Update
Stage Eight Update
Stage Nine Update
Stage Ten Update
Stage Eleven Update

Previous Tour de Pologne Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Update
Stage Two Update

Cycling, Mountain Bike

USA Cycling to Host Mountain Bike National Championships in Mammoth Mountain, California

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USA Cycling will host the Mountain Bike National Championships this week in Mammoth Mountain, California. National Titles will be awarded in dual slalom, cross country, downhill, and enduro. Friday will feature the cross country event in the afternoon with the dual slalom events on Friday night. The downhill event also begins Friday with seeding runs and the finals are on Saturday. Saturday will also feature a short track cross country event and Sunday will wrap things up with the enduro races.

Top contenders in the women’s cross country race will be Chloe Woodruff, Erin Huck, and Georgia Gould. On the men’s side the favorites are Howard Grotts and Stephen Ettinger.

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Tejay Van Garderen Back Into Top Ten at Tour de France

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Tejay Van Garderen moved back into the top ten at the Tour de France on Wednesday as he finished six seconds behind the stage winner in 24th. Van Garderen did drop some time to race leader Christopher Froome of Great Britain but is only 1:13 behind, certainly in striking range. No other Americans finished in the top 120 but Peter Stetina did stay in the top 50 overall, now 46:01 back in 50th. Lawson Craddock was the last finisher in 175th but still sits in the top 100 overall in 88th.

Thursday is a 111-mile mountain stage as the Tour de France features seven straight days of racing. After a day of rest the race ends with five final days of racing. There are two time trials, one in stage 13 for 23 miles and one in the mountains in stage 18 for 11 miles.

In the Tour de Pologne on Wednesday Larry Warbasse and Alexey Vermeulen finished in a large peloton at the front. Warbasse was 66th and Vermeulen was 102nd. Warbasse is now 77th overall, 25 seconds back overall while Vermeulen is the same time back in 108th. Thursday will be a 149-mile intermediate stage in the week long race that ends Monday.

Previous Tour de France Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Update
Stage Two Update
Stage Three Update
Stage Four Update
Stage Five Update
Stage Six Update
Stage Seven Update
Stage Eight Update
Stage Nine Update
Stage Ten Update

Previous Tour de Pologne Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Update

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Tejay Van Garderen Still 11th at Tour de France

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Tejay Van Garderen was 9:39 back and 64th in the tenth stage of the Tour de France but he didn’t drop any time on leader Christopher Froome of Great Britain. Van Garderen remains 11th overall and trails by 1:01. Lawson Craddock, Brent Bookwalter, and Alex Howes all finished at the same time and bunched together in 95th, 99th, and 100th. Peter Stetina slipped to 49th overall and is 42:05 back while Craddock is now 70th overall.

Wednesday is a 101-mile flat as the Tour de France features seven straight days of racing. After a day of rest the race ends with five final days of racing. There are two time trials, one in stage 13 for 23 miles and one in the mountains in stage 18 for 11 miles.

In the Tour de Pologne on Tuesday Larry Warbasse finished in a large group nine seconds behind the winner in 96th. Alexey Vermeulen finished in the same time in 116th. Wednesday will be an 80 mile flat stage in the week long race that ends Monday.

Previous Tour de France Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Update
Stage Two Update
Stage Three Update
Stage Four Update
Stage Five Update
Stage Six Update
Stage Seven Update
Stage Eight Update
Stage Nine Update

Previous Tour de Pologne Coverage:
Preview

Cycling, Mountain Bike, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup

Lea Davison Finishes 13th in World Cup Cross-Country Event in Lenzerheide

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Lea Davison made it four straight top 20 finishes with a 13th place finish at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup cross-country event in Lenzerheide, Switerzland on Sunday. Davison was in the top 20 throughout the day but came on strong at the end with the ninth best time on the sixth lap and the fourth best time on the final lap to move up to 13th. Chloe Woodruff finished 20th, the third time in three races that the US had two in the top 20. Woodruff had been in the top 20 throughout the race but was 24th fastest on the last two laps as she slipped from 16th to 20th. Georgia Gould was the third American to finish in the top 25 as she moved up from 36th after the first lap to place 24th overall.

The next UCI Mountain Bike World Cup event is in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec right at the start of the Olympics on August 6th and 7th. Like the event here in Lenzerheide it will feature both cross-country and downhill races.

Previous Mountain Bike World Cup Coverage:
Lenzerheide Preview
Friday Update
Saturday Update

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Tejay Van Garderen a Minute Back as Tour de France Reaches First Day Off

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Tejay Van Garderen was 7:13 back in 21st in the ninth stage of the Tour de France but dropped less than a minute on race leader Christopher Froome of Great Britain. Van Garderen now trails by 1:01 and is 11th as the first day off is on Monday. Peter Stetina and Lawson Craddock also posted top 100 finishes with Stetina in 62nd and Craddock in 74th. Stetina dropped four spots overall to 47th, now 42:05 back, while Craddock slipped a spot to 69th.

After Monday’s off day Tuesday is a 122-mile medium-mountain stage as the Tour de France begins seven more straight days of racing. After a second day of rest the races ends with five final days of racing. There are two time trials, one in stage 13 for 23 miles and one in the mountains in stage 18 for 11 miles.

Tomorrow is also the beginning of the seven day Tour de Pologne. With most of the top riders participating in the Tour de France this event attracts some of the secondary riders. For the US only two riders are entered, Alexey Vermeulen and Larry Warbasse. Warbase was 38th in the Volta a Catalunya while Vermeulen’s best finish came in the Tour de Romandie where he was 65th.

Previous Tour de France Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Update
Stage Two Update
Stage Three Update
Stage Four Update
Stage Five Update
Stage Six Update
Stage Seven Update
Stage Eight Update

Cycling, UCI Women's WorldTour

Megan Guarnier Wins Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile, Her Third Win in a Row

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Megan Guarnier wasn’t particularly close to the top finisher on Sunday but it wasn’t a big problem. Guarnier finished in ninth, 1:57 back, but none of the riders ahead of her were able to make up enough ground as she won the event by 34 seconds over fellow American Evelyn Stevens who finished 12th in the same time as Guarnier. Mara Abbott who led the event just a few days ago, finished 17th in this stage, 2:28 back, and ended up in fifth overall, 2:38 back. Abbott’s fifth place finish was her best of the year. Kristabel Doebel-Hickok was the final American to finish the day in the top 50, 4:22 back in 38th. She wrapped up the competition in 31st overall. Alexis Ryan in 54th was the fifth American to find a top 100 spot. Ryan wrapped up the competition in 65th place.

The next UCI Women’s WorldTour event is two weeks away, La Course by Le Tour de France. It’s a one day race, as are the final six races on the schedule, and will take place on July 24th.

Previous Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile Coverage:
Preview
Prologue Update
Stage 1 Update
Stage 2 Update
Stage 3 Update
Stage 4 Update
Stage 5 Update
Stage 6 Update
Stage 7 Update
Stage 8 Update

Cycling, Mountain Bike, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup

Aaron Gwin Adds to Series Lead With Second at Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill Event

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Aaron Gwin delivered when it counted on Saturday finishing second in the downhill event by less than a tenth of a second. Gwin’s finish means he now leads by 208 points over the winner on Saturday, Great Britain’s Danny Hart. With just two races remaining on the season series Gwin can lock up the title with a strong finish in the next event in Mont-Sanite-Anne, Quebec at the start of the Olympics on August 6th and 7th.

Luca Shaw also had his best finish in a while as he was 7th, about five seconds back. Shaw jumped up a spot to 11th in  the season standings. Other finalists for the US were Eliot Jackson in 30th, Charlie Harrison in 45th, Max Morgan in 64th, and Luca Cometti in 77th.

On Sunday Lea Davison will lead a group of four American women into the cross-country event. Davison has finished in the top 20 at all three stops so far this year including the only top 10 finish by an American when she was eighth in Albstadt, Germany. Chloe Woodruff is the only other American to notch a top 15 finish when she was 13th in Cairns, Australia but she was 35th in the most recent race in La Bresse, France. Georgia Gould is also in the field coming off her second top 20 finish of the year when she was 19th in La Bresse. No American men will be competing on Sunday in Lenzerheide.

Previous Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill Coverage:
Lenzerheide Preview
Friday Update

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