USA Cycling announces discretionary picks to world's 'cross team
Colorado Springs, Colo. (December 20, 2006)-USA Cycling announcedtoday discretionary nominations to the team that will represent the UnitedStates at the 2007 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hooglede-Grits,Belgium January 27-28.Twelve athletes were named Wednesday after five automatic nominations- Danny Summerhill (Centennial, Colo./TIAA-CREF-Clif Bar), Jamey Driscoll(Jericho, Vt./FiordiFrutta), Jesse Anthony (Beverly, Mass./Clif Bar), KatieCompton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Spike) and Georgia Gould (Ketchum, Idaho/Luna)- were announced Monday based on their performance at the USA Cycling Cyclo-crossNational Championships and the Crank brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross.Discretionary nominations were made based on petitions by athletes whomet specific performance standards throughout the 2006 season.In the elite women's category, four additional athletes were named.Christine Vardaros (Mill Valley, Calif./Lotto-Belisol), Kerry Barnholt(Boulder, Colo./Tokyo Joe's-Maxiss), Deidre Winfield (Charlottesville,Va./Velo Bella-Kona) and Rhonda Mazza (Portland, Ore./Team S&M-VanillaBicycles) were selected.Vardaros earned a discretionary pick with a top-15 placing at a UCIWorld Cup. Vardaros placed 14th at the Kalmthout World Cup in October tobecome eligible. Both Barnholt and Winfield earned their eligibility lastweekend at the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships with top-fivefinishes. Barnholt placed third behind Compton and Gould, while Winfieldplaced fourth. Mazza's promising season included a sixth-place effort atthe national championships and an eighth-place overall ranking in the USGP.In the U23 men's division, four additional athletes were named as BjornSelander (Hudson, Wis./Alan Factory Team), Chance Noble, (Camarillo, Calif./CaliforniaGiant Strawberries-Specialized), Nick Weighall (Mill Creek, Wash./AlanFactory Team) and Dan Neyens (Seattle, Wash./Hagens-Berman LLP) all metdiscretionary criteria.Selander placed third at the national championships and eighth overallin the USGP to earn consideration, while Noble placed fifth at the nationalchampionships and finished the six-race USGP ranked third. Weighall'sfifth-place ranking in the USGP and sixth-place effort at the nationalchampionships illustrated his talent as did a sixth-place USGP overallfinish and ninth-place ride at the national championships for Neyens.Four junior men complete the initial discretionary nominations - NicholasKeough (Sandwich, Mass./CL Noonan-Coast to Coast-KAM), Sean Worsech (Kirkland,Wash./Rad Racing NW), Jerome Townsend (Princeton, Mass./Alan Factory Team)and Carson Miller (Bend Ore./Fred Miller-Lakeside).Keough placed fifth at the national championships to meet discretionarycriteria, while Woresch placed second overall in the USGP series.Townsend showed significant improvement throughout the season with sixth-placefinishes at the national championships and in the USGP. Miller alsorode a solid season with an eighth-place effort at the national championshipsand a 12th-place USGP ranking.
Automatic selections for the elite men's category will be announcedJanuary 9 and discretionary picks January 10.2007 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships
Discretionary Selections to Team USA:Elite Women
Christine Vardaros (Mill Valley, Calif.)
Kerry Barnholt (Boulder, Colo.)
Deidre Winfield (Charlottesville, Va.)
Rhonda Mazza (Portland, Ore.)U23 Men
Bjorn Selander (Hudson, Wis.)
Chance Noble (Camarillo, Calif.)
Nick Weighall (Mill Creek, Wash.)
Dan Neyens (Seattle, Wash.)Junior Men
Nicholas Keough (Sandwich, Mass.)
Sean Worsech (Kirkland, Wash.)
Jerome Townsend (Princeton, Mass.)
Carson Miller (Bend, Ore.)