USA National Masters Champs

Source: www.usacycling.org

Over 350 athletes are set to compete in this week’s USA Cycling Masters Track National Championships in Pennsylvania, making it one of the most contested masters track nationals ever. Monday was the first of five days of competition and was dominated by the ever-popular time trial competition with 26 national champions crowned in the 500 and 2000-meter time trials as well as the kilometer race against the clock.   

The action kicked off at 8:00 a.m. with Linda Miller (Valley Center, Calif./Amgen Giant) smoking to the win in the women’s 60+ age group with a time of 42.516. Marsha Macro (Littleton, Colo./Hammer Racing) came in nearly three seconds behind Miller to earn silver and Phyllis Ingram (Barto, Pa./JVR Sports) took third with a time of 50.319. No stranger to national championship racing, Elizabeth Tyrell (Annandale, Ala./Team Somerset-Van De) earned yet another stars-and-stripes jersey with her time of 46.911 in the 55-59 age division. Louella Holter (Flagstaff, Ariz./Greggs-Specialized) came in less than two-tenths of a second later to earn the silver and Elizabeth Digennaro (Albany, Calif./Solo Velo-Cliff Bar) took the bronze. Donna Smith of Cowiche, Wash. (Bike Central) recorded a time of 40.771, putting her amongst the top ten womens’ times all day and earning her a gold medal in the 50-54 category. Jane Rinard (Monona, Wisc./Midwest Masters) placed a very close second and Ann Marie Love (Fort Worth, Texas/Matix-RBM) finished in third. 

Annette Hanson (Kenmore, Wash./Avanti-TiCycles) posted the third best women’s time of the event, a 40.174, in route to a national championship in the 45-49 division. Lias Giuffre (Englewood, Ohio/Team IPro) and Cindi Hart (Indianapolis, Indiana/IndySpeed) took second and third respectively. In the day’s largest female category, Linda Foti (Atlanta, Ga./East Point Track) won the national title with a time of 40.169, closely followed by Cathy Keeley (Camarillo, Calif./Team Velo Sport) and Annabell Holland (Santa Clara, Calif./Kaiser Permanente-Te). The 35-39 women’s division didn’t have the largest field, but turned out to be the most hotly contested group with the top three racers finishing within nearly four tenths of a second. Kimberely Nuffer (Denver, Colo./Hammer Racing) came out on top at 40.462 with Brooke Wilson (Morris Plains, N.J./Team Somerset-Van De) and Laura Summers (Southington, Ct./Horst-Benidorm-PRC) close behind. Heather Vanvalkenburg (Vancouver, Wash./Team Rubicon) was the day’s only woman to record a sub-40-second time on her way to winning the 30-34 age division. Kara Vidaca (Norco, Calif./Bicycle John’s) and Sarah Alholm (Asheville, N.C./Prestigue-Subaru) finished second and third respectively. 

“The air is definitely different here, so I was thankful I was able to kick it at the end,” stated Washington native Vanvalkenburg. “This is a nice, smooth track and it makes for a great tune up for elites for me.”           

As the morning session rolled on, the men’s 50 and over age groups contested the 500-meter time trial. Out of more than 25 competitors in the 50-54 age division James Joseph (Brooklyn, N.Y./Team United), Scott Butler (Nazareth, Pa./Bike Line-LWA) and Craig Erickson (Plano, Texas/Matix-RBM) came out on top. Bill Ziegler (Oceanside, Calif./PAA-Merril Lynch) posted a time of 36.420, edging Art McHugh (Breinigsville, Pa./Skylands Cycling) and Chip Berezny (Easton, Pa./Bike Line-LWA) in the 55 – 59 group. Another strong field, the 60 – 64 division crowned Ronald Hargrave (Colorado Springs, Colo./Hamer Racing) national champion by only fractions of a second over Bobby Phillips (Baltimore, Md./Annapolis Bikes) and John Goodman (Cary, Ill./Midwest Masters Cycling). Earl Henry (Pinellaspark, Fla./Unattached) scored an impressive 38.178 to win the national championship in the 65 – 69 division as James Murdock (Loveland, Colo./Hammer Racing) and Richard Keller (Oconomowoc, Wis./Midwest Masters) took silver and bronze. In the men’s 70+ it was Luigi Fabri (Hallandale Beach, Fla./Lake Worth) posting a quick 40.521 to take another national championship over Delroy Walters (Brooklyn, N.Y./Kissena Cycling) and Skip Sparry (Taos, N.M./Matix-RBM) who took second and third. 

After an afternoon break in the action the large crew of masters returned to the Lehigh Valley Velodrome to contest the 2000-meter and kilometer time trials in the evening session. The day started with Richard Simons (Oak Park, Ill./Midwest Masters) taking the men’s 70+ age division’s 2000-meter pursuit-style time trial in 2:56.795. Action quickly moved to the 65 – 69 age group where James Murdock (Loveland, Colo./Hammer Racing) made his way to the podium again, this time to the top step, finishing a mere two seconds ahead of silver medalist Joe Saling (Bridgewater, N.J./Team Somerset-Van De). Steven Lehman (Fleetwood, Pa./Tri State Velo-Amoro) posted a 2:31.876 to win the 60-64 division, a time that would have put him amongst the top of much younger age groups. In the men’s 55 – 59 and 50 – 54 age division, which had two of the largest fields of the day, it took sub-29 minute times by Steven Worley (Boulder, Colo./Subway-Peerless) and James Host (Plainfield, Ill./The Bike Shop) to bring home national championships. 

Next, the women contested the 2000-meter race against the clock. Julie Lockhart (Dunstable, Mass./NEBC-Cycleloft) took home the stars-and-stripes jersey in the over 65 age group with a time of 3:32.261. Marsha Macro (Littleton, Colo./Hammer Racing) earned the national championship in the 60 – 64 division with a formidable 2:54.494, which would have won her the silver medal an age group below. World record holder Terry Roach (Scottsdale, Ariz./Landis-Trek) defeated numerous time national road champion and first time track competitor, Tyrell, to win the 55 – 59 group. Jane Rinard (Monona, Wis./Midwest Masters Cycling) also returned to the podium for the second time on the day, narrowly defeating Shannon Youngquist (Parker, Colo./Hammer Racing) who took the silver, to win the 50 – 54 national championship. Annette Hanson (Kenmore, Wash./Avanti-TiCycles) blew the competition away in the 45 – 49 age group posting the fastest 2000-meter women’s time of the day at 2:44.770. In the final women’s competition of the day, Kathryn Wilder (Doylestown, Pa./Bicycle John’s) edged Debbie Veitch (Stuart, Fla./Cycle Science) and Cynthia Corbett (Katy, Texas/Team Spincycle), who also made it atop the podium, to earn the stars-and-stripes jersey. 

Finally nearly 100 men competed in the kilometer time trial to complete the day’s racing. The 45 – 49 year-old men’s race saw Grant Soma (Hall Nissan) of Manassas, Va. take the gold with a time of 1:12.084 over silver medalist John Hallingstad (Germansville, Pa./Tri-State Velo) by less than two tenths of a second. In the 40 – 44 division Stephen Hill (Winston, Ga./East Point Track Club) rode the fastest kilometer of the day in 1:08.295 to win the national championship over silver medalist Wil Zegers (Colorado Springs, Colo./Hammer Racing). James Tainter (Minneapolis, Minn./Silver Cycling) earned the stars-and-stripes jersey in the 35-39 men’s kilometer event, edging Steve Palaez (San Francisco, Calif./Lombardi Sports) and Brian Peterson (Redwood City, Calif./Webcor-Alto Velo). In the final race of the day, Mike Beers (Rite Aid), a Breinigsville, Pa. local, earned the gold with a time of 1:09.993

Day two of the USA Cycling Masters Track National Championships displayed the most exciting racing so far with the opening of head-to-head competition in the sprint and points races, as well as the men’s 3000-meter time trial. Another 10 national champions were crowned as over 100 competitors took to the world-class track in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania. Racing continues tomorrow through Friday. 

Tuesday’s morning session started off with the men’s 40 - 49 age divisions contesting the 3000-meter time trial. Marco Hellman (Larkspur, Calif./AMD-Discovery Channel) posted the fastest time of the event with a 3:41.159 to win the national championship in the 45 – 49 age group. The national champion one age division below, Simon Walker (Bethesda, Md./NCVC-Inova Health-Va) was the only athlete to get within three seconds of Hellman in the nine lap event, posting a 3:43.318 to win the 40 – 44 age group. 

The morning session rolled on with women’s 40-44 and 45-49 and men’s 50-54 and 55-59 age groups contesting their sprint qualifiers in a 200-meter time trial format. The fifth through 12th place sprint qualifiers were then seeded into two groups. The 9th through 12th place qualifiers participated in a consolation race, while the 5th through 8th place qualifiers completed the AM session, sprinting it out four-up style to determine who would grab the fifth and final podium spot.

The evening session was packed with action as the 30-34 and 35-39 men and women contested the points race and the sprint podiums were decided for the 40-49 women and 50-59 men. The 30 – 34 year-old men competed in the longest race of the day in 30-kilometer points race. Jared Bunde (Brooklyn, N.Y./Champion) and Josh Frick (Bethesda, Md./Clean Currents) were able to run away with the majority of the sprints to finish atop the podium with 57 and 47 points respectively. The men’s 35 – 39 points race was one of the most exciting of the day. The large field of 28 athletes rode aggressively and in the end it was a three way tie for first place between Brian Peterson (Redwood City/Webcor-Alto Velo), Steve Reaney (San Jose, Calif./California Giant), and Kevin Kremke (Houston, Texas/Bike Barn). The tie-breaker was based on the last sprint where Peterson crossed the line first to take the national championship ahead of Reaney and Kremke, who took silver and bronze respectively. With only seven competitors the women’s 30 – 34 and 35 – 39 points races were combined with Samantha Van Gerbig (Cambridge, Mass./Wachovia-IBC) coming in first place overall with 18 total points. Deborah Kidd (Santa Fe, N.M./Hammer Racing) was second overall with 17 points and Kara Vidaca (Norco, Calif./Bicycle John’s) third with 14. 

In order to give the competitors a breather, the sprint quarters, semi-finals and finals were interspersed throughout the points races, making for a ton of explosive action throughout the evening. The men’s 50 – 54 contest was a classic display of sprinting at its best as Kurt Sato (San Pedro, Calif./South Bay Wheelmen) faced off against the ultra-fast James Joseph (Brooklyn, N.Y./Team United). As predicted, Joseph won the first match-up, but Sato overtook Joseph in the home stretch of the two-lap event to even things up the second time around. In the third face-off spectators saw one of the most thrilling races of the evening as Sato held off Joseph to take home the national championship. Tim Motagne (Sunnyvale, Calif./Easton-Specialized) took two in a row from Rick Voss (Littleton ,Colo./Hammer Racing) to earn the bronze.  

“I tried to take advantage of my jump and acceleration,” explained Sato. “James is faster, but luckily I was able to extort his weaknesses and play to my strengths.”

In the men’s 55 – 59 sprint event Art McHugh (Breinigsville, Pa./Skylands Cycling) faced-off against Bill Ziegler (Oceanside, Calif./PAA-Merrill Lynch) in the final. Using some cat-and-mouse techniques, McHugh, a LeHigh Valley Velodrome Hall of Famer, was able to take two straight from Ziegler to take home the gold. Chip Berezny (Easton, Pa./Bikeline) out raced Patrick Gellineau (Somerset, N.J./Team Squiggle) in two races to win the bronze medal match-up.

Even though the fastest qualifier from the morning’s 200-meter time trial, Cathy Keeley (Camarillo, Calif./Team Velosport), won the women’s 40 – 44 division, the women’s sprints were every bit as hotly contested as the men’s. It took a little generosity from her fellow racers and a photo finish for Keeley to overcome Linda Foti (Atlanta, Ga./East Point Track Club) in the first round of the finals. She then held off the strong Foti in the second sprint to win the national championship. Annabell Holland (Santa Clara, Calif./Kaiser Permanente-Te) took two over Renee Schroeder (Grosse Point, Mich./Wolverine Sports) to win the bronze.  

“The airline lost my bags so I had to do the time trial on Terry Roach’s bike. I didn’t have anything. Kara Vidaca loaned me her clothes, shoes and wheels. Without all the generosity of my fellow racers I wouldn’t have been racing.” said Keeley. “Linda gave me a real run for my money today. It was nice to see a strong, sizeable group of women out here racing.” 

The women’s 45+ sprint held one of the biggest surprises of the day as Donna Smith (Cowiche, Wash./Bike Central) won two straight in the final to upset long-time champion Annette Hanson (Kenmore, Wash./Avanti-TiCycles). Smith used a long sprint to win the second match-up in commanding fashion over the favorite. Julie Klinger (Pottstown, Pa./Tri-State Velo) took two straight from Ann Marie Love (Fort Worth, Texas/Matix-RBM) to earn the bronze. 

With packed fields, all of the finalists displayed great talent in simply reaching the podium at this highly contested masters event. Racing continues on Wednesday with the 30 – 34 and 35 – 39 men’s 3000-meter time trial, as well as more sprint and points race competitions for both men and women

Another beautiful weather day helped make Wednesday’s third day of competition at the USA Cycling Masters Track Nationals another great one for spectators at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome. Alternate age divisions contested the 3000-meter pursuit, points race and sprint as 13 stars-and-stripes jerseys were awarded.  

The morning kicked-off with the 30 – 34 men riding the 3000-meter time trial in a pursuit style format. In the baby masters category Josh Frick (Bethesda, Md./Clean Currents) completed the nine lap time trial in 3:38.913 to earn the first stars-and-stripes jersey of the day. Per Bjesse (Portland, Ore./Bike Central) was only three seconds behind earning the silver and Brent Morehouse (Bethlehem, Pa./Unattached) took bronze. With a tough field of more than 20 riders, it took the day’s best 3000-meter time (3:38.530) to get Jason Sprouse (Asheville, N.C./Smith Barney-Hearn’s) atop the podium in the men’s 35 – 39 age group. Micheal Miller (Birdsboro, Pa./Team Alliance) posted a silver medal time of 3:40.075 and James Tainter (Minneapolis, Minn./Silver Cycling) took the bronze at 3:40.579.

Next, sprinters in the men’s 40 – 49 and women’s 30 – 39 age divisions rode a 200-meter time trial to qualify for the quarter final round where the top eight qualifiers faced off in a head-to-head sprint. The top four of those eight best sprinters moved on to the evening’s semi-final round, while the other four contested a consolation ride to determine 5th through 8th place. Also interspersed in the morning round, the 9th through 12th place qualifiers squared off in a four-up sprint to determine who would grab ninth place.  

In the mean time, the 60 – 64 men saw Thomas Lobdell (Indianapolis, Ind./Delta Faucet-HRH) and Edward Burns (Vestal, N.Y./Tioga) take care of business in the 10-kilometer points race. The pair rode out front for the majority of the race allowing Lobdell to earn 16 points and take the national championship from the 15-rider field. Burns grabbed the silver with 11 sprint points. The 65+ 10-kilometer points race followed with Robert Lea (Taneytown, Md./Team Fuji) blowing the competition away as he lapped the field twice and earned a whopping 61 points to run away with the stars-and-stripes jersey. Joe Saling (Bridgewater, N.J./Team Somerset-Van De), Charles Moll (Fortville, Ind./Delta Faucet-HRH) and Luigi Fabri (Hallandale Beach, Fla./Lake Worth) all gained a lap on the field to take second through fourth place respectively.   Fabri not only finished fourth overall, but earned himself another national championship on the week, placing first amongst the 70+ competitors. 

The evening session kicked-off with the 50 -54 year-old men contesting the 20-kilometer points race. A dominating performance was put on by Brent Emery (Menonmonee Falls, Wis./Velo Trocadero-Emery), leading nearly the entire contest to accrue 37 points and take home the stars-and-stripes jersey. Paul Pearson (Allentown, Pa./Tru-Brew) and Robert Black (Morehead City, N.C./CCC-Keltic Construction) also rode strong to earn the silver and bronze medals. 

The competition then continued with the sprint semis to determine which of the four finalists would go to the gold medal round and which to the bronze. After things were all set for the sprint finals, the 40 – 44 and 45 – 49 women raced together in the 10-kilometer points race. The 45 – 49 year-olds flexed their muscles in this combined race, taking the top three overall spots by a commanding margin. Annette Hanson (Kenmore, Wash./Avanti-TiCycles) ran away from the more than 15-rider field, staying at or off the front of the group nearly the entire race to win the gold by more than 10 points over the closest competitor. A pair of 45 – 49 year-olds, Lias Giuffre (Englewood, Ohio/Team IPro) and Patty Powers (Kintnersville, Pa./Unattached), were next in line taking second and third overall to win the silver and bronze in the older of the two competing age divisions. Accruing the most points in the 40 – 44 age division, Kathryn Wilder (Doylestown, Pa./Bicycle John’s) earned herself a national championship. Renee Schroeder (Grosse Point, Mich./Wolverine Sports) and Luanne Murray (Fogelsville, Pa./Kreitler Racing) were right on the heels of Wilder to take second and third amongst the 40 – 44 year-olds. 

“This was the hardest and best race I’ve compete in since I began racing at the masters level,” said Hanson. “All of the racers were active and aggressive today.”    

After the first round of gold and bronze medal sprints, nearly 20 men took to the Lehigh Valley Velodrome to contest the 55 – 59 division’s 10-kilometer points race. It turned out to be a three man race with Chip Berezny (Easton, Pa./Bike Line-LWA), Patrick Gellineau (Somerset, N.J./Team Squiggle) and Art Mchugh (Breinigsville, Pa.) swallowing up the majority of the points. Berezny was able to take the final sprint and edge the other two by a mere point on the way to another national championship.    

In the first of the match sprints, the 40 – 44 men, Stephen Hill (Winston, Ga./East Point Track Club) used an early jump to take two straight from Matt Diefenbach (Allentown, Pa./Tri State Velo) in the gold medal ride. Wil Zegers (Colorado Springs, Colo./Hammer Racing) took the bronze medal round by default as his opponent was unable to start the race. After a first ride collision which resulted in a re-start, Warren Geissert (Orangevale, Calif./Alto Velo) was able to take two straight sprints over the day’s fastest qualifier, Todd Hayes (Ann Arbor, Mich./Unattached), to win the gold in the 45 – 49 age division. Italo Bastianelli (West Point, N.Y./America’s Cycling Team) took two straight over Steve Sperry (Greenville, S.C./Smith Barney/Hearn’s) in the bronze medal match-up. 

“He made me ride really hard today,” explained three-time national champion Geissert. “I have been training really hard with my coach Max Testa for nearly eight years and I learned to win by being able to go long in the sprint.” 

The women’s sprints held the same trend as all of the day’s final round sprints were decided in two straight, dissolving the need for the third match-up in the best of three format. Heather Vanvalkenburg (Vancouver, Wash./Team Rubicon) held off Kara Vidaca (Norco, Calif./Bicycle John’s) to win the women’s 30 – 34 gold as these two continued their heated competition for the best all-around rider in the women’s baby masters division. Samantha Van Gerbig (Cambridge, Mass./Wachovia-IBC) took two straight from Sarah Alholm (Asheville, N.C./Prestige-Subaru) to earn the bronze. It took a pair of photo finishes to determine the final round winners in the 35 – 39 age group.  Brooke Wilson (Morris Plains, N.J./Team Somerset-Van De) overtook Kimberely Nuffer (Denver, Colo./Hammer Racing) to take home the stars-and-stripes jersey in the gold medal match-up while Laura Summers (Southington, Conn./Horst-Benidorm-PRC) held off Deborah Kidd (Sante Fe, N.M./Hammer Racing) by only centimeters to take third.  

Day Four of the USA Cycling Masters Track National Championships produced some of the most action-packed racing yet. The 30 – 39 women smoked the track in the early session in the 2000-meter time trial, the 30 – 39 and 60 – 64 men displayed some of the most exciting sprinting yet and the 40 – 49 men and 50+ women displayed a combination of power and endurance in their points races. 

The youngest age group of masters women, 30 – 34, started things off in the early hours of the fourth day of competition at the USA Cycling Masters Track Nationals. Last night’s sprint bronze medalist, Samantha Van Gerbig (Cambridge, Mass./Wachovia-IBC), stepped things up this morning to take the national championship in the 2000-meter time trial event. Van Gerbig posted a time of 2:51.284 over the six-lap event with Kara Vidaca (Norco, Calif./Bicycle John’s) grabbing the silver less than one second behind. In the women’s 35 – 39 contest it was Margaret Smigiel (Flourtown, Pa./Unattached) swooping in to set the impressive time to beat at 2:45.285. Her standard held by more than five seconds over last night’s sprint medalists and today’s second and third place finishers Deborah Kidd (Sante Fe, N.M./Hammer Racing) and Laura Summers (Southington, Conn./Horst-Benidorm-PRC). 

The remainder of the morning session consisted of 200-meter time trial qualifying and preliminary sprint rounds for the 30 – 39 and 60 – 65+ men. With nearly 70 men contesting these categories, only the best of the best were able to make it to the evening’s semi final round which opened the evening’s competition. 

Once the bronze and gold medal rounds were set for the sprinters, the 40 – 44 men contested a 25-kilometer points race. An early five man break looked strong, but was brought back mid-way through the 75-lap affair. It didn’t take long however for Kenneth Harris (New York, N.Y./CRCA-Empire Cycling) to get a jump on the 34-rider field. Taylor Fenstermacher (Allentown, Pa./Tri-State Velo) followed Harris’ lead out and the two scorched around the track to quickly lap the field and go on to take the gold and silver medals. A four-man break led by Dan Vogt (Corona Del Mar, Calif./Sonance-Specialized) and Darin Marhanka (Pickens, S.C./Smith Barney-Hearn’s) went off the front of the main field late in the race to swallow up the remainder of the sprints and grab the remaining podium spots. 

The competition then heated up for the sprint medal rounds with the 30 – 34 men up first. Joseph Lacour (Mansfield, Texas/Colavita Racing) nearly pulled off the upset, holding off Mike Beers (Breinigsville, Pa./Rite Aid) in the first ride of the best of three format. Beers however came back with a vengeance taking the second ride with a blistering 47 mph pace. The third and deciding match-up turned out to be one of the most exciting of the night with Beers diving underneath to take control of the pole lane and powering to victory to take the gold. In the bronze medal contest, long-time road racer Bill Short found himself trailing Karl Roesler (Brooklyn, N.Y./Team DC Racing) in the first sprint but came from behind to take the round, before handily winning the second ride to earn third place. The 35 – 39 men did not need the third contest to decide a champion as the number four qualifier, Ryan Watson (La, Ala./Eddie Bicycling) powered to two straight wins over silver medalist Steve Palaez (San Francisco, Calif./Lombardi Sports). The number one qualifier, Andrew LaCorte (Plainview, N.Y./Kissena Cycling) also took two in a row from James Tainter (Minneapolis, Minn./Silver Racing) to earn the bronze medal. 

The day’s older age group of sprinters did not disappoint either. Bobby Phillips (Baltimore, Md./Annapolis Bicycle), affectionately know as the “Baltimore Bullet” added another stars-and-stripes jersey to his collection, taking two straight from Ronald Hargrave (Colorado Springs, Colo./Hammer Racing) in the gold medal round. Walter Lay (Louisville, Ky./Team Louisville) used a little cat and mouse to win the bronze medal over John Dowd (Watkinsville, Ga./Locos) in the 60 – 64 age group. In the men’s oldest age division of sprinters, five-time sprint world champion Earl Henry (Pinellaspark, Fla./Unattached) earned yet another jersey in commanding fashion over silver-medalist James Murdock (Loveland, Colo./Hammer Racing). Richard Keller (Oconomowoc, Wis./Midwest Masters) won two straight over Luigi Fabri (Hallandale Beach, Fla./Lake Worth) to take third.

“I’ve been coming to these events since 1993,” said Henry. “I would compete win, lose or draw because I love it. I’ll keep coming as long as they let me ride.”             

Strategically interspersed to give the sprinters a well-deserved break, the men’s 45 – 49 20-kilometer points race added some long distance excitement to the evening. A group of five riders, led by Shawn Wallace (Cardiff, Calif./Guiness) went off the front with about 35 laps to go in the 60-lap affair. The group was eventually joined by four more making for a strong 10-man break with around 25 laps left. The field however turned on the gas and much to the crowd’s surprise caught the leaders with around 20 laps left. Rich Meeker (Corona Del Mar, Calif./Sonance-Specialized) used that opportunity to jump right off the front and go solo for over 10 laps before eventually lapping the field to earn 20 points. After staying off the front and earning most of the points Wallace took second place followed closely by Steve Sperry (Greenville, S.C./Smith Barney-Hearn’s) in third. 

“I grew up on this track, so it is fun to come back home and get the win,” stated Rich Meeker. “It was a great race filled with talented riders and it was a lot of fun.” 

The evening concluded with the 50+ 10-kilometer women’s points race. The action was a little easier to follow as three riders dominated nearly all of the sprints. Shannon Youngquist Lucy (Parker, Colo./Hammer Racing) won the 50 – 54 national championship with the most overall points at 21. Patricia Marzi (Kutztown, Pa./Team Fuji) and Patty Walsh (Chesterfield, Mo./Big Shark Racing) were close behind, grabbing 18 and 16 sprint points respectively to take second and third overall and the silver and bronze in the same age group. Marsha Macro (Littleton, Colo./Hammer Racing), Louella Holter (Flagstaff, Ariz./Greggs-Specialized) and Elizabeth Digennaro (Albany, Calif./Solo Velo-Cliff Bar) went one, two, three for the 55 – 59 women and Julie Lockhart (Dunstable, Mass./NEBC-CycleLoft) took home the national championship in the over 60 age division.

The fifth day of competition at the USA Cycling Masters Track National Championships was dominated by team racing. The country’s best track riders over the age of 30 teamed up to contest the team time trial, team sprint and madison. Friday’s racing wrapped up the week-long competition at the LeHigh Valley Velodrome.   

Friday’s fifth and final day of competition started off with the men’s 30+ team sprint contest. In that four-kilometer event it was the Georgia-based Memorial Health team taking home the victory by more than seven seconds over another mostly-southern squad, Smith-Barney of North Carolina. Adam Payne (Peachtree City, Ga.), Steve Carrell (Atlanta, Ga.), Tony Scott (East Point, Ga.) and Josh Frick (Bethesda, Md./Clean Currents) all took home national championships after setting the gold standard of 4:43.810. In the 40+ men’s race it was Michael Price (Lake Ridge, Va.), Don Saroff (Alexandria, Va.), Grant Soma (Manassas, Va.) and Simon Walker (Bethesda, Md./NCVC-Inova Health-Va) narrowly earning the gold over the AMD-Discovery Channel Team with a time of 4:48.021. The 50+ men’s race was next with Chip Berezny (Easton, Pa.), Robert Black (Morehead City, N.C./CCC-Keltic Construction), James Joseph (Brooklyn, N.Y./Team United) and Scott Butler (Nazareth, Pa.) posting a time of 4:55.827 to take home the stars-and-stripes jersey over the Defenders squad. In the women’s only team time trial category it was the Hammer Racing Team running away with the victory by more than eight seconds over the second place 166 team in the three-kilometer 30+ contest. Deborah Kidd (Santa Fe, N.M.), Kimberely Nuffer (Denver, Colo.), Marsha Macro (Littleton, Colo.) and Shannon Lucy Younquist (Parker, Colo.) all earned a national title for Hammer Racing with a time of 4:10 .920. 

In the team sprint event it was the A Town 2 K Town team of Andrew LaCorte (Plainview, N.Y./Kissena Cycling), Joseph Lacour (Mansfield, Texas/Colavita) and Karl Roesler (Brooklyn, N.Y./Team DC Racing) winning a national championship in the 30+ category over the silver-medal team, Northbrook Express. It was team Byrneivent edging the Act squad in a photo finish to take the gold in the men’s 40+ division. David Mann (Seattle, Wash./Byrnelnvent) Eric Waterman (Seattle, Wash./Unattached) and John Singleton (Carmel, Ind./Delta Faucet-HRH) all earned stars-and-stripes jerseys. The Easton-Specialized squad of Rick Adams (Palo Alto, Calif.), Tim Montagne (Sunnyvale, Calif.), John Simmons (San Jose, Calif./Shaws Garden City Cycling) and Alex Millar (Moraga, Calif./Webcor-Alto Velo) outsprinted the Midlife Crisis-Web team to win the men’s 50+ national title. In the women’s 30+ sprint it was another Hammer Racing team, this time made up of Kidd and Nuffer, taking gold over the Asheville-based Prestige-Subaru squad. Ann Marie Love (Fort Worth, Texas/Matix-RBM) and Donna Smith (Cowiche, Wash./Bike Central), otherwise know as Matix-Bike Central won the women’s 45+ category over Bikeline-LWA.  

In the 30+ division of the men’s 40-kilometer Madison, Steve Palaez and Brian Peterson (Redwood City, Calif./Webcor-Alto Velo) pulled out a victory with 19 points, only one better than Shaun Wallace (Cardiff, Calif./Guinness) and David Klipper’s (Portland, Ore./Guiness) 18. The final event of this year’s competition saw Bruce Donaghy (Allentown, Pa./Morgan Stanley) and Paul Pearson (Allentown, Pa.Tru-Brew) take a commanding win in the men’s 45+ madison event. 

Friday’s team events wrapped five days of masters competition at the LeHigh Valley Velodrome

Source: usacycling.org