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TEAM PURSUIT, 500-METER TIME TRIAL TITLES AWARDED IN CARSON

By editor on October 3rd, 2008

Phinney Claims Second National Championship of the Week

Carson, Calif. (October 3, 2008)—Four more national champions were determined Thursday as the 2008 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships continued at the ADT Event Center at the Home Depot Center with team pursuit and women’s 500-meter time trial contests.

In the men’s 4,000-meter team pursuit, Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo.) claimed his second national title of the week when he teamed up with Garmin-Chipotle teammates David Koesel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.), Daniel Holloway (Boulder, Colo.) and Colby Pearce (Boulder, Colo.) to clock a winning time of 4:21.047. On Wednesday, Phinney also scored a Stars-and-Stripes jersey in the men’s kilometer time trial.

In the women’s 3,000-meter individual pursuit, the Metro VW Cycling Team of Kimberly Geist (Emmaus, Pa.), Alison Powers (Boulder, Colo.) and Shannon Koch (Flower Mound, Texas) rode a 3:43.959 to earn the national title.

Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo./Proman-Paradigm) won the elite women’s 500-meter time trial national title with a winning mark of 36.781 seconds, besting runner-up Liz Reap-Carlson (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Verducci Breakaway) by a mere .07 of a second and third-place finisher Anna Lang (La Jolla, Calif./Aaron’s).

As the highest-placed U23 in the standings in sixth, Cristin Walker (Houston, Texas) was awarded the U23 national title in the 500-meter time trial after posting a time of 37.745.

In other competition on Thursday, Jimmy Watkins (Bakersfield, Calif./Momentum), Lanell Rockmore (Bethlehem, Pa./Gotham Cycling), Stephen Hill (Winston, Ga./East Point Track Club) and Michael Blatchford (Cypress, Calif.) all advanced to the semifinals of the men’s sprint. Watkins and Rockmore will square off on Friday in a best-of-three head-to-head format for a spot in the finals while Hill and Blatchford will do the same.

On Friday, national titles will be awarded in the men’s elite and U23 match sprint, the men’s and women’s elite and U23 individual pursuit, the women’s keirin, and the men’s and women’s scratch race.

2008 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships
Carson, Calif.
Oct. 1-5:

Men’s Team Pursuit
1. Garmin-Chipotle (David Koesel, Taylor Phinney, Daniel Holloway, Colby Pearce) 4:21.047
2. First Rate Mortgage (Kenny Williams, Roman Kilun, James Stangeland, Daniel Harm) 4:30.163
3. Team Colorado (Zach Watson, Daniel Lionberg, Ian Burnett, Julian Kyer) 4:34.384

Women’s Team Pursuit
1. Metro VW Cycling (Kimberly Geist, Alison Powers, Shannon Koch) 3:43.959
2. Proman Racing (Shelley Olds, Christen King, Megan Guarnier) 3:45.370
3. Southbay Wheelmen (Kelli Jones, Morgan Kapp, Jennifer Reither) 3:51.976

Women’s 500-Meter Time Trial
1. Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo.) 36.781
2. Liz Reap-Carslon (Jim Thorpe, Pa.) 36.858
3. Anna Lang (La Jolla, Calif.) 37.066
6. Cristin Walker (Houston, Texas) 37.745*