Team USA saw several top performances and four World Cup medals this weekend at the Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Hong Kong and the Telenet UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Hoogerheide, Netherlands.
Men's Track Endurance Program makes strides towards Olympic Goals
The men’s endurance track program finished their last World Cup before the 2019 UCI Track World Championships in Poland next month with two silver medals. In the first round of the men’s Team Pursuit, the squad of Ashton Lambie (Lincoln, Neb.), Gavin Hoover (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), Eric Young (Geneva, Ill.) and Colby Lange (Vail Valley, Colo.) earned the second fastest time for the round at 3:54.358, less than one second off of their National Record which was set at altitude in August, putting them in contention for the Gold Medal round. After swapping Hoover for Danny Summerhill (Centennial, Colo.) going into the finals, Young, Lange, Summerhill, and Lambie clocked a 3:59.215 to earn the silver medal.
Teammate Adrian Hegyvary (Ashville, N.C.) earned his fourth World Cup medal of the season in the Scratch race.
“We went into these World Cups with some clear needs and some clear goals to track ourselves towards Worlds. We exceeded our expectations in the Team Pursuit and are walking away with some real confidence. We feel good about our ability to balance our program to allow competitive performances in multiple events throughout the season,” said Clay Worthington, Men’s Track Head Coach for USA Cycling.
U.S. Cyclocross Riders Step up Week Before World Championships
In Hoogerheide, Netherlands, several U.S. athletes competed in the final Telenet UCI Cyclocross World Cup before the World Championships next weekend in Denmark. In the Women’s Elite Race, 15-time National Champion and last year’s World Championship silver medalist, Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo.; KFC Racing p/b Trek and Knight Composites), earned a silver medal after battling past reigning World Champion Sanne Cant going into the final lap. After coming through the first lap in the top 10, Kaitie Keough (Colorado Springs, Colo.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld) pushed forward as the race continued and picked off riders and ending the race in sixth place.
Clara Honsinger (Portland, Ore.; Team S&M Cyclocross), started the combined U23 and Elite race in the fourth row. After a strong start, the U.S. Women’s U23 National Champion held her composure throughout the race and spending her energy wisely moving forward through the riders. Inside the last lap, she passed the U23 women's World Cup leader, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and rode to a silver medal performance in the U23 category.
"Clara Honsinger, reaching the podium in some of the toughest conditions to be found in Europe shows that she is a champion at heart and already making an impact on this sport at a young age," Jesse Anthony
On the men’s side, we saw two top 10 performances with Gage Hecht (Parker, Colo.; Alpha Bicycle Co / Groove Subaru) placing 7th in the U23 category and Alex Morton (Saint Clair, Mich.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) placing 6th in the Junior Category.
“Overall, I was so proud of the grit and tenacity with which all of our riders raced. We all learned a lot from this weekend, and they showed how fiercely they are willing to compete,” said Jesse Anthony, Cyclocross Manager for USA Cycling. “The bravery Katie Compton showed to fight to the podium near the end of a tough season is inspirational for all of us. Seeing Alex Morton, Gage Hecht and Kaitie Keough rise to the occasion and finish in the top-10 is encouraging to our whole crew as well. And, Clara Honsinger, reaching the podium in some of the toughest conditions to be found in Europe shows that she is a champion at heart and already making an impact on this sport at a young age.”
Team USA will compete in the 2019 UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Bogense, Denmark February 2-3, 2019 and at the 2019 UCI Track World Championships in Pruszkow, Poland February 27-March 3, 2019. For the latest on Team USA and USA Cycling, follow @USACycling across all social media platforms.
For more information, please e-mail Kelly Fox at apalermo@usacycling.org.
