Facts from USA Cycling
The U.S. National Mountain Bike Team continued their efforts at the UCI World Championships in Livigno, Italy on Friday as Sam Schultz (Missoula, MT) posted the top finish by an American competitor in the 26.7 mile U23 cross country race.
Schultz placed 17th amongst a 94-rider field consisting of the best mountain
bikers in the world between the ages of 19 and 22, a considerable improvement from his 43rd-place finish from a year ago.
"It's my best result so far at the worlds, so I'm moving up," commented
Schultz afterwards.
After a finish sprint it was Russian Yury Trofimov who took the world title ahead of Swiss riders Lukas Fluckiger. Defending champion Nino Schurter finished almost a full 2 minutes behind.
"I just tried not to overdo it because there are so many steep climbs and it was too long of a race," explained Schultz on the importance of finding the right rhythm early on. "I did a pretty good job of pacing myself."
Nick Waite (Davis, WV) scored the only other top-30 finish for the U.S. National Team, finishing 28th, 12:53 down on the winner.
A selective course, a mid race rain shower and the challenging competition made for a race of attrition as only 81 of the entrants finished. All five U.S. National Team members finished as Nicholas Ranno (Boulder, CO) placed 57th and Sam Jerekovic (Durango, CO) overcame a flat tire early in the race to place 64th. Andy Schultz (Missoula, MT) suffered the worst luck of the American quintet with both a flat tire and minor mechanical failure on his way to finishing 71st.
"I've been coming around late in the season and I was hoping to do a little better, but the world championships are hard," said Sam Schultz. "It's
always harder than you expect."
REMEMBER TRIALS?
Do you remember when trials used to be included as one of the stages of two day events? We used to compete on our 26" cross-country bikes too. John Tomac even entered trials events in those days. It's all different now, with trials bikes looking more like BMX bikes, and with trials riders becoming more and more a step apart from mountain bikers. Yet trials is still included on the World Championship schedule.
In the trials, Ryan Cecil (Ashville, NC) placed 8th in the semifinals of the junior men's 20" trials competition and Brian Yezierski (Middletown, CT) placed 30th in the semifinals of the men's elite 20".
Competition continues this Friday evening with the qualifying heats of the 4-Cross as defending world champion Eric Carter (Temecula, CA) and Jill Kintner (Seattle, WA) highlight the U.S. roster. Carter will be hoping to defend his world title while Kintner will look to add to her recent string of victories that includes wins in the last four UCI World Cup 4-Cross events.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP U23 RESULTS
1. Yury Trofimov (Rus)...2:17:30
2. Lukas Fluckiger (Swi)...at 0:01
3. Nino Schurter (Swi)...Swiss Power...1:55
4. Jakob Diemer Fuglsang (Den)...Heijdens-Ten Tusscher...2:41
5. Philip Spencer (GBr)...3:09
6. Rudi Van Houts (Ned)...Merlanduo-Be One...3:10
7. Benjamin Rudiger (Ger)...3:28
8. Daniel Mcconnell (Aus)...4:35
9. Tony Longo (Ita)...4:49
10. Gion Manetsch (Swi)...5:48
17. Samuel Schultz...U23 National...9:23
28. Nick Waite...U23 National...12:53
57. Nicholas Ranno...26:13
64. Sam Jurekovic...29:00
71. Andy Schultz...Cannondale...32:55
REMAINING 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
*Women 20" and 26" Trials
*4-Cross Qualification
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
*Junior Men Downhill
*Junior Women Downhill
*Elite Women Downhill
*Elite Men Downhill
*Elite Men 4-Cross
*Elite Women 4-Cross
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
*Junior and Elite 20" and 26" Trials
*Elite Women Cross Country
*Elite Men Cross Country
|