Devo Wrap: Several podiums in final week before worlds Riders in the USA Cycling National Development Program are honing their technique as the 2012 UCI Road World Championships loom in the near future.
News-Sports.net - Sep 11,2012 - The riders in the USA Cycling National Development Program are honing their technique as the 2012 UCI Road World Championships loom in the near future. If the previous week is any indication, the Americans will have much to celebrate from Sept. 16-23 in the Netherlands.
WOMEN
Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche
Tayler Wiles (Murray, Utah/Exergy TWENTY12) compiled four top-10 stage finishes to place third in the general classification of the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche. Wiles finished 5:23 behind the race winner, Emma Pooley (GBR).
Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Exergy TWENTY12) also finished in the top 10 of the final results, placing seventh, 9:18 behind Pooley. Emily Kachorek (Sacramento, Calif./Primal-MapMyRide Women's Racing) and Alexis Ryan (Ventura, Calif./Team TIBCO II) also completed the contest, placing 52nd and 54th, respectively.
Wiles finished 10th in the prologue, ninth in the first stage, third in the second stage and second in the final stage to bolster her position in the general classification. McGrath, who also rode a strong race despite some stomach discomfort, placed second in the prologue, fourth in the second stage and 10th in the third and fifth stages.
Andrea Dvorak (Crozet, Va./Exergy TWENTY12) was unable to finish the race due to a stomach ailment. Erin Donohue (Norwich, Vt./KMS-Start House Cycling Team) also contested the race as a member of USA Cycling's contingent.
Check out a photo gallery of photos by Jackson Stewart.
Les Chronos Champenois
On Sunday, Carmen Small (Durango, Colo./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies), who will contest the individual time trial for the United States at the world championships, finished second in a 33.4-time trial at the Chrono Champenois in France. Wendy Houvenaghel (GBR) took the top spot in the final results, finishing in 45:02.05, while Small was 1:24.52 behind her in second place. The woman who won bronze in the road race and time trial at the 2012 Olympic Games, Olga Zabelinskaya (RUS), finished third, +1:34.57 behind Houvenaghel.
U23
As a late tune up for the 2012 UCI Road World Championships, the two American entries in the U23 time trial, Larry Warbasse (Traverse City, Mich./BMC-Hincapie Sportswear Cycling Team) and Nate Brown (Covington, Tenn./Bontrager Livestrong Team), contested Les Chronos Champenois in France.
The 33.4-kilometer course was fairly flat with a small hill about 18 kilometers in. Competing against elite men on a windy day, each of them finished in the top 10 of the final results as Warbasse placed sixth and Brown was ninth. The winner, Rohan Dennis (AUS), completed his ride in 40:48 while Warbasse crossed the line 1:06 slower and Brown was 1:15 back.
Juniors
A group of six juniors riders contested the four-stage Rothaus Regio Tour over four days in Freiburg, Germany. The team performed very well, earning the top spot of the team general classification and landing three riders in the top 10 of the final results. The team also placed a rider as the runner-up in the King of the Mountains classification and third in the Best Young Rider classification.
