Incommendation

On March, 2006, USA Cycling announced the team that will represent America in the 2006 Union Cycliste Internationale Track Cycling World Championships. This event will be held from April 13 through April 16 and will be hosted in Bordeaux, France.

The team will be featured in 14 start positions for the 2006 World Championships, which was determined by performances from the 2005-2006 season World Cup events. This year’s team members were selected, however, from the last USA Cycling track talent made up of cyclists who qualified at the 2005 Elite Track National Championships, reached a time standard at Los Angeles qualifying events and/or by a selection of the coaches.

The 2006 United States team features, among others, five members from the 2005 World Championship team, a UCI World Cup standings runner-up and the Pan American time trial champion.

Three time gold medal winner Sarah Hammer will be part of this year’s team after taking a brief hiatus last season. Becky Quinn, who has won two silver medals in World Cup competition, will also be a member of the 2006 U.S. team and has shown strong performances throughout the year. Jennie Reed, who will be a part of the Women’s Sprint division, has also been awarded two silver medals and will be an intricate part of the veteran competitors in this year’s World Championships.

The men’s division will feature nine cyclists that will be making their debut at the Track Cycling World Championships. These gentlemen, however, are no strangers to cycling with bronze medalist Michael Blatchford and Brad Huff, who was recently honored as the Tour de Normandie stage winner.

The 2006 United States Track Cycling World Championship team consists of a Men’s Sprint division, which will feature Stephen Alfred, Ben Barczewski, Michael Blatchford, Giddeon Massie and Chrisitna Stahl. The Men’s Endurance division will feature Michael Friedman, Bobby Lea, Brad Huff, Chad Hartley, Danny Page, Michael Creed and Taylor Tolleson. The women’s division will feature the Women’s Sprint, which will include Jennie Reed. The Women’s Endurance team will be comprised of Sarah Hammer, Becky Quinn and Kristin Armstrong.

Information, upcoming events, competitor biographies and other information relating to USA Cycling can be found online at www.usacycling.org. In addition, photos, an e-mail newsletter and recent event coverage will be found here as released by the organization. Information will also be available for anyone wishing to compete in future USA cycling events and/or seasons.

Find more cycling news, Olympics news and many other sports news on http://www.sportsnews24h.com/

What a marvelous summer it has been. We went on an impressive mountain bike ride through the Sequoia Park. Everything about the trip was awesome except for the drive up . I had my mtn bike on the back of the car and equipment all packed up the night before. I left work early Thursday and started the drive alone. I was on a race against time as I was supposed to meet my buddies at the top of the mountain road, marked by a picnic table, at 8pm. I had to make the timing just right otherwise I would not meet them. If I didnt make it in time, they would come back the next day to find me. This means if I was too late, I would end up sleeping in my car alone that night.

Turns out I made it through traffic and up the hill in time to unhook my bike, crack open a beer and bike ride up and down a couple of little hills before dark and before my buddies would arrive. The fresh air was brilliant and it was nice to be away the city. My Santa Cruz Heckler was in tip top shape and ready to tear up some rails and free riding, fresh out of the shop. The crew arrived to pick me up and show me where our spot was.

We began our bike ride the next morning, each if us carrying 40lb packs ensuring enough food and water to last at least 12hrs of long hard riding. The first hill was killer and was a rude awakening to a very long ride. We pedaled over 10 miles uphill, that took over 2hrs. It was a extraordinary feeling to finally make it to the top. We took a break and sipped some water from our stainless steel water bottles.

The rest of the day was spent busting tricks, hitting logs and enticing each other to go big. We half a few good breaks in between stopping to eat lunch and have a smoke at the three sisters, what an awesome spot. The dirt was just right. Not too dry as to cause any dust and not too wet that our wheels would get stuck. There was a bit of ice still left on the ground from the spring melt. The temperature was perfect, not too hot, not too cold.