USA Cycling Pro Road and Time Trial Championships Held This Weekend
5/26/11 – The youngest-ever champions, Taylor Phinney (BMC) and Benjamin King (Team RadioShack), will be looking to defend their national titles as the Greenville Hospital Systems USA Cycling Road and Time Trial National Championships get underway in Greenville this Memorial Day weekend, May 28-30.
The pair of youngsters will be joined by a star-studded field, including Greenville’s own two-time USA Cycling Professional Road Race National Champion George Hincapie (BMC), in pursuit of the right to wear the prestigious Stars-and-Stripes national championship jersey. Just over 100 of America’s top professional cyclists are expected in Greenville to compete for both the Individual Time Trial and Road Race National Championships.
Among those confirmed for the event are four-time USA Cycling Time Trial national champion and Tour de France stage winner Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Cervélo), recent Tour of California Best Young Rider Tejay VanGarderen (HTC-Highroad), 2008 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Champion, Furman University’s Chris Butler (BMC) and second-place finisher in the 2010 Giro d’Italia’s opening stage and Lees-McRae College graduate Brent Bookwalter (BMC).
For the first time in the six-year history of the race in Greenville, the event will be contested over the Memorial Day holiday weekend to better align the event with the international calendar. The holiday weekend also allows for a valuable rest day between the Saturday’s time trial and Monday’s road race.
"Greenville continues to be an excellent host of this prestigious event. With the move to the Memorial Day holiday weekend we expect support for the event to grow and even more spectators to be on hand to witness America's top talent contest for the Stars-and-Stripes jersey," said Steve Johnson, USA Cycling’s Chief Executive Officer.
On Saturday, May 28, the 20.7-mile Professional Individual Time Trial Championship presented by Duke Energy will return to the Clemson University-International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). The race against the clock will begin at 11:30 a.m. with competitors contesting three laps of the 6.9-mile course. The USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship presented by TD Bank will then take place on Monday, May 30, beginning at 11 a.m. in downtown Greenville. Over 100 competitors will contest three start circuits of 4.2 miles, four long laps over Paris Mountain and three downtown finish circuits of 4.2 miles. Race leaders are expected to begin the finishing circuits at approximately 3 p.m., returning to downtown Greenville to complete the 115-mile course.
The weekend marks the 26th anniversary of the one-day road race championship and the sixth year of American-only competition. Past winners include Olympic speed skating champion Eric Heiden (1985), Lance Armstrong (1993), Hincapie (2006, 2009) and Fred Rodriguez (2000, 2001, 2004).
Dozens of elite handcyclists will also compete in time trial and criterium contests, as the 2011 Roger C. Peace Hospital – Rehabilitation U.S. Handcycling Series presented by Paralyzed Veterans of America takes place in Greenville. Many of the top handcyclists are U.S. military veterans who were recently injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as accomplished athletes, including Matt Updike, six-time, U.S. National Champion.
Monday’s road race will be streamed live online at usacyclingchampionships.com. A one-hour wrap show will also air on the Versus network Sunday, June 5 at 4 p.m. EST.
