SoCal Juniors Earn National Championship Titles, Neben Gets a Silver
6/23/11 - The USA Cycling Juniors, U23, Elite & Para Road National Championships opened on Wednesday with the first five national titles awarded in the junior road races. Just under 200 of the nation’s top young road cyclists took to the 11-kilometer loop course around Augusta’s Fort Gordon as temperatures rose into the mid-90s.
In a truly national event, the 10-16 year-old men and women competing represented 30 different states and cycling clubs and teams of all shapes and sizes. Wednesday’s young competitors also showed the diversity of the sport of cycling with many crossing over from other primary disciplines to find success on the road.
In the morning’s opening contest, Courtney Comer (San Marcos, CA/San Diego Bicycle Club) emerged from a lead group of five to take the first of 70+ Stars-and-Stripes national championship jerseys to be awarded this week with a victory in the junior 10-12 women’s road race. Accustomed to riding on the track, Comer used her strong sprint to out kick silver-medalist Ann Weigel (Clermont, Fla./Orlando Road Club) and bronze-medalist Isabella Brookshire (Hendersonville, N.C./Velosports Racing Asheville). Moriah Swan (Alpine, Calif./Strive Racing) and Annalise Oestreich (Powder Springs, Ga./Fulton Flyers) rounded out the lead group that was able to build a gap on the course’s rolling back stretch on the final of two laps.
Things came down to a two-man sprint in the 10-12 men’s road race with Sean McElroy (Palmdale, CA) outsprinting Mateo Jorgenson (Boise, Idaho/Boise Young Riders Dev. Squad) for the national title. Jorgenson attacked on the course’s backside the final time around the two-lap affair but McElroy jumped on the reigning silver-medalist’s wheel. The pair worked together to build a lead on the 30-man field in the final stretch of the 22-kilometer race. McElroy, the 2011 USA Cycling BMX 12-and-under Cruiser National Champion, was able to outkick Jorgenson in the final 200-meters. “This national title feels better than my BMX national title because I had to work harder for this one,” said McElroy.
In the Elite Women’s U.S. Time Trial, Championship, Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Highroad) came in first with teammate Amber Neben (HTC-Highroad / Irvine, CA) just one second behind, followed by Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co).
The Elite Men U.S. Time Trial Championship was won by Jonathan Jacob (Indianapolis Cycling-NUVO Cultural Trail), with Timothy Mitchell (CCB Racing) in 2nd and Jesse Moore (Cal Giant-Specialized) rounding out the podium for 3rd.
