Titles Awarded Points Races, Women’s Sprint and Men’s Kierin

10/2/11 - The fourth day of the 2011 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships featured many of the best American track cyclists.  The morning session seeded and qualified the riders in the women’s sprint and the men’s and women’s points races, setting the stage for Saturday evening showdowns.
 
Men’s Points Race
The riders in the men’s points race drilled it for all 40 kilometers of the velodrome with the majority of the 16 sprint laps being hotly contested by several riders. In the end, Daniel Holt (Atlanta, Ga./Team Type 1-Development) repeated as the national champion in this race. With fewer than 10 laps remaining in the race, Holt and Jake Hansen (Portland, Ore.) broke off the front determined to reach the back the pack and collect a valuable 20 points. In the last turn of the 160th-and final – lap, they reached their destination to earn the top two positions on the podium. James Carney (Tucson, Ariz./RideClean p/b PatentIt.com) and Ian Moir (Long Beach, Calif./Yahoo Cycling Team) finished 11 points behind Hansen in third and fourth, respectively.
 
“I was trying to get sprint points, but was getting beaten by Jamie (Carney) and Ian (Moir). Late in the race, I wasn’t feeling that great, but I knew I had to get some points, so I went for it.”
 
Women’s Points Race
Beth Newell (Oakland, Calif./Bell Lap Racing-Team Bell Lap) earned 27 points, including the prized 20-point award for lapping the field, to earn the Stars-and-Stripes jersey in the women’s points race. As the 25-kilometer race heated up, Newell, the winner of the women’s omnium on Thursday, broke off the front and zipped around the track before settling into the back of the field, recording 20 points. Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo./Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12-Proman Hit Squad) recorded points on six, including winning three, of the 10 sprints to help her accumulate 22 points and ride away with the silver medal.
 
Women’s Sprint
In the women’s sprint race, Dana Feiss (Telford, Pa./CPT Home Depot Center) swept through the semifinals and finals to defend her women’s sprint national title. In the semifinals, Feiss won two races against Jen Featheringill (Portland, Ore./Bike Central) before sweeping a pair of races against Cristin Walker (Houston, Texas/Coaching Group p/b Atomic-Momentum Coaching Group) in the finals and earn the fourth Stars-and-Stripes jersey of her career. Walker defeated Madalyn Godby (Louisville, Colo./enCompass Racing) in the semifinals in two races.
 
“Cristin has an excellent acceleration. She’s very quick,” Feiss said of her strategy against Walker. “She likes to ride from the back. My first thought was, ‘Okay, just control it. It doesn’t matter if I’m controlling it from the front or from the back and just make sure I’m in charge. With a lap to go, go!’ Don’t give her any room to jump because her acceleration if killer. She’s a fantastic rider. My only hope would be to shut that acceleration down.”
 
Men’s Kierin
After narrowly falling to Michael Blatchford (Cypress, Calif./Rubicon Cycling-Team Rubicon-ORBEA) in the men’s sprint on Friday night, Giddeon Massie (Cypress, Calif./Bike Religion) rode determined to earn the top step of the podium. Massie rode hard and narrowly won a sprint against Matthew Baranoski (Perkasie, Pa./Pure Energy Cycling-ProAirHFA) to secure the gold medal. Andrew Lakatosh (Trexlertown, Pa./Chester County Cycling Foundation-Team Alliance Environmental) placed third.
 

Full Results >
 
Men's Kierin
1. Giddeon Massie (Cypress, CA/Cody Racing)
2. Matthew Baranoski (Perkasie, PA/Pure Energy Cycling-ProAirHFA)
3. Andrew Lakatosh (Trexlertown, PA/Chester County Cycling Foundation/Team Alliance Environmental)
4. Daniel Sullivan (Bloomfield, NJ/Affinity Cycles)
5. Kevin Mansker (Long Beach, CA/Momentum Coaching Group p/b Atomic/Momentum Coaching Group)
 
Men's Points Race
1. Daniel Holt (Atlanta, GA/Team Type 1- Development) 38
2. Jake Hansen (Portland, OR) 33
3. James Carney (Tucson, AZ/RideClean p/b PatentIt.com) 22
4. Ian Moir (Long Beach, CA/Yahoo Cycling Team) 22
5. Bobby Lea (Mertztown, PA/Pure Energy Cycling-ProAirHFA) 17
 
Women's Points Race
1. Elizabeth Newell (Oakland, CA/Bell Lap Racing/Team Bell Lap) 27
2. Cari Higgins (Boulder, CO/Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12-Proman Hit Squad) 22
3. Jennifer Triplett (Manitou Springs, CO/Lake Washington Velo) 16
4. Lauren Tamayo (Asheville, NC/Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12) 15
5. Lauren Hall (Dolores, CO/Colavita / Forno D'Asolo) 10
 
Women's Sprint
1. Dana Feiss (Telford, PA/CPT/Home Depot Center Team)
2. Cristin Walker (Houston, TX/Momentum Coaching Group p/b Atomic/Momentum Coaching Group)
3. Madalyn Godby (Louisville, CO/enCompass Racing)
4. Jen Featheringill (Portland, OR/Bike Central)
5. Jennifer Valente (San Diego, CA/Adams Avenue Bicycles/G S Adams Avenue Bicycles)