February 18/14 18:43 pm - U.S. Announces Track Worlds Squad

Posted by Editoress on 02/18/14
 

USA Cycling has announced the team that will represent the U.S. at the 2014 UCI Track World Championships in Cali, Colombia, from February 26th to March 2nd.

Two of the eight athletes earned automatic nominations to the squad. Sarah Hammer (Colorado Springs, Colo./TWENTY16 Pro Cycling), who is the reigning world champion in the women's Individual Pursuit and Omnium, topped the field in the women's Omnium at the second UCI Track World Cup in Aguascalientes, Mexico, in December. Elizabeth Newell (Oakland, Calif.) also earned an automatic nomination after she placed second in the Points Race at the opening round of the UCI Track World Cup in Manchester, Great Britain.

Joining those two competitors will be Jake Duehring (Irvine, Calif./GS Ciao), a selection committee nomination who will contest the men's Omnium in Colombia. Duehring currently ranks 12th in the UCI World Cup rankings and 28th in the UCI standings in the men's Omnium after his World Cup season. He finished 12th in Manchester before placing 16th in Aguascalientes and 14th in the final World Cup event in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The women's Team Pursuit roster includes Hammer, Kimberly Geist (Emmaus, Pa./Chester County Cycling Foundation-Team Alliance Environmental), Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo./UnitedHealthcare), Lauren Tamayo (Asheville, N.C./UnitedHealthcare), Jennifer Valente (San Diego, Calif./TWENTY16 Pro Cycling) and Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./UnitedHealthcare).

Valente, the reigning national champion in the Scratch Race, is set to contest that race in Colombia. She placed eighth in the Scratch Race in Guadalajara, and struck gold in the event at the 2011 UCI Juniors Track World Championships in Moscow.

Winder is also set to compete alongside Hammer in the women's Individual Pursuit. Winder finished sixth in the event at the second World Cup and seventh at the 2013 Pan American Championships. She currently is sitting in ninth in the UCI World Cup rankings and 16th in the UCI rankings in the individual pursuit.

Women's Roster
Kimberly Geist (Emmaus, Pa./Chester County Cycling Foundation-Team Alliance Environmental)
Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif./TWENTY16 Pro Cycling)
Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo./UnitedHealthcare)
Elizabeth Newell (Oakland, Calif.)
Lauren Tamayo (Asheville, N.C./UnitedHealthcare)
Jennifer Valente (San Diego, Calif./TWENTY16 Pro Cycling)
Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./UnitedHealthcare)

Men's Roster
Jake Duehring (Irvine, Calif./GS Ciao)