Jacob Rathe (center) gets in a motorpacing session on a sunny day at Sauvie Island. Rathe's former Chipotle teammate Max Durtschi is also catching a tow from coach Butch Martin. ©Pat Malach

In 2011, Jacob Rathe was warming up his early season racing legs at OBRA’s Cherry Pie and Piece of Cake road races next to Oregon riders like David Wells and Jake Hansen.

A little less than 12 months later, the 20-year-old from Portland is set to make his UCI Pro Team debut Sunday with Garmin-Barracuda at the Tour of Qatar, where he’ll toe the line alongside some of the biggest names in cycling, including three-time Qatar winner Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), defending champ Mark Renshaw (Rabobank), world champion Mark Cavendish (Team Sky), Thor Hushovd (BMC) and Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack-Nissan). Sixteen teams will field eight riders each for the six-stage race around the small, oil rich desert country across the Persian Gulf from Iran.

It’s a big jump for a young rider, but Rathe’s longtime coach and mentor, Oliver “Butch” Martin, himself a two-time Olympian and member of the U.S. Cycling Hall of Fame, said Rathe is ready.

“I think Jacob’s the real deal,” said Martin. “He’s a hard worker, he’s calm, he’s a quick learner and he doesn’t get too ruffled about things. He’s ready to move on to bigger and better. He’s always shown that to me anyway over the last four years. So I think that while this is a big step up, I think he’s going to assimilate quite quickly. I’m very optimistic for him and his future.”

“…He goes to (U23) Paris-Roubaix with the national team; he’s in the breakaway; he’s one of the best guys on the pavè; you can tell he’s super strong just by the way he goes over the pavè. It’s like wow!” — Chann McRae, Chipotle director sportiff

Martin, who also coached Steve Bauer, a Greg Lemond and Bernard Hinault teammate who wore the yellow jersey in the Tour de France for 14 days and took second at the closest-ever Paris-Roubaix in 1990, teamed up with Rathe when the rider was just 16 years old and has been guiding him ever since. As a top junior, Rathe rode with Martin’s Hammer Nutrition/CMG Racing program before moving on to Jelly Belly in 2010 when he was 19 and then to Garmin’s Chipotle Development Team in 2011.

Rathe used his season on Chipotle to get the attention of the UCI Pro Team by stacking up international race results throughout the season. Chipotle director Chann McRae said Rathe’s performance on the international stage made the decision to move him to the next level an easy one.

Jacob Rathe (center) recovers with tea after a training session with Max Durtschi (right) and Butch Martin. ©Pat Malach

“He won at the Rutas de Americas, a UCI race that’s really tough,” McRae said. “It’s in the springtime, they were killing it, and he comes out and wins a stage. Then he goes to (U23) Paris-Roubaix with the national team; he’s in the breakaway; he’s one of the best guys on the pavé; you can tell he’s super strong just by the way he goes over the pavé. It’s like wow! And then he goes to (Tour of) Portugal, which is traditionally one of the hardest 2.1 races on the calendar, and he backs it up again and takes a stage win. He just secured the deal right there.”

McRae shared Martin’s optimism about Rathe’s future racing at the World Tour level, and he added that he wouldn’t be surprised to see his former rider in some of the bigger spring races in Northern Europe.

“I think if he performs well in the smaller semi-classics, he’ll get a start at Roubaix or Flanders,” McRae said. “But before that, he needs to perform well in the semi-classics. And by perform well, I don’t mean he has to get his own result. He has to be one of the best team players out there.”

One of Rathe’s jobs in the spring races will be protecting riders like 2011 Paris-Roubaix winner Johan van Summeren. And it will be a baptism by fire.

“If van Summeren needs positioning before a pavè section in a semi-classic, and Jacob does it right, and then he does it again,” McRae said. “Then Johan’s like, ‘Hey man, you know what you’re doing, you’re getting me into position before these pave sections, and then you’re coming back up to the front and doing it again. You’ve got the tools. We need you.’ That’s what they’re looking for so that he can get those starts.”

Rathe has also put in the miles this winter, including many chilly motorpacing sessions with Martin, to get ready for his debut. And his current fitness appeared to make an impression on Garmin-Barracuda team manager Jonathan Vaughters, who singled out Rathe as one of the most impressive newcomers during the recent team training camp at Calpe, Spain.

“Jacob Rathe was very impressive at the camp,” Vaughters recently told Velo Nation. “I think he’ll get a few starts at some of the bigger Classics. That will be a big deal for a new pro…”

But the road to bigger races starts Sunday in Qatar. Stage 1 is a flat 142.5 km jaunt from the Barzan Towers to the Doha Golf Club. Rathe will line up in the argyle Garmin-Barracuda kit alongside van Summeren, Ramunas Navardauskas, Robbie Hunter, Alex Howes, Murilo Fischer, Tyler Farrar, Thomas Dekker and Jack Bauer as they attempt to defend the team GC prize Garmin took home last year. Rathe appears to have put in the work and preparation to be in the position to help. It was no accident or fluke that landed him in his current spot. His results speak for themselves.

“Jacob doesn’t talk much but he gets the job done, and that’s why we respect him so much,” McRae said. “He performs. He’s just humble and he does the job. He works hard over the winter and all season. He trains his butt off and then he comes out and does what needs to be done.”

Garmin-Barracuda Tour of Qatar squad:
Jacob Rathe (USA)
Johan Van Summeren (Bel)
Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu)
Robert Hunter (RSA)
Alex Howes (USA)
Murilo Antoniobil Fischer (Bra)
Tyler Farrar (USA)
Thomas Dekker (Ned)
Jack Bauer (NZl)

TALENT — Southern Oregon’s Jade Wilcoxson will be taking her game to the professional level this season with the brand-new Optum Health/Kelly Benefit Strategies women’s team.

Jade Wilcoxson, pictured here on her way to winning the Cherry Blossom Classic last year, signed with the Optum/Kelly Benefits Strategies women's team this season. ©Pat Malach/FILE PHOTO

Although Kelly Benefit Strategies has been the title sponsor for one of this country’s top UCI Continental men’s teams for the past several seasons, this will be the first year the organization has fielded a top-level women’s team, with Optum Health taking over as the title sponsor and Kelly Benefit Strategies moving into the presenting sponsor role.

The new women’s crew figures to be one of the top three professional teams in North America. The 12-rider squad features four women from last season’s NRC-winning Colavita-Forno d’Asolo team. Kristen Sanders and Carmen Small will join NRC individual overall winner Janel Holcomb and runner-up Leah Kirchmann. Also returning from the Colavita program are team director Rachel Heal and mechanic Adrian Hedderman.

Wilcoxson said signing a deal with a pro team has been very exciting, and receiving regular packages of team issue shoes, trainers and other gear from sponsors can make it feel “like Christmas every week.” But the road to fulfilling the dream of testing herself at a professional level wasn’t entirely smooth for the rider from Talent.

She had originally signed at the end of last year’s road season with Heal’s Colavita team, which in 2011 was a combination of the North American contingent of title sponsor Colavita and the Italian riders, including world champion Georgia Bronzini, of presenting sponsor Forno d’Asolo. But when the partnership with Forno d’Asolo concluded at the end of the season and Colavita decided not to continue sponsorship through another year, the 2012 season was briefly up in the air. That’s when Circuit Global Sports Management, the company that owns the Kelly Benefits men’s team, stepped in to support Heal’s program with the promise of a new title sponsor. Suddenly the 2012 season was back on track.

“Before the news came out they had contacted us and said this is what’s happening and don’t worry because everyone who had signed a contract with Colavita was going to Optum Health,” Wilcoxson said. “So the Colavita people were really respectful of our contracts by not leaving us high and dry and making sure that we had a home to go to.”

So with a team in place and a 2012 contract signed, the 33-year-old physical therapist started to tackle the issue of making dramatic changes to her lifestyle. She made arrangements to quit her full-time job, converted a 300 square-foot shop into a studio apartment for herself, and then rented out her house.

“It’s a big change putting all of that on hold and knowing that I can come back to it when I’ve tapped out the racing,” Wilcoxson said. “I’m diving in head first and trying not to worry about how am I going to make it work. I’m just enjoying the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Wilcoxson got the attention of team directors last season by winning multiple elite amateur races and consistently placing in the top 10 at USA Cycling National Race Calendar events. She started her season in early April with an overall win at the Cherry Blossom Classic in The Dalles. Then she went to California for the Sea Otter Classic, which featured Olympic gold medalist and former world champion Kristin Armstrong’s return as part of the Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty12 professional team.

“I got there and I was intimidated, and I was just hoping not to get dropped,” Wilcoxson said. “I did all four races down there and ended up second overall and won the circuit race. So then I’m standing on the podium next to Kristin Armstrong, and I was like, ‘Wow, maybe I could give this a go.’ That really inspired me for the rest of the season, trying to find more national opportunities to race.”

Wilcoxson followed Sea Otter with an overall win at Washington’s Enumclaw Stage Race, where she qualified to compete at the NRC Nature Valley Grand Prix as part of a composite “Pro Ride” team. She finished sixth overall at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic riding with a Mike Engleman-coached composite team that featured Canadian Olympic gold medalist and world champion Clara Hughes in a showdown with Armstrong and the Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty12 squad.

Then Wilcoxson made the most of her Nature Valley Pro Ride opportunity, finishing seventh overall on her way to winning the Best Amateur jersey and grabbing fifth place at the difficult Stillwater Criterium stage.

“There were a lot of big teams there, and I was top 10 overall,” she said. “So a lot of the teams were wondering who I was.”

She followed that with a fifth-place overall finish at the NRC Tour de Toona, almost making the podium with fourth in the time trial and finishing inside the top 10 during all the stages. Riding as a guest with the Now and Novartis For MS team, she capped off her national results with a 10th-place overall finish at the Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend, once again finishing each stage in the top 10.

At the end of the season it wasn’t long before an offer from Heal and Colavita came in. Wilcoxson said her consistent results and knowing the right people paid off. She specifically credited Engleman’s help.

Wilcoxson tried a little October cyclocross for cross-training at the Cross Crusade in Bend. ©Pat Malach

“He has a ton of contacts,” she said. “He and I really hit it off. He was my team director when I got to ride for Clara Hughes at Mt. Hood. Just before that I qualified for Nature Valley, and he was also the team director for the Nature Valley team. So he and I got to work together for two stage races in a row, and I did well in both of those. So having him in my corner and pushing for me and promoting for me was a big factor.”

Now Wilcoxson is looking forward to finding out what she can accomplish with an entire team in her corner. After five years of racing mostly by herself at the amateur level, the few glimpses she got of the pro life last year left an appreciation for the team game and the relative luxuries that can come with it.

“Having ridden solo for most of my racing career so far, it just makes huge difference having team support,” she said. “Having a mechanic is absolutely incredible. I am notoriously calling friends and family at the last minute before a race, and having to stress about all of that stuff saps your energy. Or having someone organize how you’re getting to a race. All you have to do is worry about getting up and eating, and then they’ll come pick you up and take you to the race. All those logistics when you’re riding by yourself are just so stressful.”

Those years of solo riding have also left a hole in Wilcoxson’s knowledge of tactical racing within a team, something she’ll have to learn quickly to fit in with her Optum/Kelly Benefits teammates and ensure she gets selected for races.

“When I was talking to (Heal) about joining the team, she was really upfront about it being all about the team and team results, and getting whoever up on the podium,” she said. “I’ve had some good results solo, but now I’m really excited to be a part of the team and just see what that feels like to really be like the key person who helps somebody else get on the podium. I think that will be really rewarding. So I guess my goal is just to be the best teammate possible, and to have a good consistent year.”

To that end, Wilcoxson has amped up her training from previous years, hitting the gym beginning early last fall and putting in a lot of base miles over the winter.

“Last year I was holding a full-time job and trying to train,” she said. “My training definitely suffered because of my job. So this January I cut back my job pretty significantly to about eight hours a week. And that will drop off even more when I start racing and traveling. At this point I feel like I’m a lot stronger than last year.

“It’s kind of hard, too, in Southern Oregon because there are only a few other female racers, and so it’s really hard to know how I measure up against other women,” she said. “I ride with the boys all the time, but that’s entirely different. So I never really know how strong I am until I go to my first race, and then it’s apparent.”

Wilcoxson should get that chance to see how she measures up soon. The official team presentation took place over the weekend in Minneapolis. Wilcoxson will head next for the team training camp in sunny Southern California. She said the team has a tentative race schedule that begins at the Merco Classic Stage Race in Santa Rosa, Calif., at the end of February, followed by the San Dimas Stage race and the NRC-opening Redlands Bicycle Classic.

It’s just a month away, but this race season can’t start soon enough for Talent’s talented new pro.

“I’m ready to get this party started already,” Wilcoxson said. “There’s been so much anticipation since September when I signed. I’m just ready for the anxiety to be done with and just start racing and see how it goes.”

2012 Team Optum Pro Cycling/Kelly Benefit Strategies Women’s Team
Lex Albrecht
Anna Barensfeld
Annie Ewart
Emma Grant
Janel Holcomb
Leah Kirchmann
Courteney Lowe
Joelle Numainville
Denise Ramsden
Kristen Sanders
Carmen Small
Jade Wilcoxson

Director: Rachel Heal
Mechanic: Adrian Hedderman

PORTLAND — Time to clean out the closet again when the Upper Echelon Fitness Women’s Cycling Team presents its second annual Naked Lady Party Friday night in Portland.

Bring your old clothing (both cycling and “normal” items) to Upper Echelon Fitness for Tastebud pizza, Laurelwood beer and shopping. Show up with your clothes at 5:30 p.m., shopping starts at 6. Only $7 at the door to eat and drink while you shop for some new duds and help the team raise funds for the 2012 season. Or, as the invitation says …

“Need a dress for the OBRA banquet? Find it at the Naked Lady party! Looking for the right thing to wear when you stay home on Valentine’s day to drink white wine spritzers and watch “Mama Mia?” That’s here, too.”

WHAT: Naked Lady Party, Upper Echelon Fitness Women’s Cycling Team fundraiser

WHEN: Friday, Jan. 27 — 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

WHERE: Upper Echelon Fitness: 1420 NW 17th Suite 388 Portland, OR, 97209

The Bend Velodrome Project hopes to bring track racing to Central Oregon. Photo courtesy of Visit Bend.

BEND — The Bend Velodrome Project is hosting a public party and raffle at GoodLife Brewing on Thursday to raise funds for the group’s ongoing effort to bring track racing to Central Oregon.

Bend Velo’s VeloSprints, where two riders compete head-to-head on fixed-gear bikes in a simulated 500-meter track-style race, will be a highlight of the evening. The Bend Velodrome Project will also share its vision with a short presentation and will provide volunteer sign-ups for those interested in helping BVP.

“I’m always encouraged by the positive reaction I get from people who hear about what we’re doing,” said BVP Board President Michelle Bazemore. “I’ve had numerous offers of help, especially from parents who would like to have a velodrome for their kids to ride on, and we’re ready to take them up on their offer to do so.”

Bazemore said a velodrome is the last piece of the puzzle to help Bend solidify its status as Bike Town USA , and it would also provide a safe environment to coach the next generation of cyclists.

“It’s a controlled environment, with its own etiquette and without cars,” said Bazemore, who has coached junior cyclists on the road and the track. “It’s enjoyable to work with a group of kids without worrying about them getting hurt. You can see all the riders, and no one gets left behind.”

As evidence of the community’s support for the idea, many prizes have been donated to the Bend Velodrome Party Raffle, including a USA Cycling National Champion jersey signed by Katie Compton, a GoPro camera, gift certificates for massages and bike rentals, a Mavic wireless cycling computer and much more. Raffle tickets will be sold at the party for $5 each, or five for $20, with all proceeds going to BVP.

Dump City Dumplings, one of Bend’s popular food carts, will be selling food, including a special bicycle-themed dumpling.

Suggested minimum donation is $5 per person at the door, which includes one beverage per person. Doors open at 6 p.m. All proceeds go to the Bend Velodrome Project. GoodLife Brewing is located at 70 SW Century Drive in Bend.

BVP will use money raised at the event to file for tax-exempt status with the federal government. Details of the event, as well as frequent updates, can be found on BVP Facebook page.

WHAT: Bend Velodrome Project Party and VeloSprints

WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 26, 6 p.m.

WHERE: GoodLife Brewing, 70 SW Century Drive, Bend

About the Bend Velodrome Project
The Bend Velodrome Project is a non-profit recognized by the State of Oregon, and is a grassroots effort dedicated to building a world-class velodrome in Bend, Oregon. Board of Directors: Michelle Bazemore, Chet Davis of Nike, Kevney Dugan of Visit Bend, Chuck Kenlan of Academy Mortgage and Peter Werner of SELCO. The mission of the Bend Velodrome Project is to establish Bend as the premier destination for track cycling with the operation of a world-class velodrome.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USADA announced today that Nick Brandt-Sorenson of Los Angeles, Calif., a masters athlete in the sport of cycling, has accepted a two-year suspension for an anti-doping rule violation.

The suspension and subsequent loss of results means several Oregon riders move up a spot on the five-rider podiums for the 2011 Masters Road National Championships. Galen Mitterman of Milwaukie and Scott Gray of Bend each moved up a spot in Masters 30-34 road race to fourth and fifth, respectively. In the Masters 30-34 criterium, Portland’s Stephen Bedford climbed from fifth to the fourth spot.

Brandt-Sorenson, 32, tested positive for Efaproxiral, which artificially enhances delivery of oxygen to the tissues, as the result of a sample collected at the Masters Road Nationals in Bend. Efaproxiral is prohibited under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing and the International Cycling Union (UCI) Anti-Doping Rules, both of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code.

Brandt-Sorenson accepted a two-year period of ineligibility, which began on Sept. 4, 2011, the day his sample was collected. As a result of the sanction, Brandt-Sorenson is also disqualified from all competitive results obtained on or subsequent to Aug. 31, 2011, the date the Masters Road Nationals event began, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes.

Results from the 2011 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships have been revised for the men’s 30-34 road race and criterium and medals will be awarded accordingly. The revised results are as follows:

USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships 30-34 Men’s Road Race
1. Eric Marcotte (Scottsdale, AZ)
2. Joshua Carling (Rancho Cordova, CA/Delta Velo-Michael David Winery Cycling Team)
3. Mathew Davis (Shreveport, LA/Team LaS’port)
*4. Galen Mittermann (Milwaukie, OR)
*5. Scott Gray (Bend, OR/Team Oregon p/b Laurelwood Brewing Company)

USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships 30-34 Men’s Criterium
1. Eric Marcotte (Scottsdale, AZ)
2. Mathew Davis (Shreveport, LA/Team LaS’port)
3. Andrew Crater (Asheville, NC/AeroCat Cycling)
*4. Stephen Bedford (Beaverton, OR/Team Oregon-Laurelwood Brewing Company)
5. Olivier Humbert (Seattle, WA/Thumbprint Racing/FareStart-Cobalt Mortgage)

In an effort to aid athletes, as well as all support team members such as parents and coaches, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. In addition, the agency manages a drug reference hotline, Drug Reference Online (www.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as the Prohibited List, easy-reference wallet cards, periodic newsletters, and protocol and policy reference documentation.

USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, and is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.

(Via USA Cycling)

PORTLAND — Longtime Oregon racer Jim Anderson has taken a job with Slipstream Sports and will spend most of the upcoming cycling season in Europe working as the head soigneur for the Chipotle Development Team.

Jim Anderson

Anderson, who has been president of Team Oregon for six seasons and has run the USA Cycling Northwest Athlete Development Camp in Forest Grove for the past three summers, signed a one-year contract to help run a team house in Toulouse, France for UCI Pro Team Garmin-Barracuda’s feeder program.

The concept of a European team house is new for Slipstream’s development team, which has been a staple of the American racing scene for many seasons but will focus on an almost-entirely European program this year. The team has 15 riders who will live in Toulouse throughout the season, with as many as four or five rotating with the U23 national team at any given time.

Chipotle was looking for someone to help out as the head soigneur for the races and also take on a lot of different roles at the house. Anderson, who worked last year with the USA Cycling Development Program’s team house in Izegem, Belgium, brought a unique set of skills to the table, so he contacted the team and got the ball rolling.

“On kind of a whim I e-mailed Chann (McRae, the Chipotle director) and the assistant director Rick Crawford,” he said. “Living in Belgium last year helped a lot, and working as a contractor with USA Cycling, running the camps.”

That e-mail and a follow-up resume detailing Anderson’s experience led to a trip to Durango, Colorado to meet with Crawford.

“I met him and his family and stayed at his house,” Anderson said. “We went to collegiate mountain bike nationals. It was kind of a fun thing. We all went there and got to do some riding. So we pretty much hung out and talked about the team, talked about what their needs were. We got along really great.”

Another interview with McRae eventually led to an offer from the team just before Thanksgiving. Anderson started working on team clothing, etc., on Jan. 1 and next month will leave for France, where he’ll oversee the traditional soigneur racing duties as well as day-to-day life at the team house.

“The traditional soigneur takes care of the riders and also takes care of anything that pretty much touches them, whether it be their food and nutrition or their clothing and helmets,” Anderson said. “But this job is a little different in that I’ll be living with them a lot of the time. The mechanic and I will kind of be running the house. The other directors and Chann will come in here and there. And there will be some other assistant people that will come in. We’ll be developing some house rules and regulations. There will be a rotating schedule for cleaning and cooking.”

Anderson left for Boulder, Colorado this week to work with the team mechanic, preparing materials for the team’s upcoming training camp outside of Austin, Texas. They’ll pack up and drive down to Texas for the camp, which runs Jan. 20-28 . Then they’ll drive back to the home base in Colorado before leaving for France some time in February. The team starts racing in early March with several one-day races and then the Tour of Normandy. The team will return to the states for the national championships in June and then head back to Europe to race through the world championships. Anderson will get several breaks throughout the season, which will allow him to return to Oregon in July and run his fourth Northwest Athlete Development Camp.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Cycling today announced the roster of elite, U23 and junior athletes that will represent the United States at the 2012 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Koksijde, Belgium Jan. 28-29.

Elite Men
Following to a fifth-place ranking at the 2011 World Championships, the United States qualified six starters for this year’s race. The 2012 national champion Jeremy Powers (Easthampton, Mass./Team Rapha-Focus) and Tim Johnson (Topsfield, Mass./ Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com), who was the second-ranked American rider in the rankings (17th), were automatic qualifiers for the team. In addition to his 2012 national championship, Powers is the top-ranked rider (11th) in the UCI’s rankings with 984 points and has registered a pair of top-15 finishes at UCI World Cup races.

Ryan Trebon, of Bend, will represent the United States at worlds. ©Pat Malach/FILE PHOTO

Joining Powers and Johnson as discretionary selections to the team are: Ryan Trebon (Bend, Ore./LTS-Felt), Jamey Driscoll (Winooski, Vt./Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com), Jonathan Page (Northfield, N.H./Planet Bike) and Christopher Jones (Auburn, Calif./Team Rapha-Focus). Trebon, who is one slot behind Johnson in the UCI rankings, has accumulated 365 points in 10 American UCI category-1 races while Driscoll has amassed 244 points and is 30th in the UCI rankings. Page finished 12th at the 2011 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships and has registered three top-25 finishes at World Cups this season. Jones has accrued 55 ranking points and is ranked 68th by the UCI.

Elite Women
Each of five women comprising the American elite women’s team are automatic qualifiers. Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Rabobank-Giant) rides in on the heels of collecting the eighth national championship of her career. After placing second in the 2011 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, Compton has collected three top-five finishes at UCI World Cup events, including winning the first race in Plzen, Czech Republic on Oct. 16, 2011. Amy Dombroski (Boulder, Colo./Crankbrothers Race Club), who has a pair of top-15 finishes at World Cups, including a sixth-place result at Plzen, Czech Republic, is also an automatic qualifier. By virtue of finishing 10th at the UCI World Cup race in Namur, Belgium, Kaitlin Antonneau (Racine, Wisc./Cyclocrossworld-Cannondale Cyclocrossworld) earned a spot. Meredith Miller (Boulder, Colo./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized) and Nicole Duke (Boulder, Colo./Cyclocrossworld-Cannondale Cyclocrossworld) each registered a top-15 result at a UCI World Cup race with Miller’s coming in Tabor, Czech Republic and Duke’s coming in Plzen, Czech Republic to each qualify a spot. Miller also has amassed the most UCI ranking points from 10 American category-1 races with 327.

U23
Zach McDonald (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Team Rapha-Focus) was the lone rider to earn an automatic spot on the team after winning the U23 race at the 2012 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships and registering a 10th-place finish at the UCI World Cup in Tabor, Czech Republic. Joining McDonald in the U23 race will be discretionary selection Cody Kaiser (El Dorado Hills, Calif./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized). Kaiser placed second in the U23 race at nationals and was the second-best American U23 rider in three out of four domestic qualification events.

Junior Men
The winner of the junior men 17-18 race, Logan Owen (Bremerton, Wash./Team Redline) and the highest-ranked riders in three of four domestic selection races, Andrew Dillman (Fairdale, Ky./Bob’s Red Mill) were two automatic qualifiers for the American team. While Dillman recorded 26 points in the domestic selection races, Owen was the second-ranked American rider with 21 points.

Also contesting the junior men’s race are discretionary selections Richard Cypress Gorry (Payson, Ariz./Whole Athlete-Specialized), Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz, Calif./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized) and Curtis White (Delanson, N.Y./Clif Bar Development Cyclo Cross Team). Ortenblad placed second, Gorry finished third and White was fifth in the junior men 17-18 race.

The 2012 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships begin Saturday, Jan. 28 with the juniors and U23 races before culminating with the elite races on Sunday, Jan. 29.

2012 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships
Koksijde, Belgium
January 28-29, 2012

U.S. team roster:

Elite Men
Tim Johnson* (Topsfield, Mass./ Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com)
Jeremy Powers* (Easthampton, Mass./Team Rapha-Focus)
Jamey Driscoll (Winooski, Vt./Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com)
Christopher Jones(Auburn, Calif./Team Rapha-Focus)
Jonathan Page (Northfield, N.H./Planet Bike)
Ryan Trebon (Bend, Ore./LTS-Felt)

Elite Women
Kaitlin Antonneau* (Racine, Wisc./Cyclocrossworld-Cannondale Cyclocrossworld)
Katie Compton* (Colorado Springs, Colo./Rabobank-Giant)
Amy Dombroski* (Boulder, Colo./Crankbrothers Race Club)
Nicole Duke* (Boulder, Colo./Cyclocrossworld-Cannondale Cyclocrossworld)
Meredith Miller* (Boulder, Colo./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)

U23 Men
Zach McDonald* (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Team Rapha-Focus)
Cody Kaiser (El Dorado Hills, Calif./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)

Junior Men
Andrew Dillman* (Fairdale, Ky./Bob’s Red Mill)
Logan Owen* (Bremerton, Wash./Team Redline)
Richard Cypress Gorry (Payson, Ariz./Whole Athlete-Specialized)
Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz, Calif./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)
Curtis White (Delanson, N.Y./Clif Bar Development Cyclo Cross Team)

* — Automatic qualifier

(Via USA Cycling)

Ian Boswell

CHICO, Calif. — Ian Boswell of Bend has been living and training in Chico, California, over the winter as he prepares for the 2012 season with the Bontrager/Livestrong development team. To while away the training hours, Boswell and former Bissell teammate Paul Mach compiled a quick, semi-serious guide to training like a pro. Here are a couple of the tips:

“Get behind, get left behind.”
“Don’t bonk, but eating is cheating.”

The pair’s third tip (Always train in leg warmers when its below 70 degrees) struck me as the exact same advice I used to get from Oregon standout Don Hull, so it must be true. Check out Ian’s and Paul’s entire list on The Boz Blog.

2012 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships

MADISON, Wisc. — Bend’s Ryan Trebon (LTS/Felt) set the pace at the front with a blistering opening couple of laps, but it was Jeremy Powers’ attack with two laps to go that sealed the first-ever USA Cycling Elite Cyclocross National Championship for the Rapha-Focus rider.

Two-time national champion Trebon had to settle for second after chasing Powers for the last two laps, coming up six seconds short at the finish. Jonathan Page (Planet Bike) crossed the line for the bronze medal after riding with the front group all day. Zach McDonald (Rapha-Focus), who won the U23 race on Saturday, overcame a holeshot crash to work his way back to the front and eventually finished fourth. Tim Johnson (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld), who put in several attacks at the front throughout the race, took the last step of the podium with fifth.

RESULTS
2012 USA Cycling Cyclocross Nationals
Sunday, Jan. 8

Elite Men
1. Jeremy Powers (Rapha-Focus)
*2. Ryan Trebon (LTS/Felt)
3. Jonathan Page (Planet Bike)
4. Zach McDonald (Rapha-Focus)
5. Tim Johnson (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld)
*15. Barry Wicks (Kona)
*16. Sean Babcock (Kona)
*19. Erik Tonkin (Kona)
*35. Damian Schmitt (Silverado Gallery/Sunnyside)
*64. Matt Fox (Silverado Gallery/Sunnyside)

Complete USA Cycling results are HERE.