USA Cycling BMX Nationals to crown 52 champions in Texas

Desoto, Texas (March 19, 2009) - USA Cycling will award its first national titles of the year this weekend as the 2009 USA Cycling BMX National Championships take place Saturday at Metroplex BMX in suburban Dallas.

 

All totaled, USA Cycling will crown 52 national champions in elite and amateur categories in both standard 20” and cruiser class divisions.

 

The national championships highlight the weekend which includes three consecutive days of world-class competition. The American-only national championships are bookended by a pair of UCI races that will feature both U.S. athletes and international competitors from around the world.

 

Hosted by the American Bicycle Association, the USA Cycling BMX National Championships are highlighted by the four championship level categories – elite men, elite women, junior men and junior women.

 

The elite men’s field will feature all three 2008 U.S. Olympians, including silver medalist Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.), bronze medalist Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) and defending national champion Kyle Bennett (Conroe, Texas). Others expected to contend for the Stars-and-Stripes jersey in the elite men’s field include Jason Rogers (Mesquite, Texas), Tyler Brown (San Clemente, Calif.), David Herman (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) and Bubba Harris (Goodyear, Ariz.).

 

On the elite women’s side, with Olympic bronze medalist and defending champion Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.) semi-retired from BMX racing and Arielle Martin (Clarksville, Tenn.) sidelined with an injury, a wide-open race will crown a never-before USA Cycling elite women’s national champion. Favorites to contend for the title include Amanda Geving (Largo, Fla.) and Stephanie Barragan (Montclair, Calif.).

 

In the two other internationally-recognized categories, 2008 world championship bronze medalist Denzel Stein (Desoto, Texas) is poised to win a junior men’s title in front of a hometown crowd, but will face a formidable challenge from co-favorites Connor Fields (Henderson, Nev.) and Corben Sharrah (Tucson, Ariz.). The junior women’s field will be led by Dominique Daniels (Gilbert, Ariz.), who has won all four UCI races in the U.S. this season, and Alise Post (Saint Cloud, Minn.).

 

Racing alongside the sport’s elite, amateur racers will also have the opportunity to compete for a national championship and qualify to represent the United States at the 2009 UCI BMX World Challenge in Adelaide, Australia, in July. 

 

Competition begins at Metroplex BMX in Desoto at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

 

A complete event schedule can be found online at www.usacycling.org or by clicking here.

 

For complete coverage, including a race report and photo gallery, visit www.usacycling.org.

 

 

·         Elite Men

·         Elite Women

·         Junior Men 17 & 18

·         Junior Women 17 & 18

 

·         Boys: 5-6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

·         Girls: 5-7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

·         Men: 17-24, 25-29, 30 & Over

·         Women: 17 & Over

 

·         Elite Men 19 & Over

·         Elite Women 19 & Over

·         Junior Men 17 & 18

·         Junior Women 17 & 18

 

·         Boys/Men: 12 & Under, 13-14, 15-16, 17-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45 & Over

·         Girls/Women: 12 & Under, 13-14, 15-16, 17-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45 & Over

·         Masters Men: 30 & Over