Lewis leads young U.S. squad at UCI Road World Championships

Mendrisio, Switzerland (September 27, 2009)—The 2009 UCI Road World Championships wrapped up on Sunday with Australia’s Cadel Evans winning the men’s road race. Twenty-four-year-old Craig Lewis (Greenville, S.C./Columbia-High Road) was the top U.S. finisher coming in 59th in the grueling seven-hour affair.

Lewis, Tim Duggan (Boulder, Colo./Garmin-Slipstream) and Tom Peterson (North Bend, Wash./Garmnin-Slipstream) and Jason McCartney (Coralville, Iowa/Team Saxo Bank) remained in contention until the penultimate lap of the 262-kilometer race. It was then that a dangerous lead group jumped out front and never looked back. Ultimately Evans built a small lead up the final climb and the less than 30 second gap proved to be enough to give him his first world title and Australia’s first gold in the men’s world championship road race. Alexandr Kolobnev (RUS) and Joaquin Rodriguez Olivier (ESP) crossed the line 27 seconds later to claim silver and bronze respectively.

The remainder of the young American squad of nine riders did not finish the grueling event which included over 4,000-meters of climbing. After a pair of near misses with fourth-place-finishes in the women’s road race and men’s time trial, the U.S. team leaves the 2009 UCI Road World Championships with one gold medal, a blistering final ride by Olympic champion Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho/Cervelo-Lifeforce) in the time trial. The collective performance from the U.S. squad marked the sixth consecutive year it’s won a medal at the season-ending world championships.

2009 UCI Road World Championships

Mendrisio, Switzerland

Sept. 23-27:

For full results, click here.

Elite Men’s Road Race

1. Cadel Evans (AUS) 6:56:26

2. Alexandr Kolobnev (RUS) +0:27

3. Joaquin Rodriquez Olivier (ESP) s.t.

59. Craig Lewis (Greenville, S.C./Columbia-High Road) +5:20

79. Tim Duggan (Boulder, Colo./Garmin-Slipstream) +10:54

94. Tom Peterson (North Bend, Wash./Garmnin-Slipstream) s.t. 

98. Jason McCartney (Coralville, Iowa/Team Saxo Bank) s.t.

Tom Danielson (Durango, Colo./Garmin-Slipstream) DNF

Tyler Farrar (Wenatchee, Wash./Garmin-Slipstream) DNF

Andrew Bajadali (Boulder, Colo./Kelly Benefit Strategies) DNF

Brent Bookwalter (Lookout Mountain, Ga./BMC Racing Team) DNF

To view photos from the event visit the USA Cycling photo gallery, here.

USA Cycling   

Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ licensees including 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 1,800 clubs and teams, 350 professional cyclists, 200 certified mechanics, and 34 local associations. The national governing body sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive events throughout the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development, and support of American cyclists through various initiatives and programs. Additionally, USA Cycling conducts national championship events for all categories of amateur and professional cycling. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org.