Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has been picked as a possible home for an elite national cycling training site, according to a report in the Winston-Salem Journal.
Kevin Loughery, a spokesman for USA Cycling, confirmed to the newspaper on Thursday that a 42,000-square-foot building in Winston-Salem would be the site's centerpiece. The site, which Loughery said is in the "pre-approval stage" of being designated a US Olympic Committee training site, would feature indoor training equipment, a sports nutrition program and temporary housing for USA team cyclists and coaches, according to the report.
"This site would serve cyclists in road as well as other disciplines," Loughery told the newspaper. "[The site would be] one of only two cycling-only sites in the country."
The other site in Carson, California, features a 100,000-square-foot facility with a 250-metre indoor velodrome. USA Cycling has supported the city's bid to become a USOC training site, which would not be financed by the USOC but instead would require self-financing from local or regional resources, according to the report. Loughery told the newspaper that the Winston-Salem site has secured financing from local sources.
Mayor Allen Joines told the newspaper on Thursday that the cycling site "would add another exciting element to our downtown. It would also bring additional national attention to Winston Salem."
In December, USA Cycling selected Winston-Salem to host the 2016 and 2017 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships. The city also hosts the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic, UCI 1.2 races for both elite men and women on May 31.
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Tour of Utah names new executive director
The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah has named Jenn Andrs as executive director of the seven-day UCI 2.HC race that takes place during the first week of August.
This year will mark Andrs’ fifth overall tour and her third as the day-to-day organizer of the event for Miller Sports Properties. Under her management, the Tour of Utah has achieved the highest classification on the UCI America Tour and has set records for the number of spectators it draws and its economic impact in the state, according to a statement released by race organizers.
The Raleigh-Clement professional team announced their support of two young racers, Laurel Rathbun and Lance Haidet for their off-road programme, in addition to their elite cyclo-cross racers Jamey Driscoll and Caroline Mani, mountain biker Fernando Riveros and Craig Etheridge.
Eighteen year-old Rathbun, who raced cyclo-cross with the team for the 2014-15 season, will compete in mountain bike and shorter gravel events as well as cyclo-cross. Haidet is a new addition to the squad and is 17 years old. He will race with Raleigh-Clement in mountain bike and cyclo-cross contests while he continues with the Bear Development Team on the road.
“Working together, Clement Cycling and Raleigh Bicycles want to make sure we have a long term development structure in place to bring American riders through to the top ranks of the sport,” said team manager Donn Kellogg. “The team has a great track record of helping riders advance to a higher level, first with Allen Krughoff and then Erica Zaveta through the Amy D. Racing program. Now we’re going to take advantage of that experience to assist U23 riders in preparing for success in the elite category.”
Haidet, who spent some of the cyclo-cross season overseas with the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross Development program, was second overall in the USA Cycling Pro CX junior men's ranking and winner of the Derby City Cup. He is currently preparing for this weekend's final UCI World Cup round in Hoogerheide and the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in his final season as a junior.
“I am very excited to be part of the Raleigh Clement Professional Cycling Team going into my first year as a U23 rider,” Haidet said. “The new focus on supporting young riders in their elite program will give me the opportunity to excel as a developing racer, and is an example of Raleigh Clement’s commitment to investing in the future of cyclo-cross.”
Rathbun, from Colorado, has national titles on the track and road, and recently took up cyclo-cross, coming second in the North Carolina Grand Prix and was the third-ranked U23 woman in the Pan American Cyclo-cross Championships.
“I love being part of the Raleigh Clement team,” Rathbun said. “It's really nice to see a big team like Raleigh Clement take such a high interest in young development riders like Lance and me. It really gives us the opportunity to step it up and race at the next level. I hope more teams follow suit.”
