Family reasons prevent Trek-Segafredo rider from making trip to Qatar, Vermeulen will replace him in road race
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Alexey Vermeulen (Lotto) gets into one of the chase groups(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Eric Marcotte (Team Jamis) was clocked over the speed limit 46mph on a 35 zone(Image credit: marcoquezada.com)
Chad Haga (Giant-Alpecin)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Taylor Phinney sets the pace for BMC at the Eneco Tour(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Robin Carpenter (Holowesko) on the way to taking the yellow jersey(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Kiel Reijnen wins stage 5 at the 2016 Tour of Utah(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Joey Rosskopf (BMC Racing)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Kiel Reijnen will not participate in the UCI Road World Championships road race on October 16 in Doha, Qatar, a spokesman from USA Cycling confirmed to Cyclingnews today.
Reijnen did not immediately respond to Cyclingnews' request for comment, but USA Cycling Communications Manager Kevin Loughery confirmed in an email that the 30-year-old Trek-Segafredo rider had requested that he be withdrawn from the roster. USA Cycling will replace Reijnen with Alexey Vermeulen (LottoNL-Jumbo), who is one of two US riders also competing in the individual time trial.
Reijnen was one of six discretionary picks for the team and would likely have been a protected rider for the the finale on the 257km course that finishes on a technical circuit in Doha's The Pearl. Reijnen previously told Cyclingnews that "family reasons" could affect his availability for the trip. In an email to Cyclingnews, USA Cyclng Vice President of Athletics Jim Miller said Reijnen and his wife are awaiting the delivery of their first baby, and Miller fully supports the rider's decision to skip the trip to Qatar.
The five other riders on the US roster include Robin Carpenter (Holowesko-Citadel), Chad Haga (Giant-Alpecin), Eric Marcotte (Team Jamis), Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) and Joey Rosskopf (BMC Racing). Marcotte is probably the fastest finisher among them, and he excels in one-day races, but as a mostly domestic rider on a Continental team, the 257km distance is much longer than what he's used to racing.
Phinney is the only rider among the five who has won at the WorldTour level, but he hasn't seen victory at a race outside of the US since returning from a severe leg injury that kept him out of competition for 14 months. Rosskopf, his trade team teammate, recently won the overall at the Tour du Limousin in August after winning the first stage from a group of four. The 27-year-old finished the Giro d'Italia this year and the Vuelta a Espana in 2015.
Haga, who has ridden four Grand Tours in the past three years with Giant-Alpecin, recently notched a top 10 finish during stage 4 of the Vuelta. He most recently finished fifth during stage 6 of the Eenco Tour. Carpenter is a breakaway specialist who recently won a stage of the Tour of Utah and the overall at the Tour of Alberta by one second over Trek-Segafredo's Grand Tour contender Bauke Mollema.
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Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.
