USA Cycling names cyclo-cross world championships team

Jeremy Powers (Rapha Focus) running the barriers (Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)

USA Cycling announced on Friday 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 on January 28-29.

Due to a fifth-place ranking at the 2011 world championships, the United States qualified six starters for the race. The 2012 national champion Jeremy Powers (Team Rapha-Focus) and Tim Johnson (Cannondale p/b 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.

Joining Powers and Johnson as discretionary selections to the team are Ryan Trebon (LTS-Felt), Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com), Jonathan Page (Planet Bike) and Christopher Jones (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.

Each of five women comprising the American elite women's team are automatic qualifiers. Katie Compton (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 October 16, 2011. Amy Dombroski (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 (Cyclocrossworld-Cannondale Cyclocrossworld) earned a spot. Meredith Miller (California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized) and Nicole Duke (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.

Zach McDonald (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 (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.