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USA sends nine to Junior World Championships

published 30 June 2008

USA Cycling announced the nine junior athletes that will represent its country at the 2008 Junior...

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USA's Taylor Phinney (Image credit: John Pierce)

USA Cycling announced the nine junior athletes that will represent its country at the 2008 Junior Road and Track World Championships in Cape Town, South Africa, July 12 to 20.

Four boys and two girls will contest the road events scheduled for July 18 to 20, including defending Junior World Time Trial Champion Taylor Phinney, who will also compete in three events on the track. The Junior World Championships will be Phinney's last major race before competing at the 2008 Olympic Games.

For the boys, three cyclists will contest the time trial and road race. Time trial participants include Phinney, who automatically qualified as the defending world champion, Nathan Brown, who earned an automatic nomination with his win in the race against the clock at the Junior Driedaagse van Axel, and Adam Leibovitz, winner of the time trial at the Tour of the Red River Gorge.

Jacob Rathe will join Brown and Leibovitz in the road race. Brown was an automatic qualifier as the overall winner of the Trophee Centre Morbihan earlier this year, while Rathe automatically qualified as the road race winner at the Tour of the Red River Gorge. Leibovitz was given a discretionary nomination.

In the girls' road events, 2007 bronze medallist Jerika Hutchinson will return to contest the race against the clock as an automatic qualifier. Sinead Miller received a discretionary selection for the time trial. Both girls will also compete in the road race.

Phinney is the only cross-over athlete named to the World Championship squad and will also compete in the 3000-metre individual pursuit – an event in which he currently holds the junior world record – as well the points race and the multi-event omnium on the track.

Joining Phinney on the track are two boys and one girl. Kit Karzen will contest the scratch race and the Madison, while Iggy Silva will join him for the Madison. Colleen Hayduk will tackle four different events in the girls' ranks, including the 500-metre time trial, match sprint, keirin and scratch race.