USA Cycling revealed, today, the final 11 athletes who will represent the U.S. in the Cyclocross World Championships that will take place February 2-3 in Bogense, Denmark. USAC selected a full complement of riders for it’s women’s elite team. For the men’s elite team five of seven slots were filled.
Here are those squads:
Elite Women
- Kaitie Keough (Colorado Springs, Colo.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld)
- Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo.; KFC Racing p/b Trek and Knight Composites)
- Ellen Noble (Kennebunkport, Maine; Trek Factory Racing CX)
- Samantha Runnels (Austin, Tex.; Squid Squad)
- Elle Anderson (Stowe, Vt.; Milwaukee – AlphaMotorhomes)
- Rebecca Fahringer (Concord, N.H.; Kona Maxxis Shimano CX)
Elite Men
- Curtis White (Delanson, N.Y.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld)
- Kerry Werner (Birdsboro, Penn.; Kona Maxxis Shimano CX)
- Stephen Hyde (Easthampton, Mass.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld)
- Anthony Clark (Feeding Hills, Mass.; Squid Squad)
- Cody Kaiser (El Dorado Hills, Calif.; LangeTwins/Specialized)
If you want a great explanation on how the selection was made check out Amanda Nauman’s detailed analysis of the selection criteria and individual U.S. rider eligibility. She’s pretty much spot on with how the final selection shook out.
Also, if you aren’t caught up on the controversy surrounding the U23 women’s selection, you can find a detailed explanation, here. The crux of that controversy was USAC’s decision to not send a full allotment of U23 women athletes and the decision to treat the U23 women’s selection under eligibility requirements set out for elite athletes rather than using requirements better suited for developing riders.
For the elite selection, the eligibility requirements were followed and teams were selected based on USAC’s published guidelines by a selection committee whose members and their qualifications are published, here.
In the context of what happened with the women’s U23 selection, notable, here, is the decision to only fill five of the seven available spots for the men’s elite team. Three riders who are not on the team did meet eligibility requirements. However, Tobin Ortenblad and Jamey Driscoll are recovering from injuries and unable to participate. Jack Kisseberth was offered a spot and declined the invitation. All other riders fell outside the necessary top 75 in the world rankings or were not considered “medal capable.”
If you’re looking for more commentary on the elite team selection, please check out the latest Cyclocross Radio on wideanglepodium.com.
Here is the text of USA Cycling’s announcement in its entirety:
USA Cycling Names 2019 Cyclocross World Championships Team- Elite
(January 22, 2019) – USA Cycling announced today the athletes that will represent the United States in Elite Category at the 2019 UCI Cyclocross World Championships taking place in Bogense, Denmark February 2-3, 2019.
Among the competitors are 15-time National Champion Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo.; KFC Racing p/b Trek Knight), three-time National Champion Stephen Hyde (Easthampton, Mass.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld) as well as 2018 Pan American Champion Curtis White (Delanson, N.Y.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld).
“I’m happy and honored to be selected to the World’s team for 2019. Worlds is always a very special event, and I’m looking forward to representing the US and doing my best to ride fast and get a good result,” said Compton, who placed second at last year’s World Championships.
“Team USA will field a strong squad for both the men’s and women’s elite races. On the women’s side, we have a range of experience levels from Samantha Runnels’ inaugural World Championship race, to American Cyclocross queen, Katie Compton. The potential for a podium in Bogense is very high, and the women’s race will be hotly contested.
On the men’s side, we’ve seen consistent progression from riders like Curtis White and Kerry Werner throughout the season. I expect some exceptional performances from this very motivated group,” said Jesse Anthony, USA Cycling’s Cyclocross Manager.
The Team USA roster is as follows:
ELITE WOMEN:
Kaitie Keough (Colorado Springs, Colo.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld)
Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo.; KFC Racing p/b Trek and Knight Composites)
Ellen Noble (Kennebunkport, Maine; Trek Factory Racing CX)
Samantha Runnels (Austin, Tex.; Squid Squad)
Elle Anderson (Stowe, Vt.; Milwaukee – AlphaMotorhomes)
Rebecca Fahringer (Concord, N.H.; Kona Maxxis Shimano CX)
ELITE MEN:
Curtis White (Delanson, N.Y.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld)
Kerry Werner (Birdsboro, Penn.; Kona Maxxis Shimano CX)
Stephen Hyde (Easthampton, Mass.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld)
Anthony Clark (Feeding Hills, Mass.; Squid Squad)
Cody Kaiser (El Doradao Hills, Calif.; LangeTwins/Specialized)
Note: Tobin Ortenblad and Jamey Driscoll both qualified but were unable to race due to injuries. Jack Kisseberth also qualified but declined his position.
All athletes participating in the 2019 Cyclocross World Championships qualified by meeting the criteria put forth by USA Cycling. The USA Cycling 2019 Cyclocross World Championships selection criteria is available here.
The Junior and U23 Teams were announced earlier this month.
To cheer for Team USA at the 2018 World Championships, please follow @UCI_Cycling and @USACyclingLIVE on Twitter. For more about the 2018 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, please visit the event website at https://www.crossdenmark.dk/
