January 13, 2005 “” USA Cycling announced today the elite men’s discretionary selections for the 2005 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships slated for January 29-30 in St. Wendel, Germany.

Barry Wicks (Corvalis, Ore.), Ben Turner (Williamsburg, Va.) and Erik Tonkin (Portland, Ore.) have been selected to join the previously announced group of athletes.

Wicks put up consistent results throughout the season, posting top-ten finishes in all six stops on the Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross circuit. Finishing seventh overall in the series, Wicks’ top finish was a third place effort at the final leg in Highland Park, N.J. He also rounded out his domestic campaign on the podium at the USCF National Cyclo-cross Championships, placing fourth.

Two top-ten finishes in the gran prix for Tonkin paved the way for a tenth place overall finish. Tonkin also scored a 12th place finish at nationals.

Turner spent the season on the cusp of cracking the top-ten in a gran prix event before finally breaking through with a tenth place finish at the series’ finale in Highland Park, N.J.