October 18, 2006 – USA Cycling announced today the 25 cyclists named to the 2006-07 USA Cycling Track Talent Pool for the upcoming season. Riders who will represent the United States in all major international track cycling competitions during the 2006-07 season will be drawn from this pool of athletes.

Several winners from this month’s USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships and riders who met time standards at qualifying events throughout the season received automatic nominations. Factors taken into account for the at-large coaches’ selections were an athlete’s long-range potential and past performances in domestic and international competition.

Also earning automatic nominations were riders who earned overall 2006 National Track Calendar Series titles. The USA Cycling National Track Calendar ended with the Elite National Championships earlier this month. Nine overall series championships were awarded to riders who amassed the most points throughout the 13-event series. Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif./Ouch Pro Cycling) won the women’s scratch race and points race titles with a total of 15 points in each event. Jennie Reed (Kirkland, Wash./Spike) claimed the women’s keirin title with 35 points and the sprint title with 25 points. Giddeon Massie (Colorado Springs, Colo./Spike) won the series in the men’s keirin with 22 points and the sprint with 37 points. The men’s points race title went to Mike Creed (Colorado Springs, Colo./TIAA-CREF) with 15 points, and the scratch race title was awarded to Dave McCook (Mountainview, Calif./Jelly Belly), also with 15 points. Mike Friedman (State College, Pa./TIAA-CREF) and Brad Huff (Fair Grove, Mo./TIAA-CREF) teamed up to earn 35 points and the madison title.

The USA Cycling Track Talent Pool for the 2006-2007 season is as follows:

Men’s Endurance Squad

– Mike Friedman (State College, Pa./TIAA-CREF)
– Mike Creed (Colorado Springs, Colo./TIAA-CREF)
– Brad Huff (Fair Grove, Mo./TIAA-CREF)
– Cody O’Reilly (Santa Barbara, Calif./Echelon Santa Barbara)
– Tom Zirbel (Boulder, Colo./Priority Health)
– Dane McCook (Mountain View, Calif./Jelly Belly)
– Bobby Lea (Taneytown, Md./Toyota-United)
– Austin Carroll (Orange, Calif./i.e. Bikes)

Both Creed and Huff qualified automatically by winning both the National Track Calendar and the National Championships — Creed in the points race and Huff in the madison. Friedman qualified automatically as the National Track Calendar winner and National Champion in the madison. O’Reilly, Zirbel, and McCook were also automatic nominations. O’Reilly and Zirbel met time standards, and McCook was the National Track Calendar Champion in the scratch race. Lea and Carroll received coaches’ nominations based on their 2006 performances.

Women’s Endurance Squad

– Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif./Ouch Pro Cycling)
– Neva Day (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Southbay Wheelmen)
– Becky Quinn (Quakertown, Pa./Spike)
– Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho/Team Lipton)
– Kori Seehafer (Louisville, Colo./Team Lipton)
– Sima Trapp (Boise, Idaho/Colavita-Cooking Light)
– Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, Mich./Wolverine Sports Club)
– Kelly Benjamin (Overland Park, Kan./Diet Cheerwine)

Hammer, an automatic nomination, ended an 11-year drought by winning the world title in the pursuit. She also set a new national record, met a time standard, and claimed the individual pursuit national title. Day was automatically chosen for meeting a time standard. Quinn, Armstrong, Trapp, Cliff-Ryan, and Benjamin were all coaches’ nominations based on their 2006 results.

Men’s Sprint Squad

-Giddeon Massie (Colorado Springs, Colo./Spike)
-Adam Duvendeck (Santa Barbara, Calif./Echelon Santa Barbara)
-Ben Barczewski (Breinigsville, Pa./Spike)
-Michael Blatchford (Cypress, Calif./Spike)
-Kevin Selker (Boulder, Colo./Spike)
-Andy Lakatosh (Trexlertown, Pa./Spike)

Massie qualified automatically when he became the national champion in the sprint and the National Track Calendar champion in both the sprint and the keirin. Duvendeck also qualified automatically because of his National Track Calendar keirin win. Barczewski and Blatchford received coaches’ nominations based on their international and domestic results from 2006, and Selker and Lakatosh were chosen based on 2006 domestic results.

Women’s Sprint Squad

-Jennie Reed (Kirkland, Wash./Spike)
-Liz Reap-Carlson (Jim Thorpe, Pa./East Coast Velo)
-Anna Lang (La Jolla, Calif./Big City Velo)