October 20, 2004 – USA Cycling announced today its roster for the opening
round of the 2004-05 UCI Track World Cup Classics in Moscow, Nov. 5-7. Six
men and two women will represent the United States in the first leg of the
four-race series as the UCI shifts its premier track series to the winter
months.

Stephen Alfred (Capitola, Calif.), Kevin Belz (Plano, Texas), Michael
Blatchford (Cypress, Calif.), Jame Carney (Boulder, Colo.), Brad Huff (Fair
Grove, Mo.) and Anton Quist (Arlington, Va.) comprise the men’s squad while
Becky Conzelman (Allentown, Pa.) and Annette Hanson (Kirkland, Wash.) will
represent the women’s team.

With no 2004 Olympians on the roster for the first world cup, much of the
attention will be focused on relative newcomer and sprint specialist
Blatchford. Blatchford, the silver medalist in the 2004 Junior World
Championships narrowly missed out on a rainbow jersey in July, placing
second behind Australia’s Shane Perkins. Earlier in the season, Blatchford
set a new U.S. and Pan American record in the 200m qualifying round at the
Pan American Championships in Ecuador where he won the overall sprint title.
He followed up that performance with a junior national title in the match
sprint in June. After a season’s worth of dominating performances at the
junior level, the 18-year-old Blatchford went on to capture the elite men’s
sprint title besting Olympian Giddeon Massie last month. In Moscow,
Blatchford will contest the individual sprint as well as the team sprint.

Joining Blatchford on the team sprint squad are Belz and Alfred, both
coaches selection to the U.S. team after meeting the USA Cycling Talent Pool
criteria. Belz will also ride the keirin and Alfred will double up with the
individual sprint.

Carney, a staple for the U.S. team in international competition in recent
years, recently captured the national title in the points race and rode on
the winning team pursuit squad. In Moscow, Carney will suit up for the
scratch race, the madison and the points race. Huff will team up with Carney
for the madison and will also ride the individual pursuit.

Quist, a former masters world champion, earned a spot on the team after his
national title in the kilometer time trial in September. In addition to the
kilo, Quist has also been named to the team sprint squad.

The highly decorated Conzelman captured elite national titles in the scratch
race, the 500m time trial, and the match sprint in 2004 and is an
accomplished sprinter on the road referenced by several podium finishes in
some of the nation’s top criteriums in Downer’s Grove, Ill., New York and
Athens, Ga. In Moscow, Conzelman will ride the 500m time trial, the sprint
and the keirin.

Hanson, the reigning women’s USCF elite national champion in the individual
pursuit, will contest both the pursuit and the points race.

U.S. Squad for Round 1 of 2004-05 UCI Track World Cup
Moscow, Russia
November 5-7, 2004

Men
– Stephen Alfred (Sprint, Team Sprint)
– Kevin Belz (Keirin, Team Sprint)
– Michael Blatchford (Sprint, Team Sprint)
– Jame Carney (Points Race, Scratch Race, Madison)
– Brad Huff (Madison, Individual Pursuit)
– Anton Quist (Kilo, Team Sprint)

Women
– Becky Conzelman (500m, Sprint, Keirin)
Annette Hanson (Individual Pursuit, Points Race)