May 25, 2007 (Valencia, Venezuela) “”Following the success of American track riders this week at the 2007 Pan American Road and Track Championships, the United States Cycling Team opened competition on the road with two more medals. Alison Powers (Boulder, Colo./Colavita-Sutter Home-Cooking Light) became the continental time trial champion after riding to a gold medal on Friday while teammate Dotsie Bausch (Irvine, Calif./Colavita-Sutter Home-Cooking Light) won the bronze.

Powers clocked a winning time of 27:03 over the 20-kilometer course to beat Guissepi Grassi of Mexico by 28 seconds and earn an automatic invitation to the 2007 UCI Road World Championships this September in Germany. Bausch recorded a time of 27:44 in her third-place effort.

The U.S. did not field a team for Friday’s men’s time trial.

The efforts of the American road athletes on Friday brought the total U.S. medal count to eight. On the track, Jennie Reed (Kirkland, Wash./Momentum) won a gold medal in the keirin and a silver in the match sprint, Michael Blatchford (Cypress, Calif.) won a gold in the men’s sprint and Brad Huff (Fair Grove, Mo./Slipstream-Chipotle) won a gold in the men’s omnium. In team events, Colby Pearce (Boulder, Colo.) teamed with Huff for a gold in the madison, while Blatchford, Adam Duvendeck (Santa Barbara, Calif./Momentum) and Kevin Selker (Boulder, Colo.) turned in a silver-medal performance in the team sprint.

The United States will conclude the 2007 Pan American Road and Track Championships on Saturday as Powers, Bausch and Tina Pic (Dahlonega, Ga./Colavita-Sutter Home) will contest the 180-kilometer elite women’s road race.

2007 Pan American Road and Track Championships
Valencia, Venezuela – May 21-27

Women’s Time Trial
1. Alison Powers (Boulder, Colo.) 27:03.700
2. Guissepi Grassi (MEX) 27:31.990
3. Dotsie Bausch (Irvine, Calif.) 27:44.456