Amber Neben atop the women's TT podium. Photo by Casey Gibson.
KNOXVILLE, TENN. (June 24, 2017) - - Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif./Team Velo Concept) and Joey Rosskopf (Decatur, Ga./BMC Racing Team) scored the first Stars-and-Stripes jerseys of the 2017 Pro Road & Time Trial National Championships with wins in the time trial as the event visits Knoxville, Tenn. for the first time.
Neben, the reigning UCI ITT World Champion, was the final woman in the field of 38 to leave the start house in the revitalized Old City section of downtown Knoxville. She crossed the line in 30 minutes, 27.45 seconds for a dominating win. Neben redeemed her second place result at last year’s championships.
Lauren Stephens (Dallas, Texas/Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank) earned silver, 31 seconds back in a time of 30:59.08, and Leah Thomas (Boulder Creek, Calif./Sho-Air TWENTY20) claimed bronze at 31:31.86. The professional women covered 14.4 miles, completing three laps of a 4.8-mile circuit in Knoxville.
“This course was tricky. There was really no rhythm or flow to it. Mentally, I had to ride it a lot more than physically ride it,” said Neben, a California native who said she was not used to the heat and humidity of eastern Tennessee. “It was a challenge to figure out how to pace it, and then factor in the heat. The humidity was hard. So to be able to factor that in and take care of the hydration, and then understanding there were three laps, and how important the second and third laps were going to be. I had to make sure I stayed in formation in the beginning, so that I could nail the second laps.”
Joey Rosskopf atop the men's TT podium. Photo by Casey Gibson.
Saturday’s event also crowned the women’s Under-23 ITT national champion, captured by 19-year-old Emma White (Delanson, N.Y./Rally Cycling). White finished 14th overall in the women’s event.
Rosskopf outpaced his teammate Brent Bookwalter (Asheville, N.C./BMC Racing Team) and 34 other competitors on the four-lap course for the men’s title in the 19.2 mile event, winning in a time of 36:25.37.
“It's the most satisfying win for me,” Rosskopf said. “I've never been this close to a national championship before, never been able to put together a good ride. Yeah, I'm super excited, a little unexpected.”
Bookwalter, in his 11th year with BMC Racing Team, took his second silver medal in the ITT (2013) and moved up from a fourth-place finish in the event last year. Twenty-one-year-old Neilson Powless (Roseville, Calif./Axeon Hagens Berman) finished 17 seconds behind Bookwalter for third.
“I'm probably the least surprised today at his performance. He may be one of the most under-rated riders on the team,” added Bookwalter about his teammate's victory.
On Sunday, the road races will begin for the women at 9 a.m., followed by the men’s road race at 1:15 p.m. This 7.9-mile circuit will be covered eight times by the women for a total of 63 miles and 14 times by the men for a total of 109 miles.
For a complete schedule, results, course maps and photo galleries, please visit the event web page. Follow the action on Twitter using #USPRO.
WOMEN PRO/1/2
1. Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif.) Team Velo CONCEPT - 30:27.45
2. Lauren Stephens (Dallas, Texas) Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank - 30:59.08
3. Leah Thomas (Boulder Creek, Calif.) Sho-Air TWENTY20 - 31:31.86
WOMEN U23
- Emma White (Delanson, N.Y.) Rally Cycling - 33:02.93
- Margot Clyne (Boulder, Colo.) Groove Subaru Excel - 33:32.28
- Sara Youmans (Ketchum, Idaho) Therapueutic Associates Racing - 34:54.19
MEN PRO
- Joey Rosskopf (Decatur, Ga.) BMC Racing Team - 36:25.37
- Brent Bookwalter (Asheville, N.C.) BMC Racing Team - 37:22.80
- Neilson Powless (Roseville, Calif.) Axeon Hagens Berman - 37:39.76
Broadcast and Social Media
- The Professional Road National Championships for women and men will be webcast on Sunday, June 25 on the USA Cycling YouTube Channel - https://youtu.be/t5VvWxLcYFI
- The men’s 109-mile race on Sunday afternoon will be broadcast live by media partner WATE-TV, the local ABC affiliate, and provide highlights of the women’s 63-mile race.
- Follow updates on Twitter @usacycling and #USPRO.
About USA Cycling
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including BMX, cyclocross, mountain bike, road and track. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling comprises 60,000+ members; 2,500+ clubs and teams; and 34 local associations. The national governing body sanctions over 3,000 competitive and non-competitive events throughout the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development, and support of American cyclists. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit usacycling.org.
About Visit Knoxville
Visit Knoxville (Knoxville Convention and Visitors Bureau) is the official CVB for the City of Knoxville and Knox County. Visit Knoxville is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, private company that works together with the community, business leaders and local and state government to further develop Knoxville as a premier leisure, meetings and travel destination. The Visit Knoxville Sports Commission is managed by Visit Knoxville and strives to bring world-class sporting events as well as amateur sporting type events to Knoxville, Tennessee.
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Contacts:
Jackie Tyson, Peloton Sports Erin Donovan, Visit Knoxville
sportspr@pelotonsports.net * 678-362-6228 edonovan@knoxville.org * 865-306-4341
