USA Cycling has announced the teams that it will be sending to the Cyclocross World Championships, in Hoogerheide, Netherlands, on February 1st and 2nd, with the elite teams led by new national champions Katie Compton (Trek Cyclocross Collective) and Jeremy Powers (Rapha-Focus). As the fifth-ranked nation in the 2012-13 International Cycling Union (UCI) ranking, the USA has qualified the maximum of six riders in the Elite Men’s race, while all nations can enter up to five riders in the other categories.
As the leader of the UCI World Cup, Compton also qualifies a designated place, meaning that the USA will also have six riders in the Elite Women’s race.
“After a very competitive year of cyclo-cross racing, culminating with the national championships in Boulder, we are able to name four very competitive World Championship teams," said USA Cycling cyclocross program director Marc Gullickson. "With a number of outright medal contenders being joined by a mix of accomplished veterans and future stars, I expect the team to be very competitive at the Championships in Hoogerheide this year.”
Compton has actually won the World Cup with one round in Nommay, France, still to come on January 26th, and - having won five of the six races in the series - arguably has her best chance ever of winning the World title. Significantly, Compton has managed to get the better of reigning World champion Marianne Vos (Rabobank-Liv) in the last three of those races.
The rest of the women’s team consists of Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) and Meredith Miller (California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized), both of whom have scored top ten finishes in the World Cup this season, and Elle Anderson (California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized), Crystal Anthony (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Arley Kemmerer (Charm City Cycling LLC), who have both scored top twenties.
Powers heads a mostly domestic-based Elite Men’s team, featuring Rapha-Focus teammate Zach McDonald, Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com’s Tim Johnson and Ryan Trebon, and Allen Krughoff (Raleigh Clement). Completing the team will be former national champion Jonathan Page (Fuji-Spyoptics), who has based himself in Belgium for the season once again.
The USA’s Under-23 and Junior Men’s teams will be led by national champions Logan Owen (California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized) and Peter Goguen (Race CF) respectively.
Team USA for the Cyclocross World Championships, Hoogerheide, Netherlands, February 1-2, 2014
Elite Women
Elle Anderson (California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)
Crystal Anthony (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com)
Katie Compton (Trek Cyclocross Collective)
Arley Kemmerer (Charm City Cycling LLC)
Meredith Miller (California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)
Elite Men
Tim Johnson (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com)
Allen Krughoff (Raleigh Clement)
Zach McDonald (Rapha-Focus)
Jonathan Page (Fuji-Spyoptics)
Jeremy Powers (Rapha-Focus)
Ryan Trebon (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com)
U23 Men
Yannick Eckmann (California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)
Cody Kaiser (California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)
Tobin Ortenblad (California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized).
Logan Owen (California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)
Curtis White (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com)
Juniors Men
Maxx Chance (Clif Bar Development Cross Team)
Peter Goguen (Race CF)
Gavin Haley (Red Zone Cycling Elite)
Austin Vincent (Race CF)
Cooper Willsey (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com)