Photo by Dave Roth, http://www.dmroth.com/cycling.html
Day two of nationals was a day for the juniors and masters riders. By days end, ten National Titles were awarded. After a decent start yesterday (7-13), day two completely destroyed my record. Only threeof my choices won their respective races making me 3-10 on the day and 10-23 overall. The worst part, three of my predicted winners finished second, so I wasn’t too far off, but it hurts none the less. Hopefully this weekend will yield better results.
Speaking of this weekend, Saturday and Sunday may feature some of the best national championship races. In addition to the Elite Men’s and Women’s races, the Collegiate races make Sunday the day to watch. On Saturday, the bulk of the Master’s Men’s titles will be awarded. I expect the 40-44 race to be the best masters race of the year. In addition, the U23 Men’s and Junior Male 17-18 race will provide a great look at the US future.
It promises to be an exciting weekend in Bend. We will have our editors picks for the Elite Men’s race along with a preview of both Elite races. Below are my predictions for the rest of the titles that will be on the line this weekend.
Day 2 Results:
- Women 13-14 – Tiziana DeHorney (4th)
- Women 10-12 – Ashley Zoerner (Winner)
- Women 17-18 – Emile Shields (2nd)
- Women 15-16 – Sarah Huang (2nd)
- Men 10-12 – Matteo Jorgenson (Winner)
- Men 13-14 – Gavin Haley (10th)
- Men 15-16 – Logan Owen (Winner)
- Women 30-34 – Kristin Gavin (7th)
- Women 35-39 – Barbara Howe (2nd)
- Men 45-49 – Jonny Bold (3rd)
Day 3 (Saturday) Predictions:
- Men 50-54 – Kevin Hines
- Men 40-44 – Roger Aspholm
- Men 17-18 – Jeff Bahnson
- Men U23 – Zach McDonald
- Men 35-39 – Jonathan Baker
- Master 30-34 – Matthew Pacocha
Day 4 (Sunday) Predictions:
- Collegiate Female – Kaitlin Antonneau
- Collegiate Male D1 – Braden Kappius*
- Collegiate Male D2 – Ryan Leech
- U23 Women – Coryn Rivera
*Zach McDonald is on the start list, but if he wins the U23, who knows what will happen.