Aguascalientes Mexico- USA Cycling’s track athletes collected five medals and set three new unofficial National Records during the first two of five days of completion at the Pan-American Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico at the Bicentennial Velodrome.
The Men’s Team Pursuit squad comprised of Eric Young (Geneva, Ill.), Ashton Lambie (Lawrence, Kan.), Gavin Hoover (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Colby Lange (Vail Valley, Colo.) shattered the previous National Record of 4:02.798 three times throughout the competition, lowering it in the end by nearly nine seconds to 3:53.86 also marking the first time an American Team Pursuit squad has broken four minutes. This time also earned the squad the gold medal and the unofficial Pan American Championships record as well shaving nearly two seconds off the previous time.
“I woke up this morning excited feeling like something really special was about to happen today,” said Jeff Pierce, Director of Elite Athletics, Road and Track said after their qualifying heat, “It did. We witnessed some history with the men’s Team Pursuit squad going under four minutes for the first time ever and smashing their own national record in the process. It was a beautiful ride and there’s much more to come.”
“This is a huge result of our team, as well as me personally,” said Lambie, “Pan-Ams last year was when I got my first Team USA jersey and it’s been great to work with such a supportive program and team towards our goals. The result is just our first step towards bigger goals.”
The Women’s Team Sprint comprised of current National Record holders Madalyn Godby (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Mandy Marquardt (Allentown, Penn.) also bested the record they had previously set at the same track in 2016 by 0.363 seconds with a new time of 33.35 also earning the silver medal in the finals.
Godby also broke another national record in the 200 Meter Time Trial during her qualifying round with a time of 10.555 which bested her previous record of 10.66.
Jennifer Valente (San Diego, Calif.) earned her first gold medal of the competition in the Scratch Race and later a second gold medal with the Team Pursuit squad comprised of Christina Birch (Los Angeles), Kelly Catlin (Arden Hills, Minn.) and Kim Geist (Allentown, Penn.).
In the men’s Scratch Race, Adrian Hegyvary (Ashville, N.C.) also claimed the gold medal.
“As we enter into the Olympic qualification timeframe, it’s great to start the Pan-American Championships with such strong performances in both endurance and sprint events right out of the gate,” said Scott Schnitzspahn, Vice President of Elite Athletics for USA Cycling, “The momentum from the first few days with multiple American records being broken and Pan-American Champion jerseys won has the team rolling towards a strong finish through the weekend.”
The Pan American Championships are held annually for member nations of the Pan American Cycling Confederation. Riders competing in the Pan American Cycling Championships are selected by their respective national governing bodies and provide another avenue for athletes to qualify for World Championships. A lineup of 10 men and seven women are representing Team USA over the five-day event, which started Aug. 29 and will run through Sept. 2, 2018 at the Aguascalientes, Mexico at the Bicentennial Velodrome.
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Please contact Kelly Fox with questions at apalermo@usacycling.org
