USA Cycling Announces Cyclocross World Championships Team
USA Cycling named 16 athletes to its team competing at the Cyclocross World Championships in Hoogerheide, Netherlands, February 2–5. Holding firm to its qualification criteria, USA Cycling filled less than half of the available roster spots for the championships. USAC’s athlete selection criteria is here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/usac-craft-uploads-production/documents/UPDATED-SEP-9-2023-CX-World-Championships-Selection-Criteria.pdf
The junior men’s field is the largest, with six athletes. The men’s elite and men’s U23 selections are the smallest. Eric Brunner was selected for the elite team and would have joined Curtis White, but he declined the nomination. Jack Spranger was originally named to the U23 squad with Andrew Strohmeyer but opted to withdraw his acceptance of the spot.
Elite Men
Curtis White (Delanson, N.Y.; Steve Tilford Foundation Racing)
Elite Women
Clara Honsinger (Portland, Ore.; EF Education-TIBCO-SVB)
Raylyn Nuss (Lawrence, Kan.; Steve Tilford Foundation Racing)
U23 Men
Andrew Strohmeyer (Mount Airy, Md.; CX Hairs Devo: Trek Bikes)
U23 Women
Lizzy Gunsalus (Dudley, Mass.; Steve Tilford Foundation Racing)
Madigan Munro (Boulder, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing)
Junior Men
Andrew August (Pittsford, N.Y.; FinKraft Junior Cycling Team)
Daniel English (San Ramon, Calif.; Bear National Team)
Miles Mattern (Rochester, N.Y.; CX Hairs Devo: Trek Bikes)
Ben Stokes (Norwalk, Conn.; FinKraft Junior Cycling Team)
David Thompson (New Canaan, Conn.; FinKraft Junior Cycling Team)
Magnus White (Boulder, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling)
Junior Women
Vida Lopez de San Roman (Sebastopol, Calif.; Bear National Team)
Kaya Musgrave (Littleton, Colo.; Bear National Team)
Samantha Scott (Boise, Idaho,; CompEdge Racing)
Thanks Bill, but for clarity the mud fund block of racers were in Europe for 5 races during December-January block. Also, while the selection criteria standards are high, for our U23's, the selection process renders the domestic racing scene irrelevant other than one race, US Nationals. By definition, Pan American champion isn’t a domestic races. I realize usac has discretion to select riders, but they didn’t other than the juniors category. So if we look at it from a u23 riders view, it would be discouraging going into season now knowing domestic racing doesn’t really count and usac is only taking, effectively, one racer to worlds. Pan am champ doesn’t have to be American, although it was this year. You want worlds selection process to be difficult but not unobtainable.
Thanks Bill - that’s what was missing…. And, while those other pieces you reference may be out there, your perspective is one that can always be counted on to be thoughtful and insightful. Oh well, sad there will be so few elite riders in the Stars and Stripes…