Track World Cup in Los Angeles this week



M

Mike Gladu

Guest
I hope to see cyclists in the area spending some of their hard-earned
dollars to attend the UCI Track World Cup at the ADT Event Center at the
Home Depot Center this week (Fri/Sat/Sun).

Looks like a great turn-out on the athlete side. Many will be getting in
their first laps at the new facility before the World Championships
there in April 2005.

From USAC's Press Release:

24 OLYMPIC MEDALISTS TO COMPETE IN LOS ANGELES TRACK WORLD CUP
Five Athens Gold Medalists Among 170 Riders from 32 Countries Scheduled
to Compete

A massive collection of international cycling talent comes to suburban
Los Angeles next week where 24 Olympic medalists from around the world
will compete in the second round of the 2004/05 UCI World Cup series at
the
<http://www.homedepotcenter.com/venues/customadtevent.sps?iType=4176&icus
tompageid=6773>ADT Event Center in Carson, Calif. In total, 170
athletes from 32 countries are scheduled to race. Included in that list
are 11 Olympic gold medalists.

Among the highly decorated list of competitors are two Americans,
<http://www.usacycling.org/bios/user/bio.php?id=81>Marty Nothstein
(Orefield, Pa.) and
<http://www.usacycling.org/bios/user/bio.php?id=106>Erin Mirabella
(Racine, Wis.) A longtime fixture on the international cycling circuit,
Nothstein captured a silver medal at the 1996 games in Atlanta before he
realized his dream of Olympic gold four years later in Sydney. A
three-time world champion and 35-time U.S. national champion, Nothstein
will team up with fellow 2004 Olympian Colby Pearce (Boulder, Colo.) in
the madison on Sunday. 

Mirabella, a bronze medalist in Athens, will compete in two events, the
points race on Friday and the individual pursuit on Saturday.

Of the 32 nations competing, Australia stands out as arguably the most
talented team. The squad from down under will be sending the two riders
responsible for half of their eight medal haul from Athens. Double
Olympic gold medalist Ryan Bayley proved to be one of the world¹s best
sprinters after convincing wins in the sprint and keirin events last
August. His female counterpart, Anna Meares, won Olympic gold this year
in the 500m time trial and brought home a bronze in the sprint. Sean
Eadie, a bronze medalist in Sydney compliments the accomplished and
experienced core of Australian sprinters. On the endurance front, 2004
Olympic silver medalist and former world record holder Katie Mactier
will lead the way for Australia.

Germany, Spain, and France will also be fielding teams that are expected
to post strong results. Three-time Olympic medalist Stefan Nimke will
lead a powerful German team in the sprint events while two-time Olympic
champion Robert Bartko and two-time Olympic medalist Guido Fulst will be
riders to watch in the individual pursuit and points race respectively.

Spain will be led by Sergi Escobar and Juan Llaneras. Escobar captured
two medals in Athens, a bronze in the both the individual pursuit and
the team pursuit. Olympic champion in 2000, Llaneras added a second
Olympic medal to his name in Athens with a silver medal performance in
the points race. Escobar¹s Olympic teammates, Carlos Castano and Asier
Maeztu also will be on hand to form a potential winning combination in
the team pursuit.

With four Olympic medals between them, Arnaud Tournant and Mikael
Bourgain will lead France and provide the field with another
well-respected sprint combination. 

In a potential rematch of the women¹s sprint finals at the Athens games,
gold medalist Lori-Ann Muenzer (CAN) and silver medalist Tamilla
Abassova (ITA) will be in Los Angeles. Also, runner-up to Australia¹s
Bayley, Athens silver medalist Theo Bos (NED) will be looking for
revenge.

Other Olympic gold medalists scheduled to compete include Mikhail
Ignatyev (RUS), and Jason Queally (GBR). Ignatyev won the points race
in Athens and Queally won the kilometer time trial in Sydney.

Finally, Natallia Tsylinskaya (BLR), Belem Guerrero Mendez (MEX), Chris
Newton (GBR), and Oxana Grichina (RUS) round out the list of Olympic
medalists scheduled to compete this weekend.

2004/05 UCI World Cup #2
Los Angeles, Calif.
Dec. 10-12

Olympic Medalists Participating

Athens 2004
Ryan Bayley (AUS) Gold; sprint, keirin
Mikhail Ignatyev (RUS) Gold; points race
Anna Meares (AUS) Gold; 500m time trial, Bronze; sprint
Lori-Ann Muenzer (CAN) Gold; sprint
Stefan Nimke (GER) Gold; team sprint, Bronze; kilometer time trial
Tamilla Abassova (ITA) Silver; sprint
Theo Bos (NED) Silver; sprint
Juan Llaneras (ESP) Silver; points race
Belem Guerrero Mendez (ESP) Silver; points race
Katie Mactier (AUS) Silver; individual pursuit
Arnaud Tournant (FRA) Silver; kilometer time trial
Mikael Bourgain (FRA) Bronze; team sprint
Carlos Castano (ESP) Bronze; team pursuit
Sergi Escobar (ESP) Bronze; individual pursuit, team pursuit
Guido Fulst (ITA) Bronze; points race
Asier Maeztu (ESP) Bronze; team pursuit
Erin Mirabella (USA) Bronze; points race
Natalia Tsylinskaya (BLR) Bronze; 500m time trial

Sydney 2000
Robert Bartko (GER) Gold; individual pursuit, team pursuit
Fulst (GER) Gold; team pursuit
Llaneras (ESP) Gold; points race
Marty Nothstein (USA) Gold; sprint
Jason Queally (GBR) Gold; kilometer time trial, Silver; team sprint
Tournant (FRA) Gold; team sprint
Oxana Grichina (RUS) Silver; sprint
Nimke (GER) Silver; kilometer time trial
Sean Eadie (AUS) Bronze; team sprint
Chris Newton (GBR) Bronze; team pursuit

Atlanta 1996
Nothstein (USA) Silver; sprint

Countries Participating (32)
Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Belarus, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Spain, France, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Hong
Kong, Hungary, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Malaysia,
Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Paraguay, Russia,
Switzerland, Ukraine, United States, Venezuela.

Click here for a
<http://www.uci.ch/imgArchive/Track/World Cup/2004-2005/Programme LA.
pdf>complete event schedule of the Los Angeles Track World Cup or click
here for
<http://www.uci.ch/modello.asp?1stlevelid=BB&level1=0&level2=0&idnews=300
3>more information.

About the ADT Event Center
The 100,000 square foot, $15 million ADT Event Center is located on the
125-acre Home Depot Center campus in Carson, California. It is the first
and only permanent indoor track of international standard in North
America. The ADT Event Center hosts training and competition under the
guidance of USA Cycling, including the 2004 Junior Track National
Championships, 2004 World Junior Track Cycling Championships and the
2005 World Track Cycling Championships. The ADT Event Center will also
host other major competitions, events and cycling clinics.

Event Tickets
Individual tickets start at only $15 and all event packages are also
available starting at only $60. For more information or to order
tickets, call 866-LAGROUP or order tickets online at
<http://www.aeggrouptickets.com/>www.aeggrouptickets.com.
 
Mike Gladu wrote:

> I hope to see cyclists in the area spending some of their hard-earned
> dollars to attend the UCI Track World Cup at the ADT Event Center at the
> Home Depot Center this week (Fri/Sat/Sun).
>
> Looks like a great turn-out on the athlete side. Many will be getting in
> their first laps at the new facility before the World Championships
> there in April 2005.


My local club-mate Dale Tye gets her first taste of World Cup
competition in LA for the New Zealand women's team. Good luck!