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Nick Weighall (Rad Racing) won a hard-fought battle with Nick Keough (Jittery Joe's-Sonic) on Saturday to claim the men’s under-23 title at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships at Tiffany Springs Park in Kansas City, Missouri.[nid:85931] Danny Summerhill (Clif Bar) took third. Keough shot off the line first ahead of Weighall, who then took the lead with Bjorn Selander (Riley Factory Team) and Summerhill in pursuit in gray, windy conditions on a comparatively dry, tacky course.

At first glance, Jeremy Powers' Cannondale looks like a fairly standard pro mount: a Cannondale aluminum frame with Mavic wheels and SRAM Red parts.

A former road bike product manager at Specialized, Andy Jacques-Maynes has an eye for detail when it comes to bikes, and has the advantage of riding a frame he helped design. Jacques-Maynes won the 30-34 national cyclocross championships for the second year in a row on Saturday, aboard a carbon Tricross. [nid:85912] The bike features an array of Specialized parts and thanks to the light frame and Roval Alpiniste climbing wheels, weighs in at just 15.2 pounds.[nid:85913]

Ryan Trebon's Kona Major Jake is very similar to the mount that he's been racing on for the last few years, except for the change to Challenge tubular this season. Trebon also switched from 175 to 177.5 mm cranks this fall just before the Gloucester, Massachusetts, race. He says the longer cranks help him get the full benefit of his size. [nid:85926] Ryan Trebon's Kona Frame: Kona Major Jake scandium, 63cm Fork: Alpha Q CX20 Wheels: FSA Carbon RD488 tubular Shifters: Dura-Ace 7800 Brakes: KORE Brake pads: Swissstop

Georgia Gould's Orbea is a simple, solid race machine. Gould runs virtually all Shimano parts, and is one of the few top pros to use clinchers (although sharp eyes might have noticed her on some blackwall tubulars at nationals). She also prefers a single front chainring, a set-up that appears to be becoming a bit less common among the top pros. Frame: Orbea Lobular aluminum Fork: Easton EC90X Wheels: Mavic R Sys clincher Tires: Maxxis Raze clincher 700x35 Shifters: Dura-Ace 7800 right; Shimano aero left. Rear Derailleur: Dura-Ace 7800

Defending champ Andy Jacques-Maynes (Specialized-KMC-California Giant) took the hole shot and rode solo to victory in the men's 30-34 category on Saturday at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships in Kansas City, Missouri.[nid:85933] Jacques-Maynes took the win in in 41 minutes, 58 seconds ahead of Weston Schempf (C3-Sollay.com) and Ali Goulet (Ridley Factory Team), who fought out a tough sprint at 40 seconds back.[nid:85935] Other winners include: Men 35-39: Brandon Dwight, Boulder Cycle Sport. Men 40-44: Roger Aspholm, Westwood Velo.

Lance Armstrong may have seven Tour de France victories under his belt, but he’s not predicting victory for himself when he tackles the Giro d’Italia for the first time in May. Organizers unveiled the route for the centenary edition on Saturday, and Armstrong said that while he taps Ivan Basso as the favorite for overall victory, he’s nonetheless looking forward to competing.

The Giro d’Italia, which in 2009 will welcome seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong for the first time, will start its centenary edition in Venice on May 9 and finish in Rome on May 31, organizers said in unveiling the 3395.5km route on Saturday. The race, which Spaniard Alberto Contador won this year, will comprise 21 stages and take in major cities including Milan, Turin, Florence, Bologna and Naples.

Amy Dombroski (Velo Bella-Kona) grabbed the hole shot and rode away from the field toward a second consecutive under-23 cyclocross title on Saturday at Kansas City. The Durango, Colorado, rider was never seriously challenged in her title defense on day 3 of the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships, which saw temps in the 40s, a brisk wind and a comparatively dry course at Tiffany Springs Park. Ally Stacher (Lees-McRae College) took second with Ashley James (IS Corp.) third.

Saturday 8:00 A.M. Course Open 9:00 A.M. U23 Women 40 min 10:00 A.M U23 Men 50 min 11:00 A.M Master Men 30-34 45 min 12:00 P.M. Awards/Course Open 1:00 P.M. Masters Men 35-39 45 min 2:00 P.M Masters Men 40-44 45 min 3:00 P.M Masters 50-54 45 min 4:00 P.M. Awards/Course Open Sunday 7:00 A.M. Course Open 8:00 A.M. Single Speed 45 min 9:00 A.M. Collegiate Men D2 45 min 10:00 A.M Collegiate Women 45 min 11:00 A.M Collegiate M D1 45 min 11:45 A.M. Course Open

Friday's racing at the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships crowned 16 national champions in both junior and master categories and locked up a spot on the U.S. World Championship squad for one junior rider. Cyclists from as young as nine to 67 years of age contested the muddy course at Kansas City's Tiffany Springs Park on the second day of competition at the 2008 national championships.

Just days before she attempts to win her fifth national cyclocross title, Katie Compton and her husband/mechanic Mark Legg have decided to switch from a hodge podge of Shimano and Campagnolo drivetrain components to a new set of Dura-Ace 7900 shifters and derailleurs.

Cadel Evans has denied he will ride in next year's Giro d'Italia, putting him at odds with his Silence-Lotto team, reports said. Race organizers on Wednesday announced that the 31-year-old runner-up in the past two Tours de France was set to take on seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong in the Giro next May. The race director of his Belgian team, Roberto Damiani, also said that Evans would ride in the three-week Italian stage race. But Evans, who is currently in Australia preparing another assault on the Tour de France, on Friday denied he would be taking part.

Cyclists will have an opportunity to cycle alongside members of Team Columbia as part of Pedal to Pier, a fund-raising ride slated for Saturday, February 7, 2009. Three hundred participants will be invited to a meet-and-greet coffee with the pros, join them on a scenic metric century or metric half-century ride through San Luis Obispo County, California, and enjoy lunch and a drawing afterward.

While many of the nation's top racers are at the cyclocross national championships in Kansas City this week, USA Cycling announced the dates and locations of 17 national championship events for next year. The organization, however, did not announce a location for the next cyclocross nationals, which are tentatively scheduled for Dec. 11-14 next year. 2009 USA Cycling national championship schedule: *All dates and locations subject to change March 21: USA Cycling BMX National Championships – Desoto, Texas

This Sunday’s mens national elite cyclocross championships are as wide open as any in recent memory, with four former champions, all in peak form, lining up. Defending women’s champion Katie Compton won’t face any former champs in her race, but she will contend with an increasingly deep women’s domestic field, most notably the powerful Georgia Gould. (Womens Favorites) When deciding on favorites, we looked at: - their history at nationals, - the top racers' own opinions of their relative strengths

The USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships opened on Thursday with just over 50 master-aged riders tackling the demanding course at Kansas City's Tiffany Springs Park. Gary Thacker (Louisville, Colo./Chipotle-Titus), Phil Bannister (Putney, Vt./Putney-West Hill), Rob Lea (Taneytown, Md./Team Fuji), Walt Axthelm (Durango, Colo./Durango Wheel Club) and Ronald Riley (Aptos, Calif./Team Santa Cruz) won the first of 35 stars-and-stripes jerseys to be awarded at this year's competition.

European ProTour teams Silence-Lotto and BBox Bouygues Telecom have confirmed they will compete in next month's Tour Down Under in Australia. BBox Bouygues Telecom will send an all-French team and Belgium's Silence-Lotto will field an experienced European contingent. "I am pleased to see Mario Aerts back in Australia riding for Silence-Lotto, he is a Tour Down Under favourite," race director Mike Turtur said Friday. "Mario is a consummate professional in the peloton, having achieved some major cycling milestones in his career."

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National criterium champion Rahsaan Bahati is optimistic about his status with Rock Racing, the team he has ridden for since 2007, even though he appears to have been relegated to amateur status for the 2009 season.