Mattis wins elite road race title

• Results

By Kathie Reid

The 2008 USA Cycling Elite Nationals concluded Sunday in Orange County, California, with the men’s elite, U23 and Junior 17-18 road races.

U23 Road Race
When Kirk Carlsen (VMG-Felt), Peter Stetina (Garmin-Chipotle), and Tom Peterson (Garmin-Chipotle) came to the line in that order at the end of the men’s U23 road race on the final day of the USA Cycling Junior, U23, and Elite Road National Championships, it wasn’t the result of an exciting sprint. Rather, all three were side-by-side, having carefully lined up just prior to the finish so that Carlsen would roll over first. The three are teammates — VMG/Felt is the development arm for the Garmin/Chipotle squad — and wanted to be sure that the 21-year-old Carlsen took the top step of the podium after being on a solo break for nearly 40 miles of the 6-lap, 115-mile course.

The field of 127 began attacking and counter-attacking early in the first lap and breakaway groups of varying sizes formed, disintegrated, and then reformed while the main field was whittled down repeatedly. The argyle-clad men of Garmin/Chipotle and VMG/Felt were consistently in the mix, and took turns being in important moves.

During the fourth lap, Carlsen was in a large chase group that caught a five-man break that included teammates Peterson, Stetina, and Caleb Fairly (Garmin-Chipotle). Because his teammates had been working out front, when the break was reeled in, Carlsen said, “It was my turn to go.” It was mile 80, and he took off on a flyer, riding by himself and gaining a gap as large as 1:15 on an assortment of chase groups. In the sixth lap at mile 105, the closest chase consisted of two riders: Peterson and Stetina. At this point, Carlsen had been out on his own for roughly 25 miles.

“I just put my head down and kept going,” he said. “I didn’t know they were coming.”

Peterson and Stetina caught their teammate at mile 112, just a few miles before the finish. “I was dying, so I was so happy when I looked back and it was two teammates there,” Carlsen said.

As the three men made the turn into the final climb to the finish, Carlsen said that they talked about how to handle crossing the line. “Yeah, we talked about it, and I guess it was my turn and the guys agreed,” he said.

Garmin/Chipotle team director, Jonathan Vaughters, was not only happy about the top-three podium sweep, but was impressed with the team’s tactics and strength. “They executed the plan that Chann [McRae] gave them this morning. And outside of that, I think they had the strongest seven guys in the race. So that’s what made the difference,” he said.

Elite Men
In the elite men’s race, another large field — this time consisting of 131 men — made six circuits of the same course and engaged in a string of attacks, counter-attacks, and chases. This time there was a sprint finish, and it was James Mattis (California Giant Berry Farms) who soloed across the line eight seconds ahead of breakaway companions Andy Jacques-Maynes (California Giant Berry Farms) and Thurlow Rogers (Amgen Giant Masters).

During the fifth lap, at roughly 85 miles into the race, Mattis, Jacques-Maynes, and Rogers were all part of a large break that held a slim 12-second lead over the nearest chase group. Mattis and Rogers attacked the break, quickly gaining a gap, and Jacques-Maynes jumped across. Mattis said that when Andy joined them, he was ready to dig in. “We just kind of got out there for about a minute, and after that, just kind of stuck it,” he said.

Both Mattis and Jacques-Maynes expressed great respect for 48-year-old 1984 Olympian, Rogers. “We were pretty smooth together because, you know, Rogers has been doing this forever,” Mattis said. “He’s so crafty you can’t give him an inch because he’ll figure out how to win.” Jacques-Maynes concurred. “I knew he was going to be really strong. He’s really cagey, so he knew when to go and when to hold back, so he rode the race really smart,” he said.

As the three neared the turn to the final climb to the finish, Mattis attacked. “Thurlow chased me down,” he said. “Then Andy went. Thurlow got him at the bottom, the corner of the final climb, and that’s where I went. And that was that.” Mattis stayed away, gaining eight seconds by the finish, while Jacques-Maynes outsprinted Rogers for the silver.

Junior 17-18 Men

The junior 17-18 men did 3 1/2 laps around the same course in their event for 69 miles, and it was Evan Huffman (Adobe-HDR p/b Lombardi Sports) who earned the national champion’s jersey, crossing the line five seconds ahead of Taylor Kuphaldt (Davis Bike Club), and Marshall Opel (Hammer Nutrition-Montana Junior Cycling).

In the largest field of the day at 138 riders, a break of seven was established early in the first lap, and stayed intact with a maximum one minute to the main group until the third lap. At mile 42, Nick Bax (Hot Tubes Development) made a solo break and stayed out on his own for roughly 10 miles before six riders gradually bridged, forming a lead group of seven that included Huffman, Kuphaldt, and Opel. At mile 62, Bax attacked the break. “We were working really well, trying to bring him back,” Huffman explained. “We caught him and then Taylor attacked. We all sat up and let him go. Nick attacked again, I just countered back, and everyone sat up. I came across to Taylor.”

As they turned the final corner into the climb to the finish, Huffman was roughly 100 meters behind Kuphaldt. “I just went as hard as I could and flew past Taylor,” he said.

2008 USA Cycling Junior, U23 and Elite Road National Championships
Orange County, Calif.
August 6-10

Men’s U23 Road Race
1. Kirk Carlsen (Sandown, New Hampshire) 4:34:05
2. Peter Stetina (Boulder, Colorado) s.t.
3. Tom Peterson (Boulder, Colorado) s.t.

Men’s Elite Road Race
1. James Mattis (Mountain View, California) 4:28:39
2. Andy Jacques-Maynes (Capitola, California) at 0.08
3. Thurlow Rogers (Simi Valley, California) s.t.

Junior Men’s 17-18 Road Race
1. Evan Huffman (Elk Grove, California) 2:40:27
2. Taylor Kuphaldt (Yuba City, California) at 0.05
3. Marshall Opel (Missoula, Montana)

Results

Men’s Elite Road Race:
1. James Mattis California Giant Berry Farms in 04:28:39.00
2. Andy Jacques-Maynes California Giant Berry Farms in 04:28:47.00
3. Thurlow Rogers Amgen Giant Masters in 04:28:48.00
4. Chad Cagle Mercy Cycling Elite Team P/b Z in 04:29:00.00
5. Steve Reaney California Giant Berry Farms in 04:29:00.00
6. Paul Mach Davis Bike Club in 04:29:00.00
7. Jesse Moore California Giant Berry Farms in 04:29:02.00
8. Christian Walker Time Factory Team in 04:29:03.00
9. Louie Amelburu Paultracy.com in 04:29:04.00
10. Paul Martin Texas Roadhouse in 04:29:12.00
11. Michael Olheiser Memphis Motor Werks/carve in 04:29:17.00
12. Rudolph Napolitano Rock Racing in 04:33:16.00
13. Vincent Owens Sierra Pacific Racing in 04:33:17.00
14. Ian Holt Us Armed Forces* in 04:33:51.00
15. Josh Horowitz Liquid Fitness in 04:33:56.00
16. Kenneth Hanson California Giant Berry Farms in 04:34:38.00
17. Aram Dellalian Team Bearclaw in 04:34:39.00
18. Ryan Parnes Metromint Cycling in 04:34:40.00
19. Michael Easter Time Factory Team in 04:34:40.00
20. Adam Livingston Team 5 Star Waste Vegetable Oil in 04:34:40.00
21. Devon Vigus California Giant Berry Farms in 04:34:40.00
22. Patrick Caro Schroeder Iron/incycle in 04:34:41.00
23. Joshua Liberles Colavita Nm P/b Jnf Enterprise in 04:34:42.00
24. Daniel Harm Hagens Berman Llp Cycling Team in 04:34:42.00
25. Steven Mlujeak Herbalife/bikeamerica in 04:34:43.00
26. John Eisinger Team Legacy Energy in 04:34:43.00
27. Kevin Klein Rock Racing in 04:34:43.00
28. Robert Campbell Team Bobs-Bicycles.com in 04:34:43.00
29. Lang Reynolds Hagens Berman Llp Cycling Team in 04:34:43.00
30. Kenneth Young Us Armed Forces* in 04:34:44.00
31. Chris DeMarchi Team 5 Star Waste Vegetable Oil in 04:34:44.00
32. Joshua Bartlett Team Rubicon-Orbea in 04:34:45.00
33. Joshua Webster Southern California Velo in 04:34:45.00
34. John Tzinberg Liquid Cycling Elite Team in 04:34:45.00
35. Robert McConville Aerocat/ Latino Cycling in 04:34:45.00
36. Sean Barrie Battley Harley-Davidson in 04:34:46.00
37. Chris Daggs Swami’s-Fppi Devt Elite in 04:34:46.00
38. Sean Coleman Us Armed Forces* in 04:34:47.00
39. Jonathan Eropkin Vos Racing in 04:34:47.00
40. Mark Fennell Platinum Performance in 04:34:48.00
41. Aaron Quesnell Acqua Al 2/sdbc in 04:34:48.00
42. Cameron Brenneman Sho-Air/rock’n’road in 04:34:48.00
43. Norman Zellers Great Basin Imaging Cycling Te in 04:34:49.00
44. Mark Shimahara Team Clif Bar in 04:34:49.00
45. Nicholas Clayville Hagens Berman Llp Cycling Team in 04:34:50.00
46. Michael Lanham Marx And Bensdorf Tristar in 04:34:50.00
47. Luke Servedio Team Krystal -Scv in 04:34:50.00
48. Thomas Githens Kahala La Grange in 04:34:51.00
49. John Hunt California Giant Berry Farms in 04:34:53.00
50. Gregory Christian Turin/barker+nestor in 04:34:53.00
51. Tim Farnham Team Norcal Bike Sport in 04:34:54.00
52. Turner Johnson Pennstatehersheycancer in 04:34:54.00
53. Matt Seagrave Kahala-Lagrange in 04:34:57.00
54. Mitchell Trux Metromint Cycling in 04:34:58.00
55. Timothy Carolan Landis/trek in 04:35:06.00
56. Drew Miller Landis/trek in 04:35:07.00
57. Michael Telega California Giant Berry Farms in 04:35:16.00
58. Keith Miller California Giant Berry Farms in 04:35:16.00
59. Peter Andersen Ca Pools Racing in 04:35:22.00
61. Bryan McVey Vision Quest in 04:36:01.00
62. Anthony Aker Kahala-Lagrange in
63. Martin Adamczyk Lot/polish Airlines in
64. Nicholas Brandt-Sorenson Liquid Cycling Elite Team in
65. Brandon Gritters Team 5 Star Waste Vegetable Oil in
66. Haldane Morris Team Rock in
67. George Ganoung Us Armed Forces* in
68. Jonathan Chodroff Empire/crca in
69. Ian Tuttle Above Category Racing in
70. Barry Lee Txtough/team Hotel San Jose in
71. Zach Garrett Us Armed Forces* in
72. Craig Luekens Targetraining in
73. Kirk Gilligan Sho-Air/sonance in
74. William Jacobus Us Armed Forces* in
75. Emiliano Jordan Colavita Nm P/b Jnf Enterprise in
76. Brian Lemke Landis/trek in
77. Scott Romero Crazy Cat in
78. Skyler Bishop Swami’s-Fppi Devt Elite in
79. Marc Yap Swami’s-Fppi Devt Elite in

Men’s U23 Road Race:

1. Kirk Carlsen Vmg/felt in 04:34:05.00
2. Peter Stetina Garmin/chipotle in 04:34:06.00
3. Thomas Peterson Garmin/chipotle in 04:34:06.00
4. Phillip Gaimon Fiordifrutta in 04:36:33.00
5. Ryan Baumann Crca/sakonnet in 04:36:46.00
6. Kiel Reijnen Team Waste Management in 04:36:47.00
7. Caleb Fairly Garmin/chipotle in 04:36:50.00
8. Scott Jackson Watchung Wheelmen / High Gear in 04:36:50.00
9. Benjamin King Kelly Benefit Strategies/medif in 04:36:51.00
10. Carter Jones Colavita Racing in 04:36:56.00
11. Taylor Shelden Team Rio Grande in 04:36:58.00
12. Nick Frey Time Pro Cycling in 04:37:16.00
13. Tyler Dibble California Giant Berry Farms/ in 04:39:09.00
14. Corey Ray Metro Volkswagen/fcs Cycling in
15. Alexander Boyd Team Waste Management in
16. Adam Switters Rock Racing in
17. Christopher Butler Hincapie-Barkley Devo in
18. Max Jenkins California Giant Berry Farms/ in
19. Shawn Rosenthal Zteam in
20. Alister Ratcliff Fiordifrutta in
21. Christopher Hong Kelly Benefit Strategies/lsv in
22. Tristan Uhl Txtough/team Hotel San Jose in
23. Charles Marzot Fiordifrutta in
24. Ross Berger Unattached in
25. Spencer Beamer Dlp Racing in
26. Jacob Keough Kelly Benefit Strategies/medif in
27. Joshua Lipka Fiordifrutta in
28. Tyler Jewell Txtough/team Hotel San Jose in
29. James Driscoll Fiordifrutta in
30. Eric Bennett Successful Living P/b Parkpre in
31. Andrew Dahlheim Metro Vw/fcs Cycling in
32. Daniel Holloway Vmg/felt in
33. Sean Mazich Team Waste Management in
34. Andrew Goessling Village Peddler in
35. Jacob MacArthur Hagens Berman Llp Cycling Team in
36. Noah Singer Kahala-Lagrange in
37. Steven Gordon Haymarket Bicycles in
38. Thacker Reeves Matrix/rbm in
39. Julian Martinez Metromint Cycling On Marin Bik in
40. Zachary Williams Village Peddler in
41. Andrew Salcedo Acqua Al 2/sdbc in
42. Benjamin Bradshaw Kahala-Lagrange in
43. Andrew Baker Time Pro Cycling in
44. Chris Keane Preferred Alliance in
45. Christopher Parrish Hagen Berman Llp Cycling Team in
46. Cody O’Reilly Successful Living P/b Parkepre in
47. Lucas Binder Cal Cycling in
48. Grant Van Horn Team Waste Management in
49. Joey Rosskopf Kudzu.com U-23 in
50. Erik Slack Team Bobs-Bicycles.com in
51. Eric Losak Vrc-Ms Society in
52. Josh Yeaton Kaladi-Subway in
53. Jonathan Tower Performance Driven in
54. Oscar Clark Kudzu.com U-23 in
55. Gregg Brandt Bianchi/grand Performance in
56. William Snodgrass Metro Volkswagen/fcs Cycling in
57. Gregory Battista Team Metra/wendy’s/victor Home in
58. Albert Gonzalez Unattached in
59. Scott Dolmat-Connell Met Life P/b Unlose.it in
60. Braden Bingham Team Rio Grande in
61. John (Jackie) Simes IV Time Pro Cycling in
62. Evan Bowman Team Waste Management in
63. Carson Miller Team Rubicon-Orbea in
64. David Hutton Hincapie-Barkley Devo in
65. Robert Carr Swami’s-Fppi Devt Elite in
66. Kolt Bates Mercy Cycling Elite Team in
67. Mike Sohm Specialized/porcupine in
68. Stefan Swecker Tristar Cycling/marx &bensdorf in
69. Phillip Snodgrass Metro Volkswagen in
70. Peter Carey Metro Volkswagen in
71. Cory Greenberg Now- Ms Society in
72. Matthew Howe Dlp Racing in
73. James Esser Sc Velo in
74. Gabe Varela Vertical Earth in
75. Allen Morris One Call Now in

Men’s 17-18 Road Race

1. Evan Huffman Adobe/hdr P/b Lombardi Sports in 02:40:27.00
2. Taylor Kuphaldt Davis Bike Club in 02:40:32.00
3. Marshall Opel Hammer Nutrition/montana Junio in 02:40:37.00
4. Nick Bax Hot Tubes Development in 02:40:37.00
5. Ryan Zupko Swiss American Racing Team in 02:40:40.00
6. Ian Boswell Cmg/bike N’ Hike Giant/russell in 02:40:41.00
7. Jordan Campbell Hagens Berman Llc in 02:40:41.00
8. Jacob Rathe Cmg/bike N’ Hike Giant/russell in 02:41:33.00
9. Alfredo Cruz Team Rock in 02:41:33.00
10. Andrew Meyer Hincapie-Barkley Devo in 02:41:33.00
11. Tyler Brandt Team Swift in 02:41:33.00
12. Zack Stein Is Corp/nova Cycling Sports in 02:41:34.00
13. Austin Arguello Cmg/bike N’ Hike Giant/russell in 02:41:34.00
14. Gavin Mannion Hot Tubes Development Team in 02:41:34.00
15. Alan Ting Northwest Cycling/alkek Velodr in 02:41:34.00
16. Jeremy Ferguson Team Ride For A Reason in 02:41:34.00
17. Charlie Avis Team Specialized Racing Junior in 02:41:34.00
18. Anthony Olson Nature Valley in 02:41:35.00
19. Chris Stastny Davis Bike Club in 02:41:36.00
20. Carlos Leyva Acqua Al 2/sdbc in 02:41:36.00
21. Marcel DeLisser Cmg/bike N’ Hike Giant/russell in 02:41:36.00
22. Connor OLeary Velosport Racing in 02:41:36.00
23. Kevin Gottlieb Squadra Coppi in 02:41:36.00
24. Andres Cano Team Laser-Es in 02:41:36.00
25. Lawrence Warbasse Priority Health Cycling in 02:41:37.00
26. Matthew Miyamoto Front Rangers Cycling Club in 02:41:37.00
27. Cody Foster Southern Elite in 02:41:37.00
28. Garrick Valverde Mesa Cycles Racing Team in 02:41:37.00
29. Ian Moir Team Rock in 02:41:38.00
30. Ty Magner Hincapie-Barkley Devo in 02:41:38.00
31. Kevin Young Bicycle Place Velo Club in 02:41:38.00
32. Andre Vandenberg Velosports Racing in 02:41:38.00
33. Dylan Jones Byrds/eagles in 02:41:38.00
34. Will McGinnis Fulton Flyers Junior Devo in 02:41:38.00
35. Nikolai Masluk Northeastern Hardware/cjct in 02:41:39.00
36. Brandon Trafton Central Valley Cycling in 02:41:39.00
37. Stephen Koelbl G.s.c. Blagnac in 02:41:40.00
38. Michael Niemi Cycle Science in 02:41:40.00
39. Danny Finneran Team Rock in 02:41:40.00
40. Adrian Balsara Tyson Racing in 02:41:41.00
41. Cory St Clair Pro Chain Cycling in 02:41:41.00
42. Nicholas Abal Tieni Duro in 02:41:42.00
43. Kal Farmer Team Power Train in 02:41:43.00
44. Graham Aldredge Gp Velotek in 02:41:43.00
45. Weston Luzadder Nova Cycle Sport Inc. in 02:41:43.00
46. Tucker Gerald Cain’s Racing in 02:41:44.00
47. David Lelong Itb-Pacific Velo in 02:41:44.00
48. Cody Cox Unattached in 02:41:44.00
49. Marcos Rodriquez Laser Es in 02:41:45.00
50. Brandon Howard Central Valley Cycling in 02:41:45.00
51. Ryan Cleveland Sc Velo in 02:41:45.00
52. Steve Fisher Rad Racing Nw in 02:41:45.00
53. Alex Edwards Mesa Cycles Racing Team in 02:41:45.00
54. Sam Stone Baraboo Sharks in 02:41:46.00
55. Danny Heeley South Bay Wheelmen in 02:41:46.00
56. Maxwell Durtschi Sun Summit Cycling Club in 02:41:46.00
57. Derek Titus Team Cucina Fresca in 02:41:47.00
58. Austin McLenithan Farm Team Cycling in 02:41:47.00
59. Ricky Gargiulo Colavita Racing in 02:41:47.00
60. Jimmy Carrico Unattached in 02:41:47.00
61. Andrew Barker 5280 Magazine in 02:41:47.00
62. Alex Hetherington Tyson Racing in 02:41:48.00
63. Emerson Oronte Clnoonan/kam/coast To Coast Po in 02:41:48.00
64. Zane Dordai Colavita Racing in 02:41:48.00
65. John Loucks Pro Chain Cycling in 02:41:49.00
66. Bryan Larsen Rio Strada in 02:41:49.00
67. Alder Martz Hot Tubes Development in 02:41:49.00
68. Joshua Soboti Team Metra/wendys P.b. Victor in 02:41:50.00
69. Stephen Liguori Team Tyson in 02:41:51.00
70. Kyle Cochran Fulton Flyers Junior Devo in 02:41:52.00
71. MICHAEL STONE Fulton Flyers Devo in 02:41:52.00
72. Ian Terry Rad Racing/hagens Berman in 02:41:53.00
73. Patrick Torres Sc Velo in 02:41:53.00
74. Andrew Florian Priority Health Juniors/u23 in 02:41:54.00
75. Eric Emsky Rad Racing Nw / Hagens Berman in 02:41:54.00
76. Stradford Helms Unattached in 02:41:54.00
77. Matt Pence Mesa Cycles Racing Team in 02:41:55.00
78. Joseph Schmalz Hrrc Trek Stores in 02:41:56.00
79. Jake Byrd Benissimo in 02:41:58.00
80. Cody Wignall Ffkr/sbo P/b Tour Of Utah in 02:41:59.00
81. Matt Green Pro Chain Cycling in 02:42:00.00
82. Henry Willis Asv in 02:42:02.00
83. Evan Cooper Crca Jr.dev. in 02:42:02.00
84. Brandon Mart Team Ride For A Reason in 02:42:04.00
85. Brandon Lach Pro Chain Cycling in 02:42:06.00
86. Adam Leibovitz Mesa Cycles Racing Team in 02:42:07.00
87. Nathanael Christensen Rocket Sports Racing in 02:42:08.00
88. Morgan Ryan Major Motion Development in 02:42:11.00
89. Erik Meier Baraboo Sharks in 02:42:14.00
90. Adolfo Orozco United Cycling Club in 02:42:16.00
91. Scotty Tickemyer Sc Velo in 02:42:19.00
92. Nathan Brown Hot Tubes Junior Developement in 02:42:19.00
93. Austin Allison Thf Racing in 02:42:19.00
94. Scott Rosenfield Nova Cycle Sports Foundation in 02:42:34.00
95. Tyler Karnes Hincapie-Barkley Devo in 02:42:37.00
96. Colton Barrett Mnjrc in 02:43:00.00
97. Zachary Geyer Baraboo Sharks in 02:43:31.00
98. Kit Recca Front Rangers Cycling Club in 02:43:40.00
99. Levi Baker Tyson Racing in 02:43:40.00
100. Wesley Stein Pacific Power Blue Sky in 02:43:53.00
101. Eddie Solorzano Preffered Alliance in 02:44:03.00
102. Graham Coy Tri-State Velo in 02:44:39.00
103. Tyler Wall Ski Utah Cycling Team in 02:44:42.00
104. Chase Watkins Byrds in 02:44:45.00
105. Greg Lowhorn Mesa Cycles Racing Team in 02:45:13.00
106. Elliott Craddock Seigler Sports in 02:45:20.00
107. Austin Robison Metro Volkswagen in 02:45:34.00
108. Nicholas Savadelis Fulton Flyers Devo in 02:45:34.00
109. Chris Di Re First Rate Mortgage in 02:45:43.00
110. Joshua Courtney Southern California Velo in 02:47:31.00
111. Wesley Finger Oh Boy Oberto/redline in 02:49:20.00
112. Nathaniel Wilson Ncvc/inova Health System in 02:49:58.00
113. Trace Althans October Lake Effect in
114. Morgan Miller Wv 29’ers in
115. Edan Levaton Team Specialized Racing in
116. Sam Simmons Major Motion Cycling Club in
117. Sam Murdock Pro Chain Cycling in