September 1st, 2009 by 
adam
American squad rides to 12th as Mountain Bike Worlds open with team relay
Canberra, AUS (September 1, 2009) – The 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships got underway on Tuesday with the team relay event in which the U.S. placed 12th.
In the team relay, each nation entered a team comprised of an elite male, elite female, U23 male, and junior male. Each rider contested one lap of the 6.47-kilometer Stromlo Forest Cross Country course and at the end of their lap, tagged the next rider on their team.
The U.S. foursome was made up of Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher), Russell Finsterwald (Colorado Springs, Colo./Pro Cycling-SRM), Colin Cares (Boulder, Colo./Kenda-Tomac-Hayes), and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher)
Completing the four laps with a final time of 1:17:54, the American squad was 3:52 off the winning pace set by the Italians. The Canadian and French teams earned the silver and bronze medals.
Next up in Canberra are the Junior Women’s and U23 Women’s cross country events. Jill Behlen (Boulder, Colo./Tokyo Joes) and Essence Barton (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) will toe the line for the junior women’s event Wednesday morning while Amy Dombrowski (Boulder, Colo./Webcor Builders) and Chloe Forsman (Tuscon, Ariz./Luna) will represent the U.S. in the U23 women’s contest in the afternoon. Stay tuned to www.usacycling.org for results.
About USA Cycling
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ licensees including 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 1,800 clubs and teams, 350 professional cyclists, 200 certified mechanics, and 34 local associations. The national governing body sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive events throughout the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development, and support of American cyclists through various initiatives and programs. Additionally, USA Cycling conducts national championship events for all categories of amateur and professional cycling. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org.
