2007, 2008 U. S. Open Cycling Championships
April 11 2008 update: U.S. Open postponed until next year — velonews
U.S. Open video highlights now posted
April 12 update: With permission from Red Five Sports Group, the copyright holder of the NBC Sports telecast, I've now posted over 30 minutes of excellent quality bike racing video of last Saturday's US Open. The video is split into two segments. The first one called 'The Epic Finale' consists of the last 27 minutes as originally broadcast on NBC. The second one consists of the post-race award ceremony, winner's interview and a short recap. The short intro is the same for both videos so don't be confused. With the size of the videos and video streaming changes I've made to this site, it's possible some users might experience problems viewing them. If you do then send me some feedback. Enjoy.
— Steve, April 12th 2007
Embed Video:
A Canadian toughs it out to win the cold and windy US Open
 |
| photo courtesy of John Hagerty. Finish line and award ceremony: photos | slide show |
 18F, snowing and windy at the start in Williamsburg. Photo courtesy of Mary Turnbull |
 Good size crowds on Libby Hill in Richmond, photo credit: Todd Waldo |
1. Svein Tuft (CAN), Symmetrics, 112mi in 4:19:10 2. Pat McCarty (USA), Slipstream-Chipotle, at 0:41 3. Alejandro Borrajo (ARG), Rite Aid, same time 4. Russell Downing (GB), Health Net-Maxxis, s.t. 5. Andrew Pinfold (CAN), Symmetrics, s.t 6. John Fredy Celada Parra (COL), Tecos, s.t 7. Trent Wilson (AUS), Jittery Joes, s.t. 8. Viktor Rapinski (BLR) Navigators Ins., s.t. 9. Alex Candelario (USA), Jelly Belly, s.t. 10. Valeriy Kobzarenko (UKR), Navigators Ins., s.t.Full Results
Hopefully, the NBC televised ratings were good enough competing against The Masters Golf Tournament on CBS and we'll see more national broadcasts of cycling. If you want to send positive reinforcement to NBC Sports then here's where to send it:
feedback@nbcsports.com
It's unfortunate the winning teams of the last two big domestic races (Jelly Belly at Redlands and now Symmetrics at the US Open) were not invited to the Tour de Georgia which starts in nine days.
— Steve, April 7th 2007
  Libby Hill, photo credit: 100wordminimum |
33 Richmond circuit photos courtesy of Mark Blacknell (view as slide show, Mark's report)
 Finish line 3 hours before the finish |
 Al, John & Bob |
 Neutral support |
 Lining the cobbles |
 An unattractive part of the circuit |
 Peloton Arrives |
 Taking a turn for the worst |
 Tight squeeze on Libby Hill |
 Chain suck |
 Swept up |
 Holding on |
 IMG_4838.JPG |
 IMG_4839.JPG |
 Allez! |
 High speed chase |
 Cheese |
 Cobbles at speed |
 IMG_4893.JPG |
 IMG_4896.JPG |
 IMG_4897.JPG |
 IMG_4898.JPG |
 Take a breath |
 Too cold to be a mirage |
 Long way to climb |
 Watching the race |
 Finish Line Crowd |
 The Gap |
 Last lap |
 Jittery Joe Support Mini |
 Set up |
 Chasing |
 Finish line photographers |
 Svein Tuft Wins |
Live Web GPS Coverage
April 6 update: An Adobe engineer just sent me the link for tomorrow/this morning's "Live Flex GPS Coverage of the US Championships." If you followed the Amgen Tour of California TourTracker during Feburary's Tour of California then you have some idea of what to expect. However, this is a lower budget version and there will be no video feed. Coverage starts at 8:00 AM (EST) or 5:00 AM (PST). Using GPS timing and transponders, internet viewers will be able to follow the progress of the race from Williamsburg to Richmond in real-time.
Update: The GPS coverage is not working, "looks like the race might not have turned on the gps units...." says the TourTracker programmer. Or, maybe it's the lousy weather: U.S. Open hits the road after 90 minute snow delay.
Rider Start List with race numbers
The U.S. Open marks domestic cycling's return to broadcast network television
April 4 update: As a reminder, the event is on Saturday, April 7th and it will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports, later in the day, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST) There will also be a live web cast.
"This is a very important milestone for U.S. cycling," said Richard Durishin, the Principal of Red Five Sports Group. "The last time domestic cycling was on broadcast network television was in 1996. Since then, the sport has grown tremendously in the United States. We have created a world-class one-day road cycling event specifically designed to be television-friendly,"
According to Kent Gordis, who will produce and direct the broadcast, his production crew will have 10
cameras, including two motorcycle units and a helicopter camera. "We will have an excellent production, comparable to the kind of live production of cycling that is done in one-day cycling in Europe. We will also have the use of GPS-based timing and transponders. The racing will be very fast and aggressive and the Libby Park Hill should split up the pack in the second part of the race." In other words, Kent is guaranteeing a good show!
The announce team for the U.S. Open Cycling Championship will consist of Al Trautwig, John Eustice and Frankie Andreu.
Links to race day media content will posted here
April 4 update: Links to the promised webcast, live text coverage and post race coverage including results, photos and video will be posted here before, during and after the event. Email me link(s) to your event photos and video and I'll post them to this page for others to view.
Best places to watch live:
• Start/finish area in Richmond for men's and women's events from 8 AM to 12:30 PM. Watch all the men's action live on the JUMBOTRON
• Start in Williamsburg at 8:00 AM on Francis St. at the Power Magazine
• Libby Hill for the men from 8:00 to 12:00 -- Watch all the men's action live on the JUMBOTRON
Course details announced
March 28 update:
The official course map (see above or view the PDF) has been posted. The 112 mile race will start in Williamsburg, Virginia on Francis Street in front of the colonial Powder Magazine at 8:10 a.m. After a circuit around the colonial area, the course follows Jamestown Road to Jamestown and then travels up Greensprings Road to Virginia Route 5. Heading west along the Route 5 corridor, the cyclists will cross the Chickahominy River and then cruise past the historic James River Plantations and Charles City County Courthouse, and through the Malvern Hill Battlefield.
From Malvern Hill, the route doglegs on Kingsland Road and the Osborne Turnpike. Entering Richmond on Dock Street at about 10:30 a.m., the racers will begin an arduous 5.5-mile circuit that they'll traverse 8 times. The circuit includes a steep climb over cobblestones in Libby Hill Park , and passage through both Jackson Ward and Shockoe Bottom. Along the way, the athletes will pass close to many Richmond landmarks, including the Bill "Bojangles" Robinson statue, the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument and the newly unveiled Reconciliation Memorial. The men will finish around 12:00 noon in front of The Library of Virginia. Live television coverage of the race will be broadcast on Jumbotrons set up both at the finish line and in Libby Hill Park.
According to Frankie Andreu, "The climb up Libby Hill is brutal. This race is a true test and on this course, only a real champion can win."
The women's circuit race starts at 9:00 a.m. in Richmond in front of The Library of Virginia, and will finish at about 10:15 a.m. The women will race nine laps on a challenging 3-mile circuit that shares the western section of the men's course.
March 15 update: According to Velonews, this event and the Tour de Georgia will go ahead next month without title sponsors.
March 1st update: According to Velonews, the U.S. Open, like the Tour de Georgia, doesn't have a title sponsor and today the U.S. Open event's director resigned.
2007 U. S. Open Cycling Championships Announced
Richmond, Virginia (September 28, 2006) — Red Five Sports Group and NBC Sports today announced the inaugural U. S. Open Cycling Championships. The race will run from historic Williamsburg to Richmond, Virginia on Saturday, April 7, 2007 and will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The event will feature both mens and womens professional races.The U. S. Open Cycling Championships is a new event developed in partnership with USA Cycling, the national governing body for the sport. The race will become one of the cornerstones of American cycling and will attract top teams and athletes from around the world. Furthermore, the event will showcase the historic scenery and attractions of the State of Virginia just weeks before the 400th Anniversary of America's first permanent English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia.
The television production of the U. S. Open Cycling Championships will showcase bicycle racing in a way that has never been done before. said Richard Durishin, one of the founders of Red Five Sports Group. Over 60 million Americans participate regularly in cycling each year. We will televise this event in a way that captures the character of cycling for anyone who has ever ridden a bike.
NBC Sports will broadcast more than two hours of coverage of the U. S. Open Cycling Championships, making it the first national network coverage of an American road cycling event since 1996. We are pleased to carry the U. S. Open Cycling Championships and to bring this thrilling event to our national audience over Easter weekend, said Jon Miller, Senior Vice President of Programming for NBC Sports. The event is an excellent fit with NBC's Olympic programming goals.
Red Five Sports Group is excited about the opportunity that the U. S. Open provides for the sport of cycling. Partnering with NBC gives us the means to showcase this great sport to a national audience, and provides all of our event partners with a powerful promotional platform, said Tim Miller, the event s Director.
Additional details about the U. S. Open Cycling Championships, including the race route, event partners, and the official web site will be announced in the coming weeks.
About Red Five Sports Group
Red Five Sports Group, Inc. is a sports marketing and event management company
based in Virginia
with offices in Richmond and Providence, RI. Red Five Sports Group specializes
in the development
and production of professional cycling events. The company s principals have a
wealth of experience
in hospitality, sponsorship development, and event production and execution. For
more information
contact Red Five Sports Group s Director of Business Development, Richard
Durishin, at 401-521-
0015.
About USA Cycling
Recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale,
USA Cycling promotes
American cycling through its 58,000 members and 2,000 annual events. USA Cycling
associations include
the BMX Association (BMX), National Off-Road Bicycle Association (mountain
bike), U.S. Cycling
Federation (road/track), the National Collegiate Cycling Association and the
U.S. Professional Racing
Organization (professional men s road). For more information visit
www.usacycling.org or contact, USA
Cycling Director of Marketing and Communications, Andy Lee at 719-866-4867.
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