Nation’s top cyclocross racers head to Chicagoland to prepare for 2013 National and World Championships
CHICAGO – Six-time National Champion Tim Johnson headlines the men’s elite field for the 2013 New Year’s Resolution cyclocross weekend, featuring a pair of UCI C2.0 races at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, Ill., on Saturday and Sunday, January 5-6. Johnson, of the Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com franchise, comes to Chicagoland in preparation for the following weekend’s National Championship in Madison, Wis., where he will be among the title favorites. The second edition of New Year’s Resolution will feature opportunities on Saturday and Sunday for local competitors to race the same course as the elite and professional riders. Hilton Indian Lakes will be open and no admission fee will be charged for spectators.
Johnson, holder of six junior, U23 and Elite National titles, last captured the stars and stripes jersey in 2009. His recent results bode well for his national ambitions, including a pair of victories in Iowa’s Jingle Cross weekend and a win over a stacked field at the USGP Cyclocross-Deschutes Brewery Cup in Bend, Oregon. The New Year’s Resolution stable of racers will feature notables Adam Myerson (Team Mountain Khakis / SmartStop) and Tristan Schouten (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) on the men’s side and Amanda Miller (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) among the women’s lineup. A native of Iowa, Miller is a dual road-cyclocross threat who has done battle at the sport’s highest levels, including the 2011 UCI World Road Championships.
Elite competitors can look back at New Year’s Resolution’s inaugural edition to gain inspiration for Nationals. On New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, 2011-12, elites Ryan Trebon and Jeremy Powers battled head-to-head through wintery conditions, including frozen mud and windy fairways that rewarded the powerful Trebon with back-to-back wins. A week later in Madison, Powers would rebound and go on to win the first Elite National Championship of his career. In 2013, Tim Johnson will be among the elites not only eying the National Championship, but the looming World Cyclocross Championship, to be held February 2-3 in Louisville, Kentucky.
“We are excited to host the lead up to Nationals and to have competitors from around the country here in the Chicago area, making final preparations for their biggest race of the year,” said Chicago Cyclocross Cup Series and NYR race director Jason Knauff. “Getting ahead of the curve, we are also matching the UCI women’s payouts to the men’s with the help of the Chicago Women CX fund. We’re grateful to have so many talented athletes join us and for the local community to witness the sport at its highest level.”
Registration for the New Year’s Resolution closes at midnight CT on Wednesday, January 2 at BikeReg.com. The event is hosted by the Chicago Cyclocross Cup and governed by USA Cycling. Valid 2013 licenses are required for all races. Competitors should visit ChiCrossCup.com/NYR or BikeReg.com for details.
