USA Cycling on Friday announced that Shelley Olds (Gilroy, Calif./Team TIBCO-To the Top) has withdrawn from the 2013 UCI Road World Championships to be held in Toscana, Italy, Sept. 22-29, due to an injury. Olds earned an automatic nomination due to her being eighth in the UCI individual ranking.
“This is very disappointing for me, but I have decided not to race worlds,” Olds said. “I have been having serious knee pain for the second half of the season. I continued to race hoping that it would be better, but without having the specific training for worlds, I would not be able to deliver the effort the race demands. I was feeling much better last week, but after Toscana finished it flared up again and I have not been able to train. I am certain that I will not be able to do the proper training to be ready for the road race in less than two weeks, and that is why I have decided not to race. I believe someone else will be able to support the team better than me and I would like to give up my spot.”
Olds will be replaced in Italy by Andrea Dvorak (Crozet, Va./Exergy TWENTY16). In addition to her ability to represent her team well at the front of the pack, Dvorak performed an integral role in Mara Abbott’s (Boulder, Colo./Exergy TWENTY16) victory at the 2013 Giro Rosa in July and Evelyn Stevens’ (Dennis, Mass./Specialized-lululemon) third-place finish at La Route de France in August. Dvorak will make her second appearance in the world championships after competing in the road race at the 2012 UCI Road World Championships in the Netherlands.
“It is an honor to represent the U.S. in what is one of the most challenging road courses in recent history,” Dvorak said. “In particular, I look forward to riding with this talented team that has proven that it is capable of winning the biggest races in the world. I will bring to the team whatever is asked of me to achieve what I hope will be a memorable result.”
Dvorak joins the other riders on America’s elite women’s team: Abbott, Stevens, Megan Gaurnier (Mountain View, Calif./Rabobank-Liv-Giant), Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Exergy TWENTY16), Carmen Small (Durango, Colo./Specialized-lululemon), and Jade Wilcoxson (Talent, Ore./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies). Small and Stevens will contest the road race and individual time trial in Italy.
2013 UCI Road World Championships
Toscana, Italy
Sept. 22-29
Elite Men
Matthew Busche (Wauwatosa, Wis./RadioShack Leopard Trek)
Chris Horner (San Diego, Calif./Team RadioShack Leopard Trek)
Alex Howes (Boulder, Colo./Garmin-Sharp)
*Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo./BMC Racing Team) – competing road race and time trial
Peter Stetina (Santa Rosa, Calif/Garmin-Sharp)
*Andrew Talansky (Napa, Calif./Garmin-Sharp) – competing in road race and time trial
*Tejay van Garderen (Boulder, Colo./BMC Racing Team)
Elite Women
*Mara Abbott (Boulder, Colo./Exergy TWENTY16)
Andrea Dvorak (Crozet, Va./Exergy TWENTY16)
Megan Gaurnier (Mountain View, Calif./Rabobank-Liv-Giant)
Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Exergy TWENTY16)
*Carmen Small (Durango, Colo./Specialized-lululemon) – competing in road race and time trial
*Evelyn Stevens (Dennis, Mass./Specialized-lululemon) – competing in road race and time trial
*Jade Wilcoxson (Talent, Ore./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
U23 Men
*Nathan Brown (Covington, Tenn./Bontrager Cycling Team) – competing in road race and time trial
*Lawson Craddock (Austin, Texas/Bontrager Cycling Team) – competing in road race and time trial
*Tanner Putt (Park City, Utah/Bontrager Cycling Team)
*Nathan Wilson (Elk Grove, Calif./Bontrager Cycling Team)
Gavin Mannion (Dedham, Mass/Bontrager Cycling Team)
Juniors Men
William Barta (Boise, Idaho/BYRDS (Boise Young Rider Dev Squad))
*Miguel Bryon (Miami, Fla./DCM Cycling Team)
*Geofferey Curran (Tustin, Calif./Get Crackin’-VRC)
*Michael Dessau (Boulder, Colo./Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development) – competing in time trial only
*Zeke Mostov (San Francisco, Calif./ Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development) – competing in road race and time trial
Justin Oien (Escondido, Calif./MRI Endurance Elite Juniors)
*Logan Owen (Bremerton, Wash./California Giant Cycling)
Juniors Women
Kelly Catlin (Arden Hills, Minn./Gopher Wheelmen) – competing in road race and time trial
*Hanna Swan (Alpine, Calif./Strive Racing) – competing in road race and time trial
Sara Youmans (Ketchum, Idaho/Stranamanti Cycling – Keller Rohrback Cycling)
* – Automatic nomination
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