USA Cycling Pro Championships

It is the end of summer and time for the US professional cyclists to crown a new champion. Saturday's race was the Individual Time Trail event. For those not as into cycling, this is a race for the fastest time over a set distance. A course challenging enough to test a riders endurance at maximum effort. This would be Akin to Track and Field’s 400 meter distance; except for the cyclist this year’s course totaled 20.7 miles/33.12 kilometers.

Congratulations to Dave Zabriskie on winning the 2009 Individual Time Trial. Zabriskie covered to distance under 40 minutes (39:37).

What an effort! Let me say, if you have never experienced, you need to do so. Standing beside the course (one of the great pleasure for a cycling fan) lets one witness the power these top level professionals generate and the grace in which they rein it under their control.

Congratulations to George Hincapie on winning the 2009 Road Race.

The Road Race championship was not without drama. There were breakaways, crashes (look at the Garmin rider's shoulder) and the rain closed in for the finish but held off just enough. Hincapie and the peloton chased the breakaways down on the last miles and powered to the win. A familiar tactic for this veteran of Europe’s one day Classics.

Score two for the European Pros.


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