Madison Win Earns Lea Another National Title
0 Comments Published by Unknown on Saturday, October 6, 2007 at 6:26 PM.
Carson, Calif. - Bobby Lea of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team earned the eighth elite national title of his career Saturday by teaming with Colby Pearce to win the Madison at the USA Cycling Elite National Championships.Lea and Pearce jumped out to a fast start and held off Rahsaan Bahati and Austin Carroll (Rock Racing) in the 40-kilometer race, out-scoring them 22-17. Defending champions Brad Huff and Michael Friedman (Team Slipstream) finished third with 16 points.
Lea’s win makes him an automatic qualifier for USA Cycling’s 2008 men’s endurance Talent Pool team. From this team, USA Cycling will select the athletes who will represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Beijing, the World Championships in England and in four UCI World Track Cup races.
Lea earned two other podium finishes during the championships at the ADT Event Center. The 23-year-old won a bronze medal in Friday night’s 60-lap points race as Friedman successfully defended his title in the event. Thursday night, Lea finished fifth in the scratch race, which was won by David McCook (Kelly Benefit Strategies presented by Medifast).
In the Madison, Lea said he and Pearce wanted to accomplish two things: get off to a good start and not let any of the other teams get a lap up.
“It's such a long race you can have big momentum shifts, so there is no rule to starting it out,” Lea said. “We were hoping to crack the whip early to catch guys in traffic (because) there is always a lot of confusion and we were hoping it would work in our favor.”
Lea’s victory was his fifth of the season. It raised Toyota-United’s win total to 39 for 2007 and to 94 in the team’s two-year history.
Bobby Lea Fifth In Nationals Scratch Race
0 Comments Published by Unknown on Friday, October 5, 2007 at 9:12 AM.
Carson, Calif. — Bobby Lea of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team earned a fifth-place finish Thursday in the Scratch Race at the USA Cycling Elite National Championships.
McCook (Kelly Benefit Strategies presented by Medifast) took the stars-and-stripes jersey by winning the field sprint ahead of Cody O’Reilly (Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling) and Steve Palaez (Adobe/Schwalbe).
Lea said the 15-kilometer (9.3-mile) race did not play out to his strengths.
“Rock Racing and another combine were riding for a field sprint and they completely neutralized any attempts to get up the road,” Lea said. “I was in good position for the final sprint but just didn't have the horsepower to compete in a finish like that.”
Lea, a seven-time elite national champion, gets another shot at a national title on the velodrome today at the ADT Event Center. He will compete in a 60-lap Points Race qualifying heat this afternoon in the hopes of making tonight’s final. Saturday, he will race in the Madison.
In addition to a victory in the Madison at the KNBT Festival of Speed, Lea had a solid road race campaign in 2007. He was Toyota-United’s best finisher (eighth place) at the USPRO Criterium Championships in Downers Grove, Ill., in August and won three times on the road (McDowell Mountain Regional Park Circuit Race, Leonardtown Criterium and Stage 3 of the Tour of Christiana).
McCook (Kelly Benefit Strategies presented by Medifast) took the stars-and-stripes jersey by winning the field sprint ahead of Cody O’Reilly (Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling) and Steve Palaez (Adobe/Schwalbe).
Lea said the 15-kilometer (9.3-mile) race did not play out to his strengths.
“Rock Racing and another combine were riding for a field sprint and they completely neutralized any attempts to get up the road,” Lea said. “I was in good position for the final sprint but just didn't have the horsepower to compete in a finish like that.”
Lea, a seven-time elite national champion, gets another shot at a national title on the velodrome today at the ADT Event Center. He will compete in a 60-lap Points Race qualifying heat this afternoon in the hopes of making tonight’s final. Saturday, he will race in the Madison.
In addition to a victory in the Madison at the KNBT Festival of Speed, Lea had a solid road race campaign in 2007. He was Toyota-United’s best finisher (eighth place) at the USPRO Criterium Championships in Downers Grove, Ill., in August and won three times on the road (McDowell Mountain Regional Park Circuit Race, Leonardtown Criterium and Stage 3 of the Tour of Christiana).
