Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships

GREENVILLE, S.C. (August 30, 2008) – David Zabriskie, riding for Garmin-Chipotle presented by H30 professional cycling team, is looking familiar in the Stars-and-Stripes jersey as the national champion in the professional time trial discipline. Since the individual time trial was introduced in 2006 exclusively for the pros as part of the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Championships, the 29-year-old from Salt Lake City, UT is the only pro cyclist to have won this title.

In the race against the clock, Zabriskie covered the 20.7-mile course at the Clemson University - International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in 40 minutes, 39 seconds (40:39:04). Tom Zirbel (Team BISSELL) of Boulder, CO, finished just five seconds behind Zabriskie for second place (40:44:33). Third place was secured by Boulder resident Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Chipotle), 10 seconds behind his teammate.

“It was the kind of course where you had to be extremely aggressive…punch it on the hills. I didn’t rest much at all,” Zabriskie said after the race. He won the race last year by just one second. “Coming into the race I felt great. I have a lot of people who support me and that helps a lot. It’s been great the past two years (wearing the stars and stripes jersey).”

This year 32 riders were challenged by 90-degree temperatures and a new course in Greenville. The undulating and twisting course was a treat for thousands of spectators who saw all racers navigate a seven-mile closed course three times. Each rider left the start house in two-minute intervals.

“Looking at the profile, it looked like a pretty flat course but as soon as you got out there, there really was no flat, it was all up and down,” Zirbel said about the new ITT course. “I’ve been fourth twice at the National Championships, so I was happy to get on the podium (today), but I think I had an opportunity to be on the top step, and just kind of let it slide. I’m a little disappointed at the moment, but I think as time passes, I’ll be content with the podium.”

Garmin-Chipotle had two other riders in the Top 5, with Steven Cozza (Petaluma, Calif) in fourth and Tom Danielson (Durango, CO) in fifth. Top riders from the southeast included John Murphy from Athens, Ga (Healthnet presented by Maxxis) who finished 11th and Thad Dulin from Clemson, SC (DLP Racing) who finished 25th.

Both Zabriskie and Vande Velde recently returned to the U.S. after competing in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. It was the second Olympic Games appearance for Vande Velde, having appeared on the track in 2000 (individual pursuit). Zabriskie finished 12th in this year’s individual time trial and Vande Velde finished 17th in the road race.

“I didn’t feel like I left everything out on the course; but you know, I still did a good ride and Dave did a great ride, and won, and I’m even more motivated for tomorrow,” Vande Velde added.

Tomorrow 120 professional cyclists are expected for the USA Cycling Professional Road Race championship. Zabriskie, Zirbel and Vande Velde will ride again, challenged by top professionals such as two-time national road champion George Hincapie (Team Columbia) and three-time national road champion Fred Rodriguez (Rock Racing). The race begins at 1 p.m. in downtown Greenville and is expected to finish close to 5 p.m. The course will be similar to the past two years, with 115-miles of racing, including four climbs over Paris Mountain, a famous climb in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

“I think you’ll be impressed with how packed that mountain is gonna be with people tomorrow, and the tailgating, the partying, the flags across the road. It really is quite striking,” said Steve Johnson, Chief Operating Officer, USA Cycling, Inc.

In addition to the dual championships, there is a full schedule of activities and events for the weekend in Greenville. Sunday morning is the 3rd Annual Stars and Stripes Challenge bicycle ride from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 Noon on the same course as the USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship. Proceeds benefit The Lance Armstrong Foundation and Greenville Hospital System Oncology Research Institute. A short option, the BI-LO Family Fun Ride, will be staged in Falls Park at 10:00 a.m. and is free for all families. From 11am to 6 p.m. spectators can enjoy a free Health & Wellness Expo, located at the intersection of Main and Broad Streets, along S. Main Street. Adjacent to the Expo in Falls Park will be the BI-LO Family Activity Zone presented by POWERade. And children, ages 3-12, can register for the free POWERade Kid's Bicycle Races Sunday afternoon. For a full list of events, as well as route maps, visit www.usacyclingchampionship.com.