Kansas Universtiy Cycling is rocking in the lead up to the Collegiate National Championships in Lawrence. Read below to find out how the season is treating the team:
The North Central Collegiate Cycling series is heating up as the season reaches it’s peak and the KU cycling team has shown that it has what it takes to be a dominating force among the other series racers including K-State, Minnesota, St. Cloud, Nebraska and a handful of other schools.
KU hosted the first race of the season and came out of the gates hot with seven racers placing in the top ten throughout the weekend. Jason Knight led the men’s A team where he placed third in the road race and second in the criterium. Jason’s supporting teammate Jeff Schroeder also placed 9th in the road race. A team members Paul Heimbach, Christian Beer, David McLeod and John Giles also proved that they were ready to take the team all the way while riding assistance for Jason throughout the weekend on their KU Team Issue CSK bicycles. To top it off the team set a blistering pace in the Team Time Trial for a strong 3rd place finish. Women racers Kristen High, Kathy Kalbac, Katie Roach and Katy Midyett all showed that they were in it to win it over the weekend with all four women taking top ten finishes both days and a second place finish in the team time trial. High proved to be the strongest rider of the weekend with a third place finish in the road race and fifth in the criterium, but Kalbac and Roach were hot on her heels while fending off the other schools. Scott Kasserman led the men’s B squad during the road race with a third place finish (assisted by Cody Mathias, Matt Royal and Andrew Slater) but suffered from a mechanical during the criterium.
Jason Knight showed that he could follow up his strong performance in Lawrence when the team traveled to Minnesota for the second race of the collegiate series hosted by the Gophers. Knight won the road race event by battling it out for an uphill sprint finish and also placed sixth in the criterium the following day. Knight’s performance puts him in second place for conference team points, behind K-State’s national champion Mark Smelser. Jeff Schroeder and Christian Beer placed in three of the road races sprint primes with Beer winning two primes and Schroeder finishing second, the A-team also fielded two team time trial squads who finished third and seventh. Brandon Bundy led the men’s B team in Minnesota with a sixth place finish in the road race and an eighth in the criterium. Kristen High and Kathy Kalbac again put forth excellent rides and showed the large group of talented Gopher riders that they could turn the hurt on. High finished fifth in the road race and fourth in the criterium while Kalbac placed sixth and fifth in the events. Joined by Katy Midyett for the time trial the women charged ahead for a second place finish.
KU is gearing up for a strong finish to the collegiate season is excited to be the host school for Collegiate Nationals May 11–13 in Lawrence, Kansas. Information about the Nationals event can be found at http://www.visitlawrence.com/sports/sports_events/usa_cycling_collegia/ or www.kucycling.com.