Andrew Talansky wins USA Cycling U23 time trial championship

Andrew Talansky’s dream season kept rolling in Bend, Oregon, Thursday when he won his first national title in the Men’s U23 time trial. Talansky (California Giant) outpaced Carter Jones (Jelly Belly-Kenda) and David Williams (Bissell) to earn the stars and stripes jersey less than 48 hours after returning from a five-week tenure with the national team in Europe.

(Related: Women’s TT)

The Road

The Elite and U23 fields faced the 35km Skyliners Time Trial course on the outskirts of Bend. The majority of 800 vertical feet of climbing came in the first half of the course, as riders ascended the gradual Skyliners Road into the Deschutes National Forest. The turnaround at 12km was the high point of the route – from there to the finish, riders plummeted back down to town before settling into the final 12km loop near Skyliners Park.

The Ride

The Men’s U23 final three held high drama in the high afternoon sun. Talansky’s travel companion back from Europe, Jones started third-to-last, rolling out 30 seconds before the Cal Giant rider. Jones would eventually clock the fastest time, and Talansky said after the race that he used the Volta Provincia Tarragona stage winner as a rabbit.

“He’s an amazing time trialist, really fast and started right in front of me and finished second today,” said Talansky. “So having him as a gauge of how I was doing was really helpful.”

As Talansky rolled up Skyliners to the turnaround in a light headwind, he mashed the cranks, knowing he would spin out his gears on the descent. When he reached the final circuit after 24 kilometers, Talansky saw that Jones had accelerated and dug deep to follow suit. The tailwind that welcomed the riders to the final circuit became a crosswind over the final kilometers.

“The wind wasn’t too bad, except on that little loop,” said Carter. “I was getting blown around a little bit.”

“That last lollipop loop, the last, like, six or seven k really hurt,” said Talansky. “I mean, Carter started to speed up and I saw it and I just gave it everything I could and luckily that was enough.”

In the end, it was enough; Talansky came in underneath Jones and the final rider to start, Julian Kyer (Trek-Livestrong) couldn’t muster the speed to upend the upstart Cal Giant rider, and settled for sixth.

“It went really well,” said Carter. “I mean, I definitely had good legs and gave it my all. I couldn’t really see getting any time back.

“I’m psyched. I’m definitely psyched. I mean, Talansky’s flying right now; to get beaten by him, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“It’s huge, you know. It’s huge,” said Talansky. “I’ve had good results this year, but there’s something about winning nationals that’s special.

“It’s hard work finally paying off, you know. I think it’s the combination of the experiences, good and bad, that I’ve had the last few seasons. Cycling’s kind of you’re banging your head against the wall, but then it breaks down for a bit and you get some nice results.”

Race notes

• Michael Olheiser (TriStar) repeated his 2009 title in the Men’s Elite race.
• Earlier in the day, Lawson Craddock (Hot Tubes) ran away with the Men’s 17-18 title, beating runner-up Eamon Franck (Specialized) by more than two minutes.

Complete results

Quick results:

Elite men:

• 1. Michael Olheiser TriStar Cycling Team in 44:45.4
• 2. Daniel Harm Unattached in 45:15.6
• 3. Robert Sweeting Globalbike Racing/te in 45:38.6
• 4. Philip Mooney Yahoo Cycling Team in 45:39.0
• 5. Richard Feldman Dc (durance Cyclewor in 45:39.2

U23 men:

• 1. Andrew Talansky California Giant-Specialized in 44:34.3
• 2. Carter Jones Jelly Belly-Kenda in 44:47.9
• 3. David Williams Bissell Pro Cycling in 45:19.3
• 4. Nathan Brown Trek-Livestrong U23 in 45:21.7
• 5. Alister Ratcliff Bikereg.com/Cannondale in 45:48.3

FILED UNDER: News / Race Report / Road TAGS: Andrew Talansky / USA Cycling elite national road championships

Brian Holcombe

Brian Holcombe is the managing editor of Velo Magazine. Holcombe joined VeloNews in 2009 following years spent introducing students to whitewater kayaking and working in avalanche control, among other more risky ventures. His graduate work in communications at the University of Denver focuses on innovation and digital media management. Holcombe is a CSU Ram fan and proud parent and has been accused of attacking too much on the VN lunch ride. Follow him on Twitter @FCBrian.

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