Bend to host US National Road Championships

USA Cycling awarded the city of Bend in Oregon the rights to host its second US national championship event: the Junior, U23 & Elite Road National Championships for both 2009 and 2010. The announcement came on Wednesday, six weeks after the cycling-friendly community was also awarded the next two editions of the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships. It will be the event's first visit to the Pacific Northwest since the junior, elite and U23 fields were combined into one national road championship event in 2005.

Previous hosts include Park City, Utah (2005), Seven Springs Resort in Champion, Pennsylvania (2006-07) and Anaheim, California (2008).

"Bend is a destination for both recreational and competitive cycling, and we're excited to bring another national championship to Oregon," said USA Cycling Chief Executive Officer Steve Johnson. "Bend's long tradition of community-wide support and passion for cycling convinced us to award them two national championships in the same year."

Chad Sperry, longtime race director for national-caliber races such as the Cascade Cycling Classic, the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic and the Tour of Utah, will serve as race director for the national championships. For the elite men and women, the race follows shortly after the 2009 Cascade Cycling Classic, also occurring in Bend from July 22 to 26.

The Junior, U23 & Elite Road National Championships will be held July 28 - August 2. One thousand competitive cyclists are expected to race for time trial, road and criterium national titles. The Cyclo-cross National Championships will be held December 10-13.