Compton sticks with SPIKE

Katie Compton, the two-time US national cyclo-cross champion, will be a part of the SPIKE professional cycling team, along with three other US national champions in 2007. Compton raced for the amateur squad this year, and while the professional team focuses mainly on track racing, Compton will finish out the cyclo-cross season and then take to the boards for the US national track series.

Compton has a history on the track, mainly as the pilot for a blind paralympic athlete, and she took part in this year's US national championships in Los Angeles with some success, taking the silver medal in the individual pursuit, 10th in the points race, and 4th in the team sprint.

Returning to SPIKE are reigning US sprint champions Giddeon Massie and Jennie Reed, team sprint champion Michael Blatchford, Ben Barczewski, Ryan Luttrell, and Kevin Suhr. Departing are scratch race champion Becky Quinn and Andy Lakatosh. Kevin Selker and Jackie Simes will be new to the team, as will Shelby Allen and Justin Williams, both formerly of the Major Motion team, who will be part of the developmental team. The new squad will have their debut at the Los Angeles world cup race in January.

Team director Bill Ramsay said, "We plan on building upon the first year success by adding some new talent to continue toward our goal of the 2008 Olympic Games." Ramsay went on to say "We’ll start the new season with a focus on the UCI national track series events, select UCI world cup events, US national track championships and other large track events across the US."