US Collegiate Nationals start in Colorado

The USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships kick off in Fort Collins, Colorado on Friday when more than 500 student-athletes representing more than 60 colleges and universities from across the country will compete to win one of 18 cycling national titles.

Hosted by the 2008 Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference Division I champions, Colorado State University, the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships will see men and women from Division I and Division II institutions compete for individual championships in three categories - criterium, road race and individual omnium. The collegiate squads will also fight for team titles in both the team time trial event and the prestigious overall (omnium) classification, which combines results from all races, both male and female.

Competition begins Friday, May 9 with the team time trial event at 8:00 a.m. starting and finishing at the intersection of I-25 and Owl Canyon Road. On Saturday, schools will compete in the road race competition which will start and finish at Colorado State University's Hughes Stadium. Sunday morning will feature criterium racing in Old Town Fort Collins.

In addition to a national championship, the women's competition in Fort Collins will also serve as a qualifier for the Ryan Collegiate All Stars - a female composite team of eight different student-athletes from eight different schools who finish among the top of the final omnium standings. These select athletes will earn an invitation to the Nature Valley Grand Prix, one of the highest-ranked stage races on USA Cycling's National Racing Calendar held in and around Minneapolis, Minn., June 11-15.

The final individual omnium standings at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships will determine the all-star squad that will compete alongside some of the nation's top pro women. In addition to an invitation to Minnesota, the team will receive housing, a travel stipend, clothing and the direction of a team manager throughout the week. For more information and complete qualification procedures, visit www.ryancollegiateallstars.com.

For more information on the event visit USA Cycling's National Championships page at www.usacycling.org.