Chambers and Kirkland win US 24-hour national titles

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After taking early leads, Cameron Chambers (Ethos Racing) and Jari Kirkland crossed the finish line on Sunday as the new national champions in the men’s and women’s solo races, respectively, at the 2012 USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships.

When the competition began at noon on Saturday, Chambers got off to a fast start and was the first rider to complete a lap. Multi-time national champion Tinker Juarez (Cannondale Factory Racing) followed close behind, but he eventually had to withdraw from the race due to illness. As daylight waned, Chambers started pulling away from the competition, lapping runner-up Cyril Jay-Rrayon during the night and riding steadily for the next dozen or so hours to victory.

For Chambers, who is also the reigning singlespeed cross country national champion, it’s his fourth Stars-and-Stripes jersey at a 24-hour national championship; he was part of the men’s duo team that won in 2011. He also claimed the fastest lap of all finishers, at one point completing the 13.5-mile course in 55:45.

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It was a slightly tighter race for Kirkland, who didn’t start to pull away from eventual runner-up Kristin Desantis (Tokyo Joe's-Whole Foods/Primal) until after dark. It’s Kirkland’s second 24-hour national title; she also won the women’s solo race in 2010.

Cody Kukulski (Northern Arizona University), who finished sixth out of all competitors, completed 16 laps to win the men’s solo singlespeed category. Melissa Liebling took the women’s solo singlespeed national title.

Duo Team Competitions

The Montana duo of Clint Muhlfeld and Ben Parsons made up the Sportsman & Ski Haus/Hammer Nutrition team that took the men’s duo championship.

Yeti Beti riders Amy Thomas and Chelsea McGowan donned Stars-and-Stripes jerseys after winning the female duo race.

Team HSB rode away with the mixed duo title. Jonathan Davis partnered with Sonya Looney, who claimed the fastest lap of all women at 1:06:48.

Four-Person Teams

The Velo Reno team of Stosh Bankston, Robert Letson, Kyle Dixon and Scott Leland topped the total lap count with 23 to win the men’s 35+ masters race. Earning Stars-and-Stripes in the men’s 45+ masters category was Team Active/Clif Bar, consisting of Stephen White, Mark Roebke, Ty Hall and Peter Davis.

Junior rider Kyle Bloesser, who turned in the second fastest lap of the competition at just over 57 minutes, led the Colorado 4 Teens to the top of the podium in the junior men’s quad competition. His teammates included W. Grant Ellwood, Justin Noel and Garrett Gerchar.

The junior women’s quad championship went to two pairs of sisters on the team Pippi and the Long Stockings: Hailey and Morgan Fortin, and Jessie and Hannah Linder.