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Williams, Rodriguez win U23 crit crowns at USA Cycling nationals
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Justin Williams (Rock Racing) and Beatriz Rodriguez (SC Velo) won their respective under-23 criteriums on Friday as the USA Cycling junior, U23, and elite road national championships continued in Anaheim, California.
The criterium championships were held on a fast, flat 1.7km course in Angels Stadium.
In the 35-lap U23 men’s race, the 19-year-old Williams threw his bike at the line in a massive bunch sprint to barely squeak past second-placed Jake Keough (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast) with Daniel Holloway (VMG-Felt) third.
Williams, who won gold in the keirin and team pursuits at the 2007 junior track nationals, gave his teammates credit for keeping him out of trouble.
"I've been really just learning this season," he said. "My team, I'm grateful they've put me in a lot of the big races and a lot of the big crit series. So, I've been trying to learn, and today I got my shot.”
The women’s race also came down to a sprint, with the 21-year-old Rodriguez crossing just ahead of Kacey Manderfield (Verducci-Breakaway) and Amara Boursaw (Gregg's LeMond).
Racing without teammates, Rodriguez said she was nervous when teams like Webcor Builders and Metro Volkswagen took control of the race early on, either attacking or chasing down attacks for the majority of the 21 laps.
She said she made herself wait patiently until they started easing up a bit as they attempted to set their riders up for the finish. And winning in her backyard – her hometown of Fullerton is not far from Anaheim - was icing on the cake.
"I'm super excited," she said. "I couldn't stop smiling the whole lap around."
Other champions included:
Men 17-18: Weston Luzzader (Nova Cycle Sport Inc.).
Women 17-18: Sinead Miller (UPMC Cycling Performance).
Men 10-12: Eduardo Lopez (Major Motion).
Women 10-12: Katrina Howard (Central Valley Cycling).
Men 13-14: John Funk (GP Velotek).
Women 13-14: Sarah Huang (Kenosha Velosport).
Men 15-16: Juan Carmona (Young Medalists-Team Dual Temp).
Women 15-16: Kendall Ryan (Major Motion Development).
