Kansas City, Missouri – Defending Elite Men’s champion Tim Johnson (Middleton, Mass.) and Women’s Elite champion Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo.) are among the nation’s best athletes ready to line up at this week’s USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships in Kansas City, Kan. Nearly 1,800 entries have been received for the 38 races between Thursday and Sunday at Kansas City’s Tiffany Springs Park. The complete event schedule and more information are available here at http://www.kccrossnationals.com.

Compton, of Colorado Springs, Colo., has won the past four women’s elite titles and was the silver medalist at the 2007 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships. Fresh off three top-five World Cup finishes, the 29-year-old is currently the number seven-ranked female cyclo-cross racer in the world, according to the latest UCI ratings. Her strongest competition in the 90-rider elite women’s field is expected to come from current USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Calendar standings leader and 2008 Olympian in the discipline of mountain biking Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna). Another multi-discipline rider, road racing veteran, Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Pa./c3 Sollay) will be looking to challenge a new discipline after much success on the domestic cyclo-cross scene this season and a top-20 World Cup finish. Last year’s runner-up Rachel Lloyd (Fairfax, Calif./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized) will be looking to repeat her impressive performance, as will the currently fourth-ranked rider in the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Calendar standings Maureen Bruno-Roy (Arlington, Mass./MM Racing-Seven Cycles).

After wrapping up the overall USGP series title last week, Johnson will be looking to defend his title against a talented 122-rider elite men’s field. After being out paced by Johnson by just under one minute in last year’s national title contest, three-time national cyclo-cross champion Jonathan Page (Northfield, N.H./Planet Bike) will be looking for retribution following his 13th-place finish in last weekend’s World Cup contest in Spain. The cyclo-cross specialist is expected to be strongly challenged by a host of contenders that includes 2006 national cyclo-cross champion and current USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Calendar standings leader Ryan Trebon (Bend, Ore./Kona), two-time Olympic mountain biker Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./GT) and the current runner-up in the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Calendar standings Jeremy Powers (Niantic, Conn./Cannondale-Cyclo-crossworld.com).

In addition to Johnson and Compton, 30 others are expected to return to Kansas City to defend their national titles:

Collegiate Men Division I: Jamey Driscoll (Jericho, Vt./University of New Hampshire)

Collegiate Women Division I: Kasey Manderfield (Davisburg, Mich./Lees-McRae College)

Singlespeed National Champion: Marko Lalonde (Madison, Wis.)

U23 Women: Amy Dombroski (Boulder, Colo.)

U23 Men: Bjorn Selander (Hudson, Wis.)

Men 10-12: Austin Vincent (Weatogue, Conn.)

Men 13-14: Logan Owen (Bremerton, Wash.)

Men 15-16: Jeff Bahnson (Newark, Del.)

Men 17-18: Luke Keough (Sandwich, Mass.)

Women 10-12: Andrea Casebolt (Olympia, Wash.)

Women 13-14: Elizabeth White (Bedford, N.H.)

Women 15-16: Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif.)

Women 17-18: Anna Young (Madison, Wis.)

Master Men 30-34: Andy Jacques-Maynes (Capitola, Calif.)

Master Men 35-39: Brandon Dwight (Boulder, Colo.)

Master Men 40-44: James Coats (Campbell, Calif.)

Master Men 45-49: Steve Tilford (Topeka, Kan.)

Master Men 50-54: Ned Overend (Durango, Colo.)

Master Men 55-59: Fred Wittwer (Charlottesville, Va.)

Master Men 60-64: Lewis Rollins (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Master Men 65-69: R. Willmore (Seal Beach, Calif.)

Master Men 70+: Walt Axthelm (Durango, Colo.)

Master Women 30-34: Maureen Bruno-Roy (Arlington, Mass.)

Master Women 35-39: Sue Butler (Portland, Ore.)

Master Women 40-44: Shannon Gibson (El Paso, Texas)

Master Women 45-49: Catherine Walberg (Topeka, Kan.)

Master Women 50-54: Kathy Sarvary (Lunenburg, Mass.)

Master Women 55-59: Diane Ostenso (Cottage Grove, Wis.)

Master Women 60-64: Nancy Brown (Bennet, Neb.)

Master Women 65+: Julie Lockhart (Dunstable, Mass.)

Tilford and Walberg are two “local” favorites who will be racing on what can be considered their “home turf.” Tilford, 47, is a five-time cyclo-cross national champion and Walberg, 44, is a four-time Kansas State Cyclocross champion.

Daily race results, a comprehensive press release and photos for publication will be available at www.usacycling.org as well as www.kccrossnationals.com. To view photos from the event, visit the USA Cycling photo gallery, here.

In addition to racing action, all junior riders and collegiate teams are invited to attend a collegiate-junior recruiting informational session from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13 at the Homewood Suites Hotel. Please contact USA Cycling’s Collegiate Manager Daniel Matheny for more information.

The opportunity to purchase official race apparel, as well as download course maps, parking maps and a map of the vendor exposition is available at www.kccrossnationals.com.

About USA Cycling
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization and sanctioning body, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ members, including 57,000 competitive cyclists, 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 350 professional cyclists, and 200 certified mechanics. USA Cycling also sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive organized cycling events throughout the United States annually, as well as 1,800 clubs and teams. Associations of USA Cycling include the United States Cycling Federation (road, track & cyclo-cross), the National Off-Road Bicycle Association (mountain bike), the BMX Association, the National Collegiate Cycling Association and the United States Professional Racing Organization. USA Cycling is also responsible for the identification, development, support and promotion of American cyclists through various athletic initiatives and programs including the USA Cycling National Development Team, the USA Cycling Women’s National Team, the USA Cycling Junior Development Team, Talent Identification and Regional Development Camps, domestic and international race calendars, direct athlete funding and support programs, and educational camps and seminars. USA Cycling also fields and supports U.S. National Teams for various international events, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan American Games, Continental Championship and World Cups across all levels and disciplines of competitive cycling. USA cycling further supports grass roots and locally-based initiatives through its 32 Local Associations and comprehensive network of licensed and certified coaches and officials. Additionally, USA Cycling conducts National Championship events for amateur and professional cyclists, awarding more than 600 national titles annually to men and women in junior, U23, masters, elite, professional and paralympic categories throughout the various disciplines of competitive cycling. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org.