CU cycling speeds into second

Joey Schusler and the University of Colorado cycling team ended their fall season on a high note.

Stock image of the CU Cycling Team. CU cycling team members Abby Mickey (Yellow sunglasses), Christa Ghent (Center, dark hair, black pants) Bill Golembieski (Orange sunglasses, hat, holding road bike), Corey Moxon (Back row with Ray Ban's, Matt Leonard (Black jersey), and Tony Carfange (Farthest right) outside of Folsom Field Sept. 9. (CU Independent/Jake Fojtik)

Schusler earned his fourth consecutive national title in the downhill portion, as the Buffs finished second-place overall at the USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships.

The Buffs finished just eight points behind first-placed Fort Lewis College, a team that has won five straight mountain bike national championships.

With his first place finishes in the downhill and the dual slalom, Schusler was the Buffs’ top finisher, but his ride to the top was anything but easy.

“There was a lot of pressure [in the downhill race],” Schusler said in a CU Collegiate Sport Clubs news release. “With the ice at the top of the track, it was pretty intense. It was a fight all the way to the finish. I ended up crashing once in my run and then just pushing all the way to the end.”

Michael Larsen finished right behind his teammate, earning third place honors in the downhill.

CU’s Deidre York and Claire Bensard also had strong finishes in the championships.

In the women’s omnium competition, York and Bensard finished in second and third, respectively. They also finished fourth and fifth in the long trek portion.

On Sunday, York also took fourth place in the women’s dual slalom.

Bensard and Samuel Morrison rounded out the weekend, finishing fourth in the women’s and men’s short-track races.

The Buffs are off for the winter in preparation for the spring road season. Last May, the Buffs finished fifth at the road nationals in Madison, Wis.

Statistics provided by CU Collegiate Sport Clubs Information.

Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Marlee Horn at [email protected]