Aguascalientes, Mexico- In an exciting turn of events, the American Record was broken twice within minutes and a new unofficial World Record was set in the Individual Pursuit on the third day the Pan-American Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico at the Bicentennial Velodrome. First, Gavin Hoover (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) rode to a time of 4:14.2 breaking Taylor Phinney’s American Record of 4:15.16. Moments later, Ashton Lambie (Lawrence, Kan.) took the track and again lowered the American record to a time of 4:07.25, also shattering the previous World Record of 4:10.534 set by Australian Jack Bobridge in 2011.
“This is an absolutely stunning achievement and the world should get to know Ashton Lambie,” said Derek Bouchard-Hall, President and CEO of USA Cycling.
“Two years ago Ashton was a relatively unknown gravel rider,” added Scott Schnitzspahn, Vice President of Elite Athletics, “Since then he has exploded onto the scene and raised the bar for our entire Men’s Endurance Track Program. We are so impressed by Ashton and his athletic ability and look forward to continuing this trajectory as we look towards 2020.”
When asked about his performance Lambie said, “It’s incredibly humbling to think about this past year up to today. It’s been a lot of hard work, but trusting the process and making the right decisions day to day makes all the difference. The support from my family, the team and my coach has been so important. It’s amazing to have this result. I’m thankful as well to USA Cycling for all the support.”
Lambie first represented USA Cycling only one year ago at the 2017 Pan-American Championships after winning the Individual Pursuit and placing second in the Omnium and Points race earlier in the summer at his first-ever Track National Championship. Lambie went on to represent Team USA in several World Cups as well as the 2018 UCI Track World Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands in March where he placed 7th in the Individual Pursuit.
Earlier in the competition, Hoover and Lambie were part of the gold medal winning Individual Pursuit squad that lowered the American Record of 4:02.798 three times throughout the competition by nearly nine seconds to 3:53.86 also marking the first time an American Team Pursuit squad has broken four minutes in the event.
The Pan American Championships are held annually for member nations of the Pan American Cycling Confederation. Riders competing in the Pan American Cycling Championships are selected by their respective national governing bodies and provide another avenue for athletes to qualify for World Championships. A lineup of 10 men and seven women are representing Team USA over the five-day event, which started Aug. 29 and will run through Sept. 2, 2018 at the Aguascalientes, Mexico at the Bicentennial Velodrome.
Follow @USACycling across all channels for the latest on Team USA.
Please contact Kelly Fox with questions at apalermo@usacycling.org
