Colorado Springs, Colo. – Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif.) and Lauren Stephens (Dallas) will represent Team USA at the 2018 Pan American Road Cycling Championships next month, USA Cycling announced today. The event runs May 1-6 in San Juan, Argentina, and both Neben and Stephens are scheduled to compete in the Individual Time Trial on May 3.
“Olympian Amber Neben is a two-time world champion and Pan Am Champion, and Lauren Stephens was eighth at the Road World Championships last year in her first Worlds. Either of these incredible time trialists can win Pan Am Championships, which is important, as it secures an extra spot at this year’s world championships for Team USA,” said Scott Schnitzspahn, USA Cycling Vice President of Elite Athletics.
Neben and Stephens are both members of the USA Cycling National Team and finished first and second, respectively, in the women’s time trial at the 2017 USA Cycling Professional Road & Time Trial National Championships in Knoxville, Tenn. Neben won the ITT World Championship in 2008 and 2016, and a day after winning last year’s ITT national title, she followed with the American national road race title. Stephens, who now races professionally for Cyclance Pro Cycling, won the time trial at the Chrono Gatineau, Thüringen Ladies Tour and Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche in 2017, and closed out her season with an eighth-place finish in the ITT at the 2017 UCI Road World Championships.
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.
The USA Cycling 2018 Pan-American Road Cycling Championships selection criteria are available here.
