Lopes is going to Worlds...on the DH team..."yup" the DH!!
On Aug. 13th, USA Cycling announced the nominations for the 2009 World Championships team.
In the gravity events, Brian received a discretionary nomination to the elite men's DH team, along with Kyle Strait (Riverside, Calif.), Duncan Riffle (Santa Barbara, Calif./Duncan Riffle Racing), Luke Strobel (Renton, Wash./Maxxis), Cody Warren (El Cajon, Calif./Decline) and Joey Schusler (Boulder, Colo./Yeti-Fox Shox). As well as, Aaron Gwin (Morongo Valley, Calif./Yeti) who received an automatic nomination by virtue of his third-place World Cup finish and his national championship in that event.
This nomination, marks the 17th consecutive nomination for Lopes, who has been a competitive presence at the World Championships since 1993. We think it is longest standing attendance to date (need to get an official confirmation from USA Cycling).
While most people expected Brian to be a shoe-in for the 4X team, they were surprise to hear he was elected for the DH team. Truth is, after some research, the fitness demanding DH course at World's in Canberra, Australia appears to be a well-suited for the fit Lopes. Having proven his strong endurance capabilities at various events through the year, USA cycling has agreed that he is a contender. Brian is looking forward to taking on the challenge and displaying his versatile bike handling experience.
The 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships will be held in Canberra, Australia on Sept. 1-6, 2009. You can cheer for Brian or simply catch the racing live thanks to our friends at Freecaster.tv
Posted by paula on August 25, 2009 10:33 PM