Connect with us

Fitness

VALENCIA WINS NATIONAL CYCLING

[sixcol_five_last]

By Patrick Lujan

Matt Valencia (17-yrs-old) captures a national title during the 2013 USA Junior Cycling Championship. (photo courtesy Team Specialized)

Matt Valencia (17-yrs-old in red) captures a national title during the 2013 USA Junior Cycling Championship. (photo courtesy Team Specialized)

Could it be that another USA cyclist with Guam roots becomes a world champion?

17-year-old Matt Valencia is well on his way.

The son of Guam’s Mike and Eva Valencia is now a national champion after winning The Madison event – a 100-lap event around the veladrome in the 2013 USA Cycling Junior Track Championships today in Trexlertown, PA.

“I was really surprised we won,” Valencia told GSPN.

The team of Valencia and best friend Jack Maddux from Fresno, CA beat out 11 other teams from around the nation to become national champions.

Matt Valencia and Jack Maddux raise their hands in victory after winning The Madison event at the 2013 USA Junior Cycling Championships. (photo courtesy Team Specialized)

Matt Valencia and Jack Maddux raise their hands in victory after winning The Madison event at the 2013 USA Junior Cycling Championships. (photo courtesy Team Specialized)

“We live two hours away, but we’ve been on Team Specialized since I was 14 and we became best friends. We train almost every weekend,” Valencia said about his buddy Maddux.

Born in San Mateo and now living in Los Altos, Valencia started competing in 2007 after getting the inspiration to ride from his father and a trip to France.

“My family and I took a trip to Europe and I saw the last stage of the Tour de France and that helped inspire me.”

THE MADISON

The 100-lap, two-person event is named after Madison Square Garden in New York – a prominent cycling venue which helped raise track cycle racing.

Teams are usually of two riders but could be three. Only one member is racing while the other is ‘resting’. The resting rider has to be touched before he can take over. The touch can be a push, often on the shorts, or one rider hurling the other into the race by a hand-sling. It was the first time Valencia participated in the event at the Nationals but has been training since February.

The senior-to-be at Bellarmine College Preparatory is a two-time national Omnium track champion, winning his age brackets in 2010 and 2012.

CARPENTER CONNECTION

Matt Valencia is tagged by teammate Jack Maddux during the national championship race. (photo courtesy of Team Specialized)

Matt Valencia is tagged by teammate Jack Maddux during the national championship race. (photo courtesy of Team Specialized)

How ironic is it that former USA Olympian and world champion Ken Carpenter is on Team Specialized along with Valencia.

“He is the master (racer) on our team and he helped me a lot last year,” Valencia said about Carpenter. “He got me in contact some people, and through Ken, he helped me understand match sprinting, which is one of the events in the Omnium. He’s a great mentor.”

Carpenter was glad to help out Valencia and the other young riders through close friend and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Marty Nothstein at his track in Pennsylvania.

“He’s a solid, hard working guy. Pretty quiet,” Carpenter said about Valencia. “Matt has always struck me as a quiet and respectful guy, he does have a fiery competitive streak in him though.”

Ken Carpenter

Ken Carpenter

As for the Olympic dream, Valencia is taking it one step at a time.

“I’m hoping it will help me get into college and after college, see where it takes me from there. Cycling so far has been amazing, so I’m hoping to continue it past college.”

NOTES: Valencia’s last time to Guam has been when he was in 2nd grade…he also does road races and cyclo-cross (half road/half mountain bike)…prior to concentrating on cycling he’s  played basketball, lacrosse and soccer.

[fbshare url=”http://www.gspnlive.com/gspn/valencia-wins-…-cycling-event/ ” type=”button”][fblike url=”http://www.gspnlive.com/gspn/valencia-wins-…-cycling-event/ ” style=”standard” showfaces=”false” width=”450″ verb=”like” font=”arial”]

[/sixcol_five_last][useful_banner_manager_banner_rotation banners=69, 38, 53, 9 interval=8 width=120 height=600 orderby=rand]

 

Ad

GPS Sports Calendar

August

September 2023

October
SU
MO
TU
WE
TH
FR
SA
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
Events for August

1st

Events for September

2nd

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Events for September

3rd

Events for September

3rd

No Events
Events for September

5th

Events for September

6th

Events for September

7th

Events for September

8th

Events for September

9th

10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Events for September

9th

No Events
Events for September

11th

Events for September

12th

Events for September

13th

Events for September

14th

Events for September

15th

Events for September

16th

17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Events for September

17th

Events for September

18th

Events for September

19th

Events for September

19th

No Events
Events for September

21st

Events for September

22nd

Events for September

23rd

24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Events for September

23rd

No Events
Events for September

25th

Events for September

26th

Events for September

27th

Events for September

28th

Events for September

29th

Events for September

30th

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

COMING SOON …

  • High School Football starts Sept. 29
  • Brawl 3: Oct 13
  • Guam’s Strongest Man and Woman Competition October 29

 

QUICK HITS

The Figo Islanders 40s women’s softball team took gold in the Senior Softball World Championship in Las Vegas. Figo came out of the loser’s bracket and beat the Arizona Belles 17-3 in the AA division championship game Sunday afternoon.
Other Guam teams that played in the 40s tournament were: Team SOTTA (women’s) and Bud Light Guam, Friars 671 and Sindalun Guahan (men’s).
Sindalu finished a respectable 4th out of 24 AAA division teams.
——————————————————-
In Guam’s first time competing in the FIBA Asia Cup, we draw China, Japan, and Mongolia in Group C. Competition begins in 2024. Guam also moves up the FIBA world rankings to #76.

More in Fitness