Thursday, 5/29/97 Packwood passes Henderson to win cycling
championship CLUB: Men win nationals for second year; women must
look to next season
By Rocky Salmon Daily Bruin Contributor The sun almost did not
shine for UCLA cycling last weekend, as the weather nearly erased
UCLA’s chance of repeating as national champions. But things worked
out after all as Lane Packwood, the top men’s cyclist in the state,
won the national championship in Durango, Colo. But the women’s
team will have to wait until next year for its own title winner. It
is the first time that a school has had two players win the
nationals in consecutive years. But the Colorado weather interfered
with the Bruins’ repeat plans at first. The road race was postponed
and eventually dropped, leaving all the riders in top shape for the
criterion race. In the criterion, UCLA was hoping for three riders
to place in the top 10. With Packwood, last year’s national
champion Keith Henderson and the state’s No. 2 racer John Nobil,
the Bruins were in a position to write a new page in the cycling
history books. The rider most favored to win was Henderson who, two
weeks earlier, had won the state championships in the criterion.
Henderson entered the race just one small step short of his dream.
"There are two things I want to do before I leave UCLA: win the
state championships and repeat as national champion," Henderson
said. Though Henderson is the state champion, he did not repeat as
national champ. Nobil had placed fifth in the national race last
year and was regarded as one of the most improved riders in the
nation. "I fear John Nobil," Henderson said, while preparing to
leave for Colorado. "Nobil is a lot younger than me and has that
extra push which could cause me problems." But in Colorado, Nobil
could not break away from the pack and did not place in the top 10.
One UCLA rider did step out of the shadows and into the sunlight,
though. Packwood continued his torrid cycling and captured the
national title for UCLA. In Durango, where the elevation would give
the local racers a major advantage, Packwood was able to cope with
the lighter oxygen and come away with the win. Packwood, who stayed
in the shadows of the club’s top guns for much of this season, has
come to the forefront and is now a favorite to win next year’s
title. However, the women did not have the same sort of luck.
Racing in the women’s race was the state’s No. 3 racer Virginia
Parks. She was the underdog who was poised to speed off with the
title this year. But Parks failed to place in the top 10. But by
sending cyclists to the winner’s podium for three straight years,
UCLA cycling has established itself as a powerhouse, and hopes to
carry on the championship tradition for years to come. Previous
Daily Bruin Stories: Enjoying the ride, May 8, 1997