U.S. Women's Cycling Team "Proud" of Elite Circuit Performance -- On the Scene

(ATR) Megan Guarniertells Around the Ringsher finish at the 2015Road Cycling World Championships was not the only satisfying aspect.

Guarnier finished third in the women's elite road circuit in Richmond, Virginia securing her a nomination for the United States cycling team in Rio.

"It's very exciting to have an automatic bid for Rio," Guarnier said toATR.

"Today was a big challenge, so I'm going to enjoy today."

Lizzie Armitstead a cyclist from Great Britain who won the race saying afterwards she felt like she," was in the best shape possible."She said that competition this year was tight and with a lap to go in the race, she thought her chance at the gold medal could be over.

"The finish line came up a bit quicker than expected," Armistead said to reporters.

"I knew I had to race patiently and I think I got it right today."

The course for the women's elite road circuit this year stretched approximately 80.6 miles throughout Richmond.Silver medalist Anna van der Breggen finished almost a tire's length behindArmitstead.

Coming in second, van der Breggen told reporters,is bittersweet. Despite the finish, she expressed pride in her team from the Netherlands.

"You are so close, so of course you are disappointed," van der Breggen added.

"I had a good team and they did a perfect job today."

U.S. cyclists displayed camaraderie after competition as well and rallied around Guarnier.

"I'm really happy with a bronze medal; I'm really happy for Megan," Tayler Wiles, a fellow cyclist from the U.S, said of her teammate's performance.

"She's had an incredible season and she really deserves that."

Evelyn Stevens, who was competing in her seventh road world championships, told reporters that Guarnier's win meant a lot to her.

"This is the first time I've been on a team that got a medal," Stevens said.

"I'm really proud of how we rode as a team.Megan has had an awesome season and we had a lot of confidence in her."

Impressive Turn-Out From Fans at Richmond 2015

Thousands of fans packed the streets of Richmond, Virginia for competition at the world championships on Saturday, despite rainy weather.

Even in damp conditions, International Cycling Union president Brian Cookson toldATRthe atmosphere in Richmond is "absolutely fantastic."

Richmond 2015 volunteer and avid cyclist Adrien Arnold told ATR that the weather has not affected the turn-out for the road cycling worlds.

"I think the people that are cycling fans are going to come out no matter what," Arnold added.

She added that the organization of the event has been seamless overall.

"I think a lot of people thought road closings and traffic were going to be a big deal, but everybody I've talked to seems to be having a great time.

"I feel like Richmond is already becoming a cyclist destination. People that may have never heard of Richmond are now going to associate the city with cycling."

Penny Willis, a fan who spoke with ATR on the sidelines of the championships, echoed Arnold's sentiments.

"I met a couple from Great Britain today and I've seen a very international crowd," Willis said.

"And it's been wonderful having them come and see that even though we're on a different continent, we're really not all that different."

Competition on Saturday began with the men's junior road circuit. Austrian cyclist Felix Gall finished first the men's junior road circuit, the opening race of the day.

Gall finished the approximately 80.6-mile course in three hours and 11 seconds, just four seconds behind last year's winning time.French cyclistClement Betouigt Suire finished second, ending the race right on Gall's heels. Rasmus Pedersen, from Denmark, finished third.

The final event of Richmond 2015, the men's elite road circuit, is scheduled to kick off early on Sept. 27.

Poland'sMichał Kwiatkowski is the defending world champion. The course for the men's elite event this year is approximately 162.4 miles.

UCI says some 1,000 athletes are competing at this year's championships, which started on Sept. 19. Organizers said they expected a total of 450,000 spectators to come out to watch competition.

Written and reported in Richmond byNicole Bennett

Home page photo: Getty Images

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