U.S. Olympic Cycling Trials : Andreu Wins Points Race, Spot on Team

Frankie Andreu scored heavily in the final 10 kilometers to pull away from the field and win the men’s national points race championship and a spot on the U.S. Olympic cycling team Saturday night.

Andreu, of Dearborn, Mich., finished the 120-lap (40-kilometer) race with 46 points. Dan Vogt, of Columbus, Ind., was second, followed by Steve Hegg of Dana Point.

National championships were also decided in the men’s 4,000-meter team pursuit and the women’s point race, a non-Olympic event won by Janie Eickhoff of Los Alamitos.

Dave Lettieri, Leonard Harvey Nitz, Steve Hegg and Mike McCarthy, as expected, won the men’s team pursuit. The winning time was 4:32.97, nearly seven seconds faster than silver medalists Tim Bengston, David Fish, Matt Rayner and Ron Storer.

Neal Fraser, John Hays, Kevin Peck and Darroll Beck finished third.

Eickhoff accumulated 36 points, two more than 1987 national champion Karen Bliss, of Quakertown, Pa., in the women’s point race. Bonnie Zalewski, of Linden, N.J., was third with 19.

Andreu also qualified for the team pursuit “long team” that will head to Colorado Springs, Colo., for race-offs to determine four riders who will compete in the 4,000-meter event at Seoul.

The U.S. Cycling Federation also released the names of the riders who will represent the United States in the road team time trial at Seoul.

They are Jim Copeland, Cary, N.C.; Tony Palmer, Boulder, Colo.; Norm Alvis, Sacramento, and Andy Paulin, East Palo Alto, Calif. John Frey, of Albuquerque, N.M., was named first alternate.