BREVARD, N.C – Brevard College student-athlete Tyler Orschel will compete at the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) Cyclocross World Championships, February 2-3 in Bogense, Denmark as a member of the Canadian Cyclocross team. Orschel, a native of Uxbridge, Ontario, was one of 13 riders selected by Cycling Canada to compete in the World Championships and will race in the U-23 category.
"It is an awesome feeling traveling to Europe to represent Canada as a full time student at Brevard College," said Orschel. "Many people in the cycling community have gained interest in the cycling program Brevard has to offer, seeing how it has prepared me to compete at the world cup level."
The World Championships will be the culmination of a successful cyclocross season for Orschel, a sophomore at Brevard College. Orschel and his teammates Hannah Arensman and Tyler Clark won the national championship in the collegiate varsity team relay at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships on December 16.
Orschel then traveled to Belgium over the Christmas Holiday to compete in several races including the prestigious Zolder World Cup on December 26. After returning to Brevard College for the start of the spring semester, Orschel flew back to Europe for more racing all leading up to this weekend's World Championships.
"I have competed in World Cups for mountain biking and just recently came back from racing two world cups in Belgium along with some other big Belgian races, yet this weekend will be my first chance to race in the World Championships," added Orschel. "The competition is similar to that of a World Cup but there is much more pressure to have a peak performance."
Orschel and his Brevard College teammates enjoyed great success in Mountain Bike competition this season as well. Orschel won the Southeastern Collegiate Cycling Conference Men's A individual mountain bike omnium championship. He then finished second in the individual men's omnium, second in short track, and was part of a second-place finish in team relay along with Arensman and Carson Beckett at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships.
"Tyler is one of our students that has really been on the fast track of progression over the past couple years" said Brevard College Head Cycling Coach Brad Perley. "This past collegiate mountain bike season really displayed the benefits of his hard work, culminating in a podium performance in the short track national championships. This cyclocross world championships has been a goal of his since last year and we are psyched to see him grab this opportunity."
Orschel becomes the fourth Brevard College cyclist to compete in world championship competition in the 2018-19 season. This past September, Beckett (USA), Clark (Canada) and Nathan St. Clair (USA) raced in the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Switzerland.
With Orschel's selection to the represent Canada this weekend, it marks the fourth straight year that a Brevard College cyclist has qualified for the UCI Cyclocross World Championships. In 2017 and 2018, Brevard College's Hannah Arensman was a member of Team USA's Women's U23 team. In 2016, Allison Arensman of Brevard College represented the United States at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships.
For more information on the 2019 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, go to www.uci.org.
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