ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Day two is complete at the 2021 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships. The 52.5-kilometer course featured almost 2000ft of elevation gain per lap. Today’s course offered challenging features including several punchy climbs and a slightly downhill finish.
The morning kicked off with Stefanie Sydlik (Pittsburgh, Pa.; 3T/Q+M Cycling) taking the win in the Women’s 35-39 race. Sydlik is having a fantastic week. She will be a rider to watch in Sunday's Criterium. Michelle Henry (Denver, Colo.; Black Swifton Cycleton) took silver after finishing 23-seconds behind Sydlik.
“I knew I was up against some really strong teams. I knew I had one card to play: go hard on the hill and get a gap... and that’s what I did.” said Sydlik during her post race interview.
In a sprint to the finish, May Liu (San Jose, Calif.; SquadraSF p/b Terun) won the Women’s 40-44 race. This is Liu’s first national title. Anne Donley (Denver, Colo.; K-4 Racing DNA Masters Team) finished in a close second.
Racing continued with the Women’s 55-59 race where Jennifer Slawta (Talent, Ore.; Team Landshark) won in a sprint to the finish. Slawta will add today’s medal to her impressive collection of gold medals. This will be her 4th national title since 2006.
In the Women’s 60-64 race, Karen Edwards (Forest Ranch, Calif.; Chico Cycling Team) took home gold in her first-ever road national championship. When asked about how it feels to be a national champion Edwards said “it feels surreal”. She credits her husband and teammates for believing in her.
Martha Parks (Dallas, Texas; Mirage) followed suit with a first-ever win in the Women’s 65-69 race. She beat second by over 2-minutes. Laura Lindgren (Long Beach, Calif.; Sisterhood of Cycling) doubled up and grabbed another win in the Women's 70-74 road race after taking the top step in the Time Trial on Thursday.
Racing in the men’s 35-39 category, Brendan Housler (Somerville, Tenn.; EVOQ Bike), took gold after doing 105-kilometers. Owen Shott (Ponte Verda Beach, Fla.; Aminorip Factory Racing) had a great ride in the Men’s 40-44 race. Shott won the road race in his respective category back in 2017 and took home another gold medal today.
Tamatha Risner (Las Cruces, N.M.; K4 Racing/DNA Cycling Masters) had a standout performance and rode away with gold in the Women’s 45-49 race.
Debbie Milne (Greenville, S.C.; Suprabars.com) had a great ride and finished out the day with the win in the Women’s 50-54 race.
Racing continues on Saturday with the Master Men 45+. The first race of the morning kicks off at 8:00 a.m. You can follow along by going to http://www.livelynxresults.com.
Full results can be found here.
Visit USACycling.org for more information on the athletes, events, and membership programs, and follow @USACycling across all channels for the latest on Team USA.
ABOUT USA CYCLING (usacycling.org)
USA Cycling is the national governing body for the sport of cycling and oversees the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclocross, and BMX. USA Cycling’s mission is to champion accessibility, participation, and excellence in the sport of cycling to make more Americans healthier, happier, and better on two wheels while achieving sustained international racing success. USA Cycling supports cyclists at all levels, from those just beginning in the sport and participating in fun rides to international caliber racers. The organization identifies, develops, and selects cyclists to represent the United States in international competition through the support of kids’ and interscholastic programs, amateur bike racing and grassroots development programs, and the provision of critical infrastructure to run organized racing. USA Cycling has a membership of 100,000, annually sanctions over 2,500 events, and is a proud member of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
