The 2025 USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Bike National Championships continued Thursday at Elmwood Park in downtown Roanoke. The Junior Men 17-18 and 15-16 qualifiers were the first events to take place in the morning, with riders vying for the last available spots in the short track finals for each respective category. Afternoon racing featured the 15-16, 17-18, and Under-23 Men’s and Women’s races. While the Elite Men and women closed out the short track events in the evening.
In one of the most exciting races of the day, 25 of the best Elite Men from around the country lined up for a chance at glory. With nerves high, the field powered off the line. The field was strung out for the first few laps, until Robbie Day (Evergreen, Colo.; Bear National Team) launched an attack and gained a small advantage. Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) and Bjorn Riley (Boulder, Colo.; Scott-SRAM MTB Racing) quickly brought Day back and counter-attacked. Day clawed his way back to the duo and settled in as they set the pace, until three laps to go, when Riley made his winning move. Riley crossed the line solo, winning by a mere five seconds ahead of Amos to defend his national title. Day held on to third place.
After his race, Riley said, “I managed to take the win. I’m really happy with it. I’ve had a pretty tough season so far. To take the win here, especially in front of this crowd with so many cool people, it gets me hyped. Now I just have to cool down before the XCO on Saturday.”
Results:
1. Bjorn Riley (Boulder, Colo.; Scott-SRAM MTB Racing)
2. Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli)
3. Robbie Day (Evergreen, Colo.; Bear National Team)
The evening kicked off with the Elite Women’s race, where nine riders lined up to fight for the coveted Stars and Stripes jersey. Kelsey Urban (Kentfield, Calif.; KMC Ridley) set the tone early, leading up the first climb and driving the pace. Close behind, Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon Ford Racing), Gwendalyn Gibson (Ramona, Calif.; Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli), and Madigan Munro (Boulder, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) locked into the chase. The quartet stayed tight at the front, trading efforts lap after lap. In a thrilling two-up sprint to the finish, Blunk edged out Gibson to claim the Elite Women’s national title.
When asked about the race, Blunk said, “It was exciting, a lot of attacks were being thrown, really tactical.” She added, “It was a lot of spectators, so it was cool to see USA Cycling kind of making the race around the spectators, it was exciting for us racers. I’m really stoked to take the win and get the week off to a good start.”
Results:
1. Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon Ford Racing)
2. Gwendalyn Gibson (Ramona, Calif.; Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli)
3. Kelsey Urban (Kentfield, Calif.; KMC Ridley)
Forty-five athletes took to the line for the Under-23 Men’s race. After three laps, a group of 10 emerged at the front. This group included four Bear National Team athletes and two Segment 28 riders. By lap seven, riders were doing sub 1:40 minute laps, which were some of the fastest laps of the week. It eventually came down to a battle on the last lap where Nicholas Konecny (Breckenridge, Colo.; Lexware Mountain Bike Team) and Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.; Bear National Team) were neck and neck all the way to the line. Konecny just barely edged out Spranger to take the win. Ivan Sippy (Durango, Colo.; Segment 28) rounded out the podium in third.
Results:
1. Nicholas Konecny (Breckenridge, Colo.; Lexware Mountain Bike Team)
2. Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.; Bear National Team)
3. Ivan Sippy (Durango, Colo.; Segment 28)
The Under-23 Women’s race featured a strong group of athletes. Makenna Kellerman (Escondido, Calif.; Bear National Team) set the pace early, pulling a group of about seven riders into lap two. As the race unfolded, a front group of four emerged, including Bailey Cioppa (Durango, Colo.; Bear National Team), Kellerman, Greta Kilburn (Burlington, Vt.; Bicycle Express Racing), and Ruth Holcomb (Durango, Colo.; Santa Cruz htSQD), who raced up from the last call-up position. The leaders traded attacks, playing cat and mouse, but eventually Holcomb dropped off, followed closely by Kellerman. That left Cioppa and Kilburn to battle it out for the win. In a sprint to the line, Cioppa edged ahead to claim the Stars and Stripes jersey. Kilburn secured second, with Kellerman rounding out the podium in third.
“I’m super happy. We had a great battle with four of us out there. It’s always exciting when it comes down to the line, so I’m really stoked about it and super excited for Saturday,” said Cioppa, who will be lining up for Cross-Country later this week and hopes to go two for two.
Results:
1. Bailey Cioppa (Durango, Colo.; Bear National Team)
2. Greta Kilburn (Burlington, Vt.; Bicycle Express Racing)
3. Makenna Kellerman (Escondido, Calif.; Bear National Team)
With qualifiers taking place first thing in the morning, the Junior Men 17-18 lined up with 48 athletes. The race stayed close, with over 15 riders riding single file coming through on lap three. Bear National would later take control of the front of the race, but it came down to a two-up sprint where Mason Salazar (San Diego, Calif.; Rouleur Devo p/b DNA Cycling) edged Oliver Welcker (Boise, Idaho; Bear National Team) out to secure the win. Just a few seconds behind them, Garrett Beshore (Longmont, Calif.; Boulder Junior Cycling) rode in to take bronze.
Results:
1. Mason Salazar (San Diego, Calif.; Rouleur Devo p/b DNA Cycling)
2. Oliver Welcker (Boise, Idaho; Bear National Team)
3. Garrett Beshore (Longmont, Calif.; Boulder Junior Cycling)
Championship racing kicked off with the Junior Women 17-18, where 42 riders took the line. The pace was fast from the start, with four riders leading into lap two. Ingrid Mcelroy (Danville, Pa.; Bear National Team) pushed hard at the front and launched a decisive move with two laps to go, pulling away slightly to claim the Stars and Stripes jersey, finishing just two seconds ahead of second-place finisher, Scout Wellmeier (Novato, Calif.; Bear National Team). Estelle Slingsby (Asheville, N.C.; Gravity Collective) rounded out the podium in third.
When asked about her race, Mcelroy said, “This is huge for me, I broke my collarbone earlier in the season and there was a lot of doubt about where I’d end up... I just had to put in the work. I’m so happy I came out the other side.”
Results:
1. Ingrid Mcelroy (Danville, Pa.; Bear National Team)
2. Scout Wellmeier (Novato, Calif.; Bear National Team)
3. Estelle Slingsby (Asheville, N.C.; Gravity Collective)
Racing was briefly delayed due to a storm in the area, but when riders returned to the course, temperatures had dropped slightly, and the rain had helped settle the dust. Forty-eight athletes lined up for a 20-minute battle. The field stayed single file early on, but by the halfway mark, a lead group of about ten riders had formed. Noah Scholnick (Williamsport, Pa.; Bear National Team) broke away, gaining a three-second gap on teammate Preston Ronck (Rogers, Ark.; Bear National Team) to claim the Stars and Stripes jersey. Rylan Zacharek (Sheboygan, Wis.; Linear Sport Racing Team) rounded out the podium in third.
Scholnick was excited after racing, saying, “This was an awesome race, I am really stoked to come away with the win after battling all season. This course was amazing.”
Results:
1. Noah Scholnick (Williamsport, Pa.; Bear National Team)
2. Preston Ronck (Rogers, Ark.; Bear National Team)
3. Rylan Zacharek (Sheboygan, Wis.; Linear Sport Racing Team)
After the Junior Women’s 17-18 race, it was time for the Junior Women 15-16 to take on the short track course in downtown Roanoke. Forty-three riders lined up for a fast and technical race. Early on, a lead group of eight formed, setting the pace at the front. With three laps to go, Aida Linton (Missoula, Mont.; Bear National Team) launched a solo attack riding in to take the win. The fight for the podium was just behind her. Nora Kruse (Flagstaff, Ariz.; Hatch Toyota Racing) and Laura Carlin (Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Spark Racing) battled all the way to the finish. Kruse edged out Carlin for second.
When Linton was asked about her win, she said, “This means a lot to me, my team and I have put a lot of work into this season, and I am really happy to see it pay off.”
Results:
1. Aida Linton (Missoula, Mont.; Bear National Team)
2. Nora Kruse (Flagstaff, Ariz.; Hatch Toyota Racing)
3. Laura Carlin (Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Spark Racing)
Full results from Thursday’s events can be found here.
Racing moves to Explore Park on Friday for the Amateur, Masters Women, Junior, eBike, and Singlespeed Cross-Country events.
USA Cycling's supporting partner for this event includes HOVERAir, the Official Flying Camera of USA Cycling, who shares our mission to elevate the sport and inspire the next generation of cyclists.
