The 2026 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships continued Wednesday evening with the twilight criterium events featuring Junior and Under-23 Men and Women. Energetic crowds and a technical downtown course made for an exciting night of racing in Charleston.
Junior Women
Racing for a total of 45 minutes, the Junior Women were the first to take on the six-corner criterium course. The field stayed together for most of the race until a group of eight formed out front with one lap to go. While a group sprint to the line was the reasonable prediction, as the riders emerged around the final corner, it was clear that Emma Jimenez Palos (Miami, Fla.; City Bikes Miami Racing) had launched a successful attack. Establishing a favorable gap, she crossed the finish line solo to win the Stars and Stripes jersey. In the sprint for silver, Sophia Wellmeier (Corte Madera, Calif.; Team California Academy) was able to gain the edge over Tessa Beebe (Boise, Idaho; BYRDS Cycling), who claimed the bronze.
“It feels great! I definitely knew this race suited me pretty well, coming from track. I went into the race just hoping to have fun and race hard, so I was part of some of the attacks and all of that, just not really thinking too much. I saw I had a good spot to attack in one of the last corners, so I just went for it,” said Jimenez Palos after a successful day on the bike.
Results:
1. Emma Jimenez Palos (Miami, Fla.; City Bikes Miami Racing)
2. Sophia Wellmeier (Corte Madera, Calif.; Team California Academy)
3. Tessa Beebe (Boise, Idaho; BYRDS Cycling)
Junior Men
The Junior Men’s field was stacked with 82 athletes ready for 60 minutes of fast-paced criterium action. It was a game of exchanging launched attacks, with moments of solo breakaways, but the field continued to hang on and reset.
In a three-up sprint to the line, Gregory DeBenedetti (Boulder, Colo.; Project Supertraining p/b Vafels) pushed it across the line to win the national title. Maddox Simmons (Glen Carbon, Ill.; Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark p/b Pastaria) claimed second, and Diego Duran (El Paso, Texas; DDP Elite Cycling Team) secured the final spot on the podium.
When asked about his race, DeBenedetti said, “The last couple laps were absolute chaos, crashes everywhere, everybody was shooting every little gap. On the last lap, I just took a real hot run from the back, ended up about third wheel, protected my space, and with two corners to go, lit it up, let it out, and put everything I had on the line. I’m so happy with that ride!”
Results:
1. Gregory DeBenedetti (Boulder, Colo.; Project Supertraining p/b Vafels)
2. Maddox Simmons (Glen Carbon, Ill.; Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria)
3. Diego Duran (El Paso, Texas; DDP Elite Cycling Team)
Under-23 Women
Following the junior races, the Under-23 Women lined up for their 50-minute race and a shot at the national title. Early on, riders kept the pace high with multiple teams launching attacks. Three riders found themselves on the front, including Lyllie Sonnemann (Madison, Wis.; CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group), who would later find herself standing on the second spot of the podium. With the group reeled in with two to go, Lauren Aggeler (Durango, Colo.; Speedblock-Terun Elite) surged at the front to keep the pace high, but it would be Ella Sabo (Redlands, Calif.; Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28) who earned gold in an eight-up sprint to the line.
“It’s so cool to do it here in front of all the fans in downtown Charleston. I couldn’t imagine a better venue for this course. This course has a lot of technical aspects. It was a really dynamic race. Things just kept going left and right. I stayed patient. I feel like that was the name of the game tonight. I just came around the final corner and gave it a rip, and it ended up sticking. I’m super proud of my ride today, and a lot more races to come. A lot of good times ahead,” said Sabo.
Results:
1. Ella Sabo (Redlands, Calif.; Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28)
2. Lyllie Sonnemann (Madison, Wis.; CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group)
3. Chloe Patrick (Carson, Calif.; Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing)
Under-23 Men
With a 9:50 PM start time, the Under-23 Men raced for 75 minutes under the lights to close out the night. Racing was relentless from the start, with riders strung out for the entire race. Even with multiple breakaways throughout the evening, riders were reeled back every single time. With the laps dwindling, the Kelly Benefits team sent a full squad to the front of the bike race. A move that would later play to their favor. It would be a three-man sprint to the line between Alejandro Che (Torrance, Calif.; Kelly Benefits Cycling), last year’s national champion Luke Fetzer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.; Team Cadence Cyclery PB Waldo Racing), and Alexander Scopinich-Burgel (Concord, Mass.; Kelly Benefits Cycling). Che went full force to the line to claim the title.
Surrounded by proud teammates, an excited Che said, “It’s great having it here at night under the lights. It was a super fun race! I’m super fortunate to have a great team behind me. The guys were lighting it up all day, and I was able to sit nice in the pack. The sprint ended up being how it needed to be, and I had good legs in the end, and it was all good for the win.”
Results:
1. Alejandro Che (Torrance, Calif.; Kelly Benefits Cycling)
2. Luke Fetzer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.; Team Cadence Cyclery PB Waldo Racing)
3. Alexander Scopinich-Burgel (Concord, Mass.; Kelly Benefits Cycling)
Up Next
Racing continues on Thursday night with the Elite Women’s Criterium at 6:30 PM ET followed by the Elite Men’s Criterium at 8:00 PM ET. Watch the full night of racing live on FloBikes. Click here for the full event schedule.
