This year’s host, Trek Bicycles, welcomed student-athletes from across the country to their headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin, for the 2025 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships p/b Trek. Riders faced cooler weather and challenging courses in hopes of being crowned National Champion.
Riders raced into the weekend with a 24-kilometer Team Time Trial on Friday, showcasing their teamwork, skills, and speed. The Club Women were first to roll out, with the reigning champions, University of Colorado Boulder, once again posting the fastest time at 33:42.26 to earn gold. Colorado State University and the University of Arizona rounded out the podium with times of 34:56.76 and 35:54.37, respectively. In the Varsity Women’s race, Colorado Mesa University clocked a 32:37.78 to win the Stars and Stripes, with Marian University close behind for silver, just 11 seconds down. Fort Lewis College secured bronze with a strong time of 33:13.50.
The Club Men’s event was tight, with Princeton University racing to the win in 29:11.61. Colorado State University earned silver only six seconds back, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill rode strong to take bronze. In the Varsity Men’s race, Milligan University dominated the course, stopping the clock at 27:51.87 to take the National Championship title. Marian University was the only other team to break the 28-minute mark, finishing in 27:59.13 to claim second. Belmont Abbey College put in a strong ride to secure third.
On Saturday, riders met at Trek’s headquarters in Waterloo for the road race. The first race of the day was the Varsity Women, who completed five laps of the 13.1-mile rolling course. A touch of wheels early on caused a crash that took a fair number of riders out of contention. A 10 person breakaway formed shortly after and stayed together for most of the race. However, Jette Aelken (Savannah, Ga.; SCAD Savannah) had other plans, attacking out of the break and gained a sizeable gap over the chasers, rolling in solo for the win. The chase group finished nearly three minutes back, with teammates Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) and Ella Sabo (Redlands, Calif.; Colorado Mesa University) sprinting to second and third.
Next up were the Club Women. Despite multiple attacks, the field stayed together until the finish. Kaia Schmid (Marblehead, Mass.; University of Colorado Boulder) outsprinted her competition to win the Stars and Stripes jersey. Emily Gilbert (Tucson, Ariz.; University of Arizona) took silver, and Ajay Baker (Westfield, Ind.; St. Charles Composite) sprinted to bronze.
After a short break, the Varsity Men rolled out for seven intense laps. The race started fast, with multiple teams trying to establish a break in the opening laps, averaging over 28 mph. With four laps to go, the field began to splinter, and a group of seven broke away, eventually whittling down to three. The break hovered around a 35-second lead for much of the race. Manolo Wrolich (Banner Elk, N.C.; Lees-McRae College) surged to the finish to take the national title, with Henry Nelson (Lawrence, Kan.; Fort Lewis College) grabbing silver and Luke Arens (Indianapolis, Ind.; Marian University) earning bronze.
The last race of the day was the Club Men, with over 100 starters. Groups were scattered across the course, with a 14-man lead group forming at the front. Mattheus Johnson (Redwood City, Calif.; California Polytechnic – San Luis Obispo) came out on top in the sprint to claim the win. Judah Thompson (Bloomington, Ind.; Indiana University – Bloomington) took second, with Luke Mather (Albuquerque, N.M.; University of Colorado Boulder) rounding out the podium.
The final day of the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships p/b Trek took riders to downtown Madison for the criterium events. Riders navigated the four-corner course with long headwind and tailwind straights, as the wind picked up throughout the day. The first race of the day was the Club Women, where multiple teams tried to animate the race, but moves were quickly shut down. Kaia Schmid (Marblehead, Mass.; University of Colorado Boulder) controlled much of the action, taking three of the four-point primes and winning the field sprint to earn her third Stars and Stripes jersey of the weekend. She also secured the top spot in the Individual Omnium and helped her team claim the coveted Team Omnium title. Ajay Baker (Westfield, Ind.; St. Charles Composite) had another strong ride, sprinting to second place, and Gabriella Dixon (Riverview, Fla.; University of Michigan – Flint) held on for third.
The Club Men were up next, with 104 starters on the line. The pace was high for the first 30 minutes until Satchel Kim (Bethesda, Md.; Georgetown University) and Boden Gentile (Great Falls, Va.; UVA Cycling) broke free. The duo held a 10- to 15-second advantage until 11 laps to go, when the field reeled them back in. Teams kept the pace high to deter further attacks. At the line, Nathan Cusack (Chevy Chase, Md.; UVM Cycling) took the sprint to win gold. Owen Cole (Chapel Hill, N.C.; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) sprinted to silver, and Andrew Carr (Salinas, Calif.; Cal Poly Cycling) secured bronze.
Next up were the Varsity Women. Colorado Mesa University controlled most of the race, keeping things in check and setting up their sprinters for the finish. Their tactics paid off, delivering Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) to the line for the win and earning her the Individual Omnium title. Ava Wilson (Savannah, Ga.; SCAD Savannah) secured silver, with Samantha Clark (Louisville, Ky.; Milligan University) finishing third.
The final race of the day was the Varsity Men. Attacks came quickly and often, but none stuck as the field stayed active and aggressive. After 80 minutes of racing, it came down to a photo finish, with Luke Elphingstone (Grand Junction, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) coming out on top to earn the national title. Brody McDonald (Escondido, Calif.; Milligan University) took second, and Samuel Mayer (Atlanta, Ga.; SCAD Atlanta) rounded out the podium.
Kaia Schmid (Marblehead, Mass.; University of Colorado Boulder)
Ajay Baker (Westfield, Ind.; St. Charles Composite)
Emily Gilbert (Tucson, Ariz.; University of Arizona)
Nathan Cusack (Chevy Chase, Md.; UVM Cycling)
Owen Cole (Chapel Hill, N.C.; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Luke Walter (Boulder, Colo.; University of California – Santa Cruz)
Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University)
Jette Aelken (Savannah, Ga.; SCAD Savannah)
Samantha Clark (Louisville, Ky.; Milligan University)
Brody McDonald (Escondido, Calif.; Milligan University)
Luke Elphingston (Grand Junction, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University)
Samuel Mayer (Atlanta, Ga.; SCAD Atlanta)
University of Colorado Boulder – 442 points
Colorado State University – 388 points
University of Arizona – 354 points
Colorado Mesa University – 425 points
Marian University – 420 points
Milligan University – 412 points
Photos By: SnowyMountain Photography
Full results for the 2025 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships p/b Trek can be found here.
