The 2024 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships kicked off on Tuesday afternoon with the Junior Women’s and Junior Men’s Time Trial. Over 50 athletes from around the country completed the 16.9-kilometer Time Trial in downtown Charleston.
With light rain predicted in the forecast, the Junior Women were the first riders to compete on this year’s new course. Lidia Cusack (Chevy Chase, Md.; dcdevo Racing Academy) was the first rider out. She crossed the line in a time 22:55.63, which put her in the hot seat very early on. Even after getting a flat out on course, her time remained the standard for the rest of the race. Cusack has only raced one Time Trial this season so heading into today’s race she wasn’t sure what to expect saying, “I just gave it my all. It’s a fun and fast course. Overall, it was super hard.” Her teammate, Alyssa White (Elkins, W.V.; dcdevo Racing Academy) finished in second with Helena Jones (Boulder, Colo.; Twenty24 Aevolo) rounding out the podium in third. Cusack plans on racing the Criterium and Road Race later this week.
1. Lidia Cusack (Chevy Chase, Md.; dcdevo Racing Academy)
2. Alyssa White (Elkins, W.V.; dcdevo Racing Academy)
3. Helena Jones (Boulder, Colo.; Twenty24 Aevolo)
The Junior Men took center stage after the completion of the Junior Women’s race. Finishing in a time of 20:39.21, Ashlin Barry (Toronto, Canada; EF Education-Onto) won the national title in his first Time Trial National Championship. When describing the race Barry said, “It was good, the conditions I thought were going to be wet, but it ended up being dry. It was a straightforward TT. I just paced it evenly, tried to take the corners well, and just left it all out there. I’m happy with how it turned out.” David Lapierre (Hebron, Conn.; Hot Tube Development Cycling) completed his race in a time of 20:42.02, which was good enough for second. Barry’s teammate, Noah Streif (Boise, Idaho; EF Education-Onto) rounded out the podium in third. All three riders will be competing later this week in the Criterium and Road Race.
1. Ashlin Barry (Toronto, Canada.; EF Education-Onto)
2. David Lapierre (Hebron, Conn.; Hot Tube Development Cycling)
3. Noah Streif (Boise, Idaho; EF Education-Onto)
Tomorrow will be another day of Time Trials, but this time it will be for the U23s and the Elite Men and Women. The stakes are high for the Elite races where the winners will automatically be nominated for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games team.
Follow along throughout the week on social media @USACycling, along with the live timing and livestream on FloSports. Learn more about how to watch the events here.
Photo By: Snowy Mountain Photography | Lidia Cusack and Ashlin Barry stand on the podium with Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin
