The 2025 USA Cycling Gravity Mountain Bike National Championships kicked off in Big Bear, Calif. this week, joining forces with the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series.
The best slalom racers in the country made their way to southern California for an exciting evening of pro and amateur racing. Today featured both qualifying and finals for the Elite Men, Elite Women, and Junior Men 17-18 categories. Meanwhile, the remaining Cat 1 and Non-Championship categories raced their qualifying runs and will return for finals tomorrow afternoon.
In this morning’s qualifying rounds, all 12 riders advanced to the afternoon’s finals. Austin Warren (Alpine, Calif.; Evil Bicycles, Fasthouse, Kenda) was on fire, clocking the fastest times on both runs. Eddie Reynolds (Coronado, Calif.; Fox MTB, Kona, Deity) and Dante Silva (Chula Vista, Calif.; Intense Racing USA / Monster Army) rounded out the top three, with less than 0.4 seconds separating them. The top four riders, also including Nikolas Nestoroff (San Marcos, Calif.; Ari Factory Racing), earned byes through the eighth-final round, advancing directly to the quarterfinals.
When it came down to the wire, these four proved to be the ones to beat, eventually meeting in the semifinals. The gold medal matchup featured Warren and Silva. Silva took the advantage in the first run, with Warren pushing hard to match his speed in the second. Warren won the second run, but it wasn’t enough to overtake Silva, crowning him the new Elite Men’s National Champion. In the bronze medal match, Reynolds would take the win over Nestoroff.
1. Dante Silva (Chula Vista, Calif.; Intense Racing USA / Monster Army)
2. Austin Warren (Alpine, Calif.; Evil Bicycles, Fast House, Kenda)
3. Eddie Reynolds (Coronado, Calif.; Fox MTB, Kona, Deity)
The Elite Women’s field was narrowed down to eight riders after the morning’s qualifying. McKenna Merten (Tempe, Ariz.; KHS Pro MTB) and Maylei Leaneagh (Frederick, Colo.; Zerode, The Ride Guru, TRP) qualified first and second, with just 0.4 seconds between them. Every round was a battle, but it came down to Merten, Sophie Allen (Woodland Hills, Calif.; Mondraker USA, Worldwide Cyclery), Mazie Hayden (North Clarendon, Vt.; Wild Rye Racing), and Isabella Naughton (Flagstaff, Ariz.; KHS Pro MTB Team) in the semifinals.
Teammates Merten and Naughton gained the upper hand to advance to the big final. Much like the Elite Men’s race, Naughton took the win in the first run, but Merten came back strong to claim the second. In the end, Naughton’s time on the blue lane was enough to secure her first Elite Women’s Dual Slalom National Title.
1. Isabella Naughton (Flagstaff, Ariz.; KHS Pro MTB Team)
2. McKenna Merten (Tempe, Ariz.; KHS Pro MTB)
3. Sophie Allen (Woodland Hills, Calif.; Mondraker USA, Worldwide Cyclery),
The top four qualifiers in the Junior Men’s race proved to be the ones to beat in the semifinals as well. The final rounds featured Ryder Lawrence (Murrieta, Calif.; HSC Racing, Monster Army, YT) versus Luke Mallen (Sandy, Utah; Outlaw Commencal Factory Development) in the championship round, and Collier Kee (Asheville, N.C.; Kee Mapping) versus Max Clark (Carmichael, Calif.; Ibis Cycles) in the consolation round.
Lawrence and Mallen battled back and forth throughout their final runs. As they reached the flat turns near the bottom of the track, both riders slid out in their respective corners but recovered quickly. In the end, it was all Lawrence, who powered through to claim the Junior Men’s 17-18 Dual Slalom National Title.
1. Ryder Lawrence (Murrieta, Calif.; HSC Racing, Monster Army, YT)
2. Luke Mallen (Sandy, Utah; Outlaw Commencal Factory Development)
3. Collier Kee (Asheville, N.C.; Kee Mapping)
Downhill practice will continue tomorrow for all categories. Pro Downhill qualifying will start at 2:15pm PT, then Amateur Dual Slalom Finals will close out the afternoon at 3:30pm PT.
