On the seventh and final day of the 2025 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships, fans packed the course to witness the nation's top elite men and women battle for the Stars and Stripes jersey in the culminating road races on Memorial Day. The races began with two modified junior laps before the elite women took on a challenging six-lap course, and the elite men followed with a grueling ten-lap showdown.
Sixty-three elite women lined up Sunday morning for 113.8 kilometers of racing. The opening laps on the shortened circuit were relatively calm, with the peloton staying intact through the first two ascents of Wertz Avenue. As the race wore on, each lap shed more riders from the back. Early animators included Emily Ehrlich (Slater, S.C.; Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24) and Emma Langley (Richmond, Va.; Aegis Cycling Foundation). With just over 30 miles to go, Langley made a bold move off the front, building a gap of nearly 40 seconds as she approached Wertz Avenue with two laps to go. Cynisca Cycling worked hard to organize a chase, while Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF Education-Oatly) rode smart near the front, conserving energy.
Jamie Chapman (San Francisco, Calif.; Speedblock p/b Terun) launched a solo move to bridge to Langley. She gained ground heading into lap five and made contact with Langley on the Kanawha straightaway with 21 miles to go. The pair climbed Wertz Avenue together with a minute lead over the peloton. Then, Langley turned up the pace on the Bridge Road climb, dropping Chapman and continuing solo. Behind her, Faulkner kept the pressure on. With 11 miles remaining, she led a chase that caught Langley and immediately counterattacked. Lauren Stephens (Dallas; Aegis Cycling Foundation) and Katherine Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group) responded, forming a three-rider break.
On the final climb up Wertz, Faulkner showed her strength as Stephens launched an attack, followed by another from Faulkner herself. Sarkisov appeared to be dropped, but by the final descent, the lead group had regrouped, setting the stage for an exciting sprint finish. Out of the last corner, Faulkner surged ahead to defend her title, winning the Stars and Stripes jersey for the second consecutive year in Charleston. Stephens crossed the line in second, with Sarkisov taking third.
“Going into the last two laps, I really tried to push the pace on the climbs,” Faulkner said. “With a lap and a half to go, the group was still pretty big, so I decided it was time to play hardball. We had to catch Emma, she’s incredibly strong.” Faulkner knew she had to time the sprint right saying, “I’ve never won from a sprint before, but I said, if there’s ever a day to do it, we've got to make it today.”
1. Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF Education-Oatly)
2. Lauren Stephens (Dallas; Aegis Cycling Foundation)
3. Katherine Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group)
In the final race, 91 elite men lined up for a grueling 10-lap, 198.6-kilometer battle. From the opening climb up Wertz Avenue, the pace was fast. A trio launched off the front, quickly joined by a fourth rider to form the first breakaway of the day: Samuel Boardman (Encinitas, Calif.; Project Echelon Racing), Sean Christian (Tucson, Ariz.; Team Skyline), Luke Elphingstone (Boulder, Colo.; Kelly Benefits Strategies), and Jonah Killy (Silver Spring, Md.; Hubo Scott CT). Just 22 minutes into the race, five more riders bridged up. Heading into lap three, nine riders were working together as they crested the Bridge Road climb for the first time, already shedding riders from the peloton. Two eventually dropped from the lead group, leaving seven.
At the one-hour mark, Quinn Simmons (Durango, Colo.; Lidl-Trek) and Andrew August (Pittsford, N.Y.; INEOS Grenadiers) bridged to the front, joining Boardman, Christian, Michael Garrison (Atlanta, Ga.; MGR p/b +SpeedStudio), Henry Neff (Arlington, Va.; Kelly Benefits), and Robin Carpenter (Chino, Calif.; L39ion of Los Angeles). With two World Tour riders now in the break, Project Echelon took control of the chase, aware of the growing threat.
As the hours ticked by, the front group began to thin. Garrison was the first to drop on lap five, followed by Christian and then Boardman as the leaders headed into lap seven. With three hours of racing in their legs, only Simmons, August, Carpenter, and Neff remained, holding a 50-second advantage. On the steep 20% gradient of Wertz Avenue, Carpenter was distanced, and the lead grew to nearly two minutes.
With 55 kilometers remaining, the chase group regrouped and reorganized, while Carpenter made a move to bridge back with Evan Boyle (Niskayuna, N.Y.; Hagens Berman Jayco). Up front, Simmons attacked hard on Wertz Avenue, dropping both August and Neff. At the base of the climb, Tyler Stites (Tucson, Ariz.; Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) replaced Carpenter in the chase, joining Boyle in pursuit. At a little over three hours in, the two chase groups merged, forming a four-rider chase just as the peloton closed the gap behind them, everyone now chasing Simmons.
Boyle launched one final attack in an attempt to reel Simmons back, but the damage was done. With a nearly three-minute advantage, Simmons powered to the finish alone to win the Stars and Stripes jersey. Boyle held on for silver, while Gavin Hlady (Sunnyvale, Calif.; EF Education-Aevolo) won the field sprint for bronze.
“Starting last year, the Worlds showed that I was getting back to form. I had a strong spring and took my first World Tour win. Now I’ve got the jersey back,” said Simmons. “I’m not afraid to say that on my day, I can be one of the top riders in the world. I think I showed that at Worlds, it’s just not my day that often. I knew I had to make a statement, not just because we’re racing for the jersey, but because I’m also racing for a ticket to the Tour [de France]."
1. Quinn Simmons (Durango, Colo.; Lidl-Trek)
2. Evan Boyle (Niskayuna, N.Y.; Hagens Berman Jayco)
3. Gavin Hlady (Sunnyvale, Calif.; EF Education-Aevolo)
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