Four National Champions Crowned On a Wet Day of Amateur #RoadNats

Day three of the 2021 USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championships saw four groups take to the road race course on Fort Blanding in Clay County, Fla. on Saturday. It was cool and humid most of the day while our riders were on course. An impending torrential downpour left riders in the afternoon races with very low visibility.

The Cat 1 Men were first on the course this morning for their 176.4-kilometer race. Active from the start, riders from multiple teams, including Team Mikes Bikes, Kelly Benefit Strategies Elite Cycling Team, and Lux Cycling, were launching attacks early and often. After numerous attempted fliers, the race ended in a field sprint won by Daniel Estevez (La Vega, D.R.; Best Buddies Racing). Estevez mentioned that this win was eleven years in the making. The success is monumental for not only him as a rider but for his team as well.

Up next was the Under 23 Men’s race. Attack after attack, nothing managed to stick for long. Until we had two riders, Cooper Johnson (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Jared Scott (Ashland, Mass.; CCB Foundation), go off of the front. The gap between the leaders and the field began to stack up over the course of the race. When both riders saw how big their lead had grown to, they knew they had to work together to stay away. Lap after lap, they kept pushing, trying to stay away for the win. The pack reabsorbed them, and a new group of nine managed to get away. Aevolo, with several riders in the break, knew they had to utilize their numbers and work together to win. In a rainy sprint to the finish, Sean McElroy (Palmdale, Calif.; Aevolo) left everything on the course to go on to win gold.

After a rain delay, the Junior Men 13-14 took to the 8-kilometer course. On lap one, a crash shattered the field. The main pack had several very active riders who kept launching attacks left and right. It ended up coming down to a bunch sprint, won by Enzo Edmond (Brooklyn, N.Y.; Star Track). “It was pouring, so it was really hard to see, [there were] a lot of attacks, but on the last lap, it slowed down, and I was able to kick it in the sprint.”, said Edmond when asked how the race went down.

The last race of the day was the Junior Men 11-12. With rain sprinkling down, the young juniors were excited and eager to go from the gun. They were all riding incredibly well and managed to stay together for most of the first lap. Riders, one by one, began getting popped off the back, and that’s when riders in the main field established their positions. In a stellar sprint to the line, young rider Matthew Crabbe (Buford, Ga.; Mission Devo Cycling) became the Junior Men’s 11-12 national champion in a photo finish. When asked about his race, Crabbe said he knew going into the day who he needed to watch for, which was exactly what he did!

A huge shoutout goes to all of the riders and spectators that endured challenging weather at today’s venue. It can make for a long day, but it also shows us just how much the sport means to us and all of our racers. Join us tomorrow at Fleming Island for the criterium. The Junior Women 13-14 will kick off the day at 8:00 a.m. E.T. you can check out the full event schedule here. We’ll be live-tweeting on @USACyclingLive and posting the stories on USA Cycling’s Instagram.