Day one of the 2021 USA Cycling Junior, Elite, and Para-cycling Track National Championships saw multiple titles awarded at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Breinigsville, Pa.
The day started off with the 200-meter sprint tournament qualification rides, where Finn Koller (Bethlehem, Pa.; Edge Cycling) would clock 10.993 seconds, as the fastest time for the Junior Men. On the women’s side, Mia Deye (Geigertown, Pa. Star Track Cycling) would set the fastest time with 12.025 seconds.
John Croom (Colorado Springs, Colo.; Contravans), beat the track record in the individual pursuit qualifier finishing in a time of 4:27.438.
In the Elite Men's Kilo, James Alvord (Allentown, Pa.) made his hometown proud by taking home the win after finishing in a time of 1:05.382. When asked about his standout performance he said he was "totally speechless".
In the Men's 17-18 Sprint Final, Finn Koller (Bethlehem, Pa.; Edge Cycling) won gold in a race against Jacob Evans (Macungie, Pa.; Gotham Cyclists). During the Women's 17-18 Sprint Final Mia Deye (Geigertown, Pa. Star Track Cycling) took home the win. Koller and Deye are both Junior World's hopefuls.
In the Elite Women's 500m Final multi-time national champion Mandy Marquardt (Allentown, Pa.; Team Novo Nordisk) sprinted her way to not only a track record but a stars and stripes jersey.
"I had a track record that was unexpected, so that felt pretty good. It feels awesome to be a national champion, it's always nice to wear the red, white, and blue. It's been a tough year in a lot of ways so it feels really good to earn this and to continue training and building. My teammates are all getting ready for Tokyo and I wish them all the best, I'll be cheering them all on." said Marquardt after her impressive performance.
The Men's 17-18 Point Race was action-packed. Dakota Stein (Orwigsburg, Pa.; Edge Cycling) and Antonio Rossi (San Diego, Calif.; Icademy) were neck and neck until the very last sprint. Stein went on to beat Rossi and ended up winning the overall omnium.
The Women's 17-18 Points Race was dominated by Kaia Schmid (Marblehead, Mass.; Lux Sideshow p/b Specialized). She won the overall omnium after lapping the field and out sprinting the lapped riders in the last sprint. Schmid will be racing in the Elite races tomorrow.
Our last races of the evening were our Men's and Women's Elite Pursuit Finals. Elizabeth Stevenson (Rochester Hills, Mich.; American Cycling League - Detroit) won over Bethany Matsick (Warrington, Pa.; Liberty University) in an evening showdown. John Croom (Bethlehem, Pa.; Edge Cycling) completed the day on the top step in the Men's 4-kilometer Pursuit after snagging a track record earlier in the day.
Racing continues tomorrow morning with our Men's and Women's Keirin and Elimination races.
You can follow the action on USA Cycling’s @usacyclinglive Twitter account as well as the @usacycling Instagram account.
You can find full results by clicking here.
