The 2025 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships continued Thursday evening with the twilight criterium events featuring junior and under-23 men and women. Wet conditions, energetic crowds, and a technical downtown course made for an exciting night of racing in Charleston.
As the rain began to fall, the junior women launched into their 45-minute criterium on a slick and technical six corner course. Early in the race, Alyssa Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; dcdevo Racing Academy) surged to the front and quickly opened a gap. Recognizing the danger, Bridget Ciambotti (Charlottesville, Va.; TWENTY28 Aevolo) made the decisive move to bridge across, locking onto Sarkisov’s wheel. The duo worked together to hold their advantage for the remainder of the race, setting up a two-up sprint to the line. Sarkisov sprinted to the win, with Ciambotti taking second, and Bella Kroutil (Bowling Green, Ky.; Fount Cycling Guild) securing the final spot on the podium. “It was an amazing race, I love it here! I was really happy to win this one after finishing second last year. It was just an incredible day,” said Sarkisov.
Results:
1. Alyssa Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; dcdevo Racing Academy)
2. Bridget Ciambotti (Charlottesville, Va.; TWENTY28 Aevolo)
3. Bella Kroutil (Bowling Green, Ky.; Fount Cycling Guild)
As the rain subsided, 77 junior men lined up for 60-minutes of fast-paced criterium action. From the whistle, the race was aggressive as teams immediately worked to launch riders off the front, with Hot Tubes Development and EF Education-ONTO among the early aggressors. By the second lap, the peloton splintered into multiple groups across the course. Three laps in, Hot Tubes teammates Chandler Evans (Crozet, Va.) and Caden Freyre (Redding, Conn.) attacked from the remains of the field to gain a slight advantage. They were soon joined by eight more riders, including race favorite Enzo Hincapie (Greenville, S.C.; EF Education-ONTO), forming a group of 10 riders by the fifth lap. The chasing peloton kept the break within 15 seconds for most of the race. With five laps to go, the break was reeled in, and the field prepared for a field sprint. Hot Tubes set the tempo at the front in the closing laps to position their sprinter. With perfect execution, Enzo Edmonds (Brooklyn, N.Y.; Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team) launched his sprint out of the last corner and took the win by over two bike lengths. Hincapie held on for second, while Maddox Simmons (Glen Carbon, Ill.; White Space Bikes) rounded out the podium for third.
Surrounded by proud teammates, an excited Edmonds said, “This race means a lot to me. I was here last year and I sacrificed myself for the team so we could get the win and today I asked the boys to do the same thing for me. We made the call to bring back the break because I was feeling really good and confident in my sprint today.”
Results:
1. Enzo Edmonds (Brooklyn, N.Y.; Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team)
2. Enzo Hincapie (Greenville, S.C.; EF Education-ONTO)
3. Maddox Simmons (Glen Carbon, Ill.; White Space Bikes)
Following the junior races, 29 riders lined up for the under-23 women’s 50-minute race. Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group) delivered the ride of the day, attacking 10 minutes into the race and never looking back. Her CCB p/b Levine Law Group teammates executed a flawless strategy, controlling the field to ensure no one bridged across.
“Today went exactly to plan,” said Hickey. “We wanted to make the race hard, and with our numbers, we figured the best way was to get someone off the front. I didn’t expect to be solo from ten minutes in, but I had full support from my teammates. Honestly, I owe it to them. I’m just so proud, this is my first individual U23 title.”
In the sprint for silver, Mia Aseltine (Littleton, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing) narrowly edged out Kenna Pfeiffer (Oviedo, Fla.; Aegis Cycling Foundation), who claimed the bronze.
Results:
1. Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; CCB P/B Levine Law Group)
2. Mia Aseltine (Littleton, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing)
3. Kenna Pfeiffer (Oviedo, Fla.; Aegis Cycling Foundation)
With a 9:50 PM start, the under-23 men raced for 90-minutes under the lights, vying for the National Title. Kelly Benefits Cycling quickly took control at the front, setting the pace for most of the race. 40 minutes into the race, a crash split up the field. Once the group got back together, the rain started coming down again. One more crash would disrupt the race again, but that didn’t stop Kelly Benefits from strategizing with their nine person squad to try to be first across the line. The team was well-positioned going into the last lap, but it was Luke Fetzer (Laguna Beach, Calif.; Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire) who outsprinted the 2024 Junior 17-18 winner, Alejandro Che (Torrance, Calif.; Kelly Benefits Cycling) for the win. Luke Elphingstone (Boulder, Colo.; Kelly Benefits Cycling) finished the bunch sprint with bronze.
After the race, Fetzer said, “That was insane. The rain started coming down. I love my rainy crits, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. That was a fairytale ending. I couldn’t be more happy to come away with the Stars and Stripes.”
Results:
1. Luke Fetzer (Laguna Beach, Calif.; Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire)
2. Alejandro Che (Torrance, Calif.; Kelly Benefits Cycling)
3. Luke Elphingstone (Boulder, Colo.; Kelly Benefits Cycling)
Racing continues on Friday night with the Elite Women’s Criterium at 6:30 PM ET followed by the Elite Men’s Criterium at 8:00 PM ET. Watch the full night of racing live on FloBikes.
Follow along throughout the week on social media @USACycling, along with the live timing and livestream on FloBikes. Learn more about how to watch the events here. A full list of results can be found here.
USA Cycling's supporting partner for this event includes HOVERAir, the Official Flying Camera of USA Cycling, who shares our mission to elevate the sport and inspire the next generation of cyclists.
