After an electric Friday evening of racing, riders returned to downtown Charleston for the Under-23 Men’s and Women’s Road Races. For many athletes, it marked their third day of racing this week, and the climbs pushed them to their absolute limits. The race began with two laps of the junior course, featuring the Wertz climb, before crossing to the opposite side of the river to tackle the punishing Bridge Road climb several more times. The under-23 women completed five total laps, while the under-23 men faced seven.
Thirty-one athletes rolled out for the start of the Women’s Under-23 Road Race, facing 92.6 kilometers of challenging terrain in the hills of West Virginia. With punchy climbs and a selective course, endurance and mental resilience would prove to be incredibly important. Early on, several riders tested their legs with attacks on the relentless hills. Lizzy Gunsalus (Ashland, Mass.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group) and Kylee Hanel (Portland, Ore.; Aegis Cycling Foundation – Texas) were the first to go off the front, but their efforts were quickly reeled in. As the race settled in, a group of 10 riders emerged, showing their strength on the climbs and shaping the day’s decisive moves.
Mia Aseltine (Littleton, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing) opened a small gap on the third ascent of Bridge Road, briefly gaining separation. Later, with one lap to go, Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group) launched a bold attack in a final effort to stay clear. Ultimately, the race came back together in the final kilometers, setting the stage for a high-speed field sprint. Ella Sabo (Redlands, Calif.; Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24) came out on top, capping off a tactical and hard-fought race.
“From the gun, we kept it steady up the climbs and dropped a few riders every time,” Sabo said. “Once we finally hit the big climb on Bridge Road the tempo picked up, and we just kept shedding people off the back. The second time up, Cassidy [Hickey] launched an attack over the top and held a decent gap for about half a lap. We worked together to slowly bring her back, my teammate did a lot of work there, and I’m super thankful.”
Heading into the final lap, the front group was still intact. “We went really hard up the climb, but it stayed together. After that, it became a bit of a cat-and-mouse game all the way to the line. My teammate kept the pace high and launched a few attacks to discourage other teams from organizing. When it came down to a sprint, I knew I had a good shot. I’ve really been working on my sprint. Out of the last corner, someone opened it up and I jumped on. When I felt it was the right moment, I launched, and didn’t look back,” said Sabo.
1. Ella Sabo (Redlands, Calif.; Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28)
2. Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group)
3. Kaia Schmid (Marblehead, Mass.; Liv-AlUla-Jayco)
Perfect conditions greeted the 85 athletes lining up for the 135-kilometer Men’s Under-23 Road Race. The action kicked off early, with a breakaway forming after the first lap. Alexander Scopinich-Burgel (Concord, Mass.; Kelly Benefits Strategies),Luke Mosteller (Tunnel Hill, Ga.; Team California p/b Verge), and Luke Pharis (Austin, Texas; Team Skyline) pushed clear of the peloton, quickly building a gap of over a minute. Their lead steadily grew to nearly four minutes before the peloton began to organize and chip away at the margin about an hour into the race. By the end of lap four, the group began to splinter, Pharis was the first to drop on the Bridge Road climb, leaving Scopinich-Burgel and Mosteller out front.
As lap five began, Otis Engel (Mertztown, Pa.; Team California p/b Verge) bridged up to Pharis in a renewed attempt to escape, but the peloton soon reeled them both back in. The course continued to take its toll, with riders steadily dropping off the back through each climb. Just past the halfway mark, 56 riders remained in the main field. With two laps to go, Mosteller made a solo move on the Bridge Road climb, distancing Scopinich-Burgel and going all-in. But with the peloton in full pursuit and the pace surging, his advantage was short-lived. He was brought back into the fold as the field surged forward.
After more than three hours of trading attacks and tackling unforgiving climbs, the race came down to a dramatic sprint finish.Gavin Hlady (Riverside, Calif.; EF Education - Aevolo) surged out of the final corner with a powerful kick and held his speed all the way to the line, claiming the National Title. Dylan Zakrajsek (Grand Junction, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing) powered through for second, while Alfredo Bueno (Lakewood, Calif.; L39ION of Los Angeles) secured the bronze.
"It was a pretty awesome race. We had four of us in the final group of 15 or so. All the boys were ripping, said Hlady. “I got the lucky position right at the end. I'm pretty excited."
1. Gavin Hlady (Riverside, Calif.; EF Education - Aevolo)
2. Dylan Zakrajsek (Grand Junction, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing)
3. Alfredo Bueno (Lakewood, Calif.; L39ION of Los Angeles)
Road racing continues tomorrow with the Junior Men at 8:00 AM ET and then the Junior Women at 12:30 PM ET.
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.
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.
