Saturday was a busy day at Valley Preferred Cycling Center, with omniums for Juniors under 16, elimination races, points races, and keirin rounds for the elite, and 17-18 rides. In total twenty-five, national championship titles were awarded on the fourth day of the 2022 USA Cycling Junior & Elite Track National Championships.
Nine riders started the three-event omnium for the Junior Women 11-12. The multi-race event, consisting of a points race, a 500-meter scratch race, and a three-kilometer scratch race, was dominated by Aine Chen (Del Mar, Calif.; Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24 Devo), who won all three events. Evie Alvarado (Indianapolis; Midwest Devo) earned the silver. Kavya Srinivasan (San Jose, Calif.; San Jose Bicycle Club) rounded out the top three.
Arjuna Burgos (Los Angeles; Boost Cyclesport Junior Team) was king of the Junior Men 11-12 omnium, winning all three of their events. Right behind him was Ari Ebens (New York; Star Track), who took second in all events, earning second overall. Donald Smith (Brighton, Mich.; American Cycling League – Detroit) earned bronze.
Similar to the Junior 11-12 omnium, the 13-14 omnium was comprised of three events; a points race, a 1,000-meter scratch race, and a four-kilometer scratch race. In the Junior Women 13-14, Emma Jimenez-Palos (Novi, Mich.; American Cycling League – Detroit) had a strong performance in all events, earning her the podium's top step. The second and third in the event came down to a tiebreaker between Maya Brothers (Wynnewood, Pa.; T-Town Elite) and Sarah Vargas (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24 Devo). Brothers, with two-second places, took the tiebreaker and the silver. Vargas took home bronze.
The Detroit-based American Cycling League squad took home another stars and stripes jersey, with Cameron Coleman (Detroit, Mich.) claiming the top step of the Junior Men 13-14 Omnium. Noah Shumskas (Pipersville, Pa.; Star Track) gave Coleman a run for his money, winning one of the events, but ultimately ended with the silver. Coleman's teammate, Kash Adamski (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), was third with his performance.
For Junior 15-16 athletes, the omnium consists of four events: a points race, a two-kilometer scratch race, an elimination race, and a five-kilometer scratch race. Edge Cycling rider Reagan Pattishall (Breinigsville, Pa.) commended the event, taking the win in each individual race to earn her the omnium title. Going into the final scratch race Danielle Scoville (Lake Stevens, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) and Alexis Jaramillo (Colorado Springs, Colo.; Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24 Devo) were neck and neck, but Scoville's second in the final scratch race awarded her the silver. Jaramillo took third overall.
On the Junior 15-16 Men's side, it was another jersey for the American Cycling League, with Connell Alford (Chelsea, Mich.) taking the top step of the podium. It was a close event, with Enzo Edmonds (Brooklyn, N.Y.; Star Track Racing) coming close to Alford but unable to overcome him. Edmonds took second, and his teammate Jayden Li (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.) earned the bronze.
Four elimination race championships were awarded during the morning session. Jennifer Valente (San Diego; TWENTY24 Pro Cycling) claimed her third title of this championship in the Elite Women's event. Next, fellow southern California native Chloe Patrick (Carson, Calif.; Serious Cycling) won the Junior Women 17-18 race. Jonah Hover (Allentown, Pa.; Edge Cycling) also added to his jersey collection this week, winning the Junior Men 17-18 events. Finally, Eddy Huntsman (Newport Beach, Calif.; ButcherBox Pro Cycling) beat a 16-rider field to claim the Elite Men's top step of the podium.
After storms postponed the conclusion of the Keirin events from Thursday, it was a motor-paced events time to shine on Sunday night. Divya Verma (Breinigsville, Pa.; Edge Cycling) completed the sprint hattrick with her win in the Junior Women's keirin. She also won the Junior Women's sprints and 500-meter time trial. Verma's Edge Cycling teammate, Finn Koller (Bethlehem, Pa.), sprinted to the line to claim the Junior Men's title. Andrew Chu (Breinigsville, Pa.; Edge Cycling) was victorious in the hotly contested Elite Men's race. The Elite Women's race came down to a knock-down drag-out sprint between Mandy Marquardt (Allentown, Pa.; Team Novo Nordisk) and Valente. Coming out of the final turn, the two riders were neck-and-neck. Valente just edged out Marquardt at the line.
Three jerseys in a day are no small fete, but Valente made it look feasible. In her final event of the competition, the Elite Women's Points Race, Valente controlled the race from the gun, taking top points in every sprint except one. In a highly combative Elite Men's race, Grant Koontz (Nederland, Colo.; Star Track Racing) came out on top. Jonah Hover (Allentown, Pa.; Edge Cycling) & Patrick took the top spots in their respective Junior 17-18 events.
You can watch the replay of last night's session on USA Cycling's YouTube Channel or on USA Cycling's media partner replay channel
