On the penultimate day of the 2023 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships, massive junior fields brought exciting showdowns. With course conditions changing rapidly, from slick in the morning to wet around lunchtime, and finishing with a mud-fest for the final races, the racing proved to be dynamic and challenging for all of the athletes. David Thompson (New Canaan, Conn.; Finkraft Junior Cycling Team) added another trophy to his collection this season, winning the Junior Men 17-18. In the Junior Women 17-18, Vida Lopez de San Roman (Sebastopol, Calif.; Bear CX National Team) pulled away with two laps to go and continued to pull away until crossing the finish line and adding a Stars and Stripes jersey to her collection.
In the exciting Junior Men's 11-12 race, the spectators witnessed an impressive display of talent as 42 determined junior athletes toed the start line. Amongst them, Chase O’Donnell (Delmar, N.Y.; Capital Bicycle Racing p/b Steiners Sports) emerged as the top rider, securing the national title by gapping his peers by almost 30 seconds on the shortened red course. Second place, Braden Meegan (Littleton, Colo.; Avout Racing), also put in an impressive ride, finishing 41 seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
1. Chase O’Donnell (Delmar, N.Y.; Capital Bicycle Racing p/b Steiners Sports)
2. Braden Meegan (Littleton, Colo.; Avout Racing)
3. Nils Stevenson (Samammish, Wash.; Team Booger)
4. Charles Principe (Rochester, N.Y.; Minuteman | Empire Automation)
5. Peter Muffels (Kensington, Md.; Rock Creek Velo)
The Junior Women 11-12 competed for a total of six laps on the red course. Ending her day on top was Hannah Dinolfo (Troy, N.Y.; Capital Bicycle Racing p/b Steiners Sports). Dinolfo competed against junior women from around the nation to earn the coveted Stars and Stripes jersey. Her teammate Lillian Hanna (Rexford, N.Y.; Capital Bicycle Racing p/b Steiners Sports) finished in second. Dahlia Hair (Rockville, Md.; Rock Creek Velo) rounded out the podium in third.
1. Hannah Dinolfo (Troy, N.Y.; Capital Bicycle Racing p/b Steiners Sports)
2. Lillian Hanna (Rexford, N.Y.; Capital Bicycle Racing p/b Steiners Sports)
3. Dahlia Hair (Rockville, Md.; Rock Creek Velo)
4. Paige Holden (Edmonds, Wash.; NWCX Project)
5. Gemma Edwards (Asheville, N.C.; Velocious Sport)
Seventy-five Junior Men 13-14 took to the 2.5-kilometer green course. During the highly competitive race, Mazen Lazar (Baltimore, Md.; Baltimore Youth Cycling) and Severin McCarter (Lawrence, Kansas; Move Up Cycling Club) went back and forth during the entirety of the race. In an exciting game of cat and mouse, Lazar and McCarter left it all out on the course until the very end, with Lazar winning by only a few seconds.
1. Mazen Lazar (Baltimore, Md.; Baltimore Youth Cycling)
2. Severin McCarter (Lawrence, Kansas; Move Up Cycling Club)
3. Lukas Young (APO; AA Drink Young Lions)
4. John Papadakis (Ellicott City, Md.; Baltimore Youth Cycling)
5. Baxter Caress (Chapel Hill, N.C.; NCTC)
The eagerly anticipated rainstorm hit Louisville just as the Junior Women 13-14 were starting. The course went from fast and dry, to slick and technical after just a few minutes. It was no match for Lillian O’Donnell (Delmar, N.Y.; Finkraft Junior Cycling Team) who led the race from the beginning. She would extend her lead to over a minute and a half.
1. Lillian O’Donnell (Delmar, N.Y.; Finkraft Junior Cycling Team
2. Camille Culbertson (Zion Crossroads, Va.; Blue Ridge Cross)
3. Leah Morozowich (Scottsdale, Ariz.; Durango Devo)
4. Elena Svenstrup (Tiverton, R.I.; AP Junior Development p/b Corner Cycle)
5. Anna Morozowich (Scottsdale, Ariz.; Durango Devo)
In the Junior Men 15-16 race, the second-round of rain held off, but the course stayed slick. An early battle started between Matthew Crabbe (Buford, Ga.; Finkraft Junior Cycling Team) and Isaiah Culbreath (Tulsa, Okla.; Oklahoma Flyers). The duo kept the pace high, and Culbreath started to fade while Crabbe kept charging with two laps to go. Crabbe held on to the lead to take back-to-back National Titles in his last year of racing the 15-16 age group. Right behind was the fight for bronze where Kian Reid (Wenatchee, Wash.; Team Booger) beat Ethan Brown (Fishers, Ind.; Midwest Devo) at the line.
1. Matthew Crabbe (Buford, Ga.; Finkraft Junior Cycling Team)
2. Isaiah Culbreath (Tulsa, Okla.; Oklahoma Flyers)
3. Kian Reid (Wenatchee, Wash.; Team Booger)
4. Ethan Brown (Fishers, Ind.; Midwest Devo)
5. Jacob Hines (Catonsville, Md.; Baltimore Youth Cycling)
The Junior Women brought a dynamic race to Joe Creason Park with a dual between Kira Mullins (Littleton, Colo.; Bear National Team) and Delaney Meegan (Littleton, Colo.; Avout Racing). The two riders went back and forth lap after lap. It came down to a sprint at the line where Mullins timed her attack perfectly to take back-to-back National Titles.
1. Kira Mullins (Littleton, Colo.; Bear National Team)
2. Delaney Meegan (Littleton, Colo.; Avout Racing)
3. Ada Watson (Carrboro, N.C.; NCTC)
4. Hadley Molnar (Cary, N.C.; Blue Ridge Cross)
5. Laura Carlin (Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Donovan Racing Development)
Joshua Strong (Glendale, Ariz.; Boltcutter Cycles / The Heavy Pedal / Bivo) started off strong for the Non-Binary category. Their first lap and a half was spent off the front going full throttle, but Mei Zhao (Azusa, Calif.; Mild Wolf CC) was coming up strong from behind. After Strong dropped a chain after the limestone steps with two laps left Zhao put down a hard effort and made their way to the lead. They powered forward making few mistakes and maintained their lead to the finish line, winning the National Title.
1. Mei Zhao (Azusa, Calif.; Mild Wolf CC)
2. Joshua Strong (Glendale, Ariz.; Boltcutter Cycles / The Heavy Pedal / Bivo)
3. Sam Hansen (Ypsilanti, Mich.; Ann Arbor Velo Club)
4. Uriah Pittman (West Allis. Wis.; Gelbbrucke – Spirt of Sport)
5. Iris Roth (Oceanside, N.Y.; Star Track)
The Junior Men 17-18 brought one of the best battles of the day with Miles Mattern (Rochester, N.Y.; CXD Trek Bikes) and David Thompson (New Canaan, Conn.; Finkraft Junior Cycling Team) duking it out over five laps on the extended black course. The two were off the front before the race passed the first pit during the first lap. On lap two, Thompson slid out in the mud leaving Mattern with the slight advantage as they went out on their second lap. Thompson was able to close the gap and the two continued to exchange the lead for the remainder of the race. Thompson eventually started pulling away taking the National Title.
After the race, Thompson said, “Good race today for me. The rain definitely mixed things up in the middle, but I honestly found it maybe a little bit grippier as the rain started to fall. I made a slight mistake on the second lap which left me chasing for a lap or two. I just stayed calm and slowly made my way back up to the wheel. From there, I just went all in, made the difference, and got the gap, and was able to hold it to the line.”
1. David Thompson (New Canaan, Conn.; Finkraft Junior Cycling Team)
2. Miles Mattern (Rochester, N.Y.; CXD Trek Bikes)
3. Henry Coote (Manchester, Mass.; Competitive Edge Racing)
In the final race of the day, the skies opened up causing a massive shift in course conditions. The Junior Women 17-18 dealt with the slickest and muddiest conditions of the day. Two riders were able to battle the conditions and break away from the rest of the field. In the last half of the race, Vida Lopez de San Roman (Sebastopol, Calif.; Bear CX National Team) pulled away from Alyssa White (Elkins, W.V.; Finkraft Junior Cycling Team) and never looked back. Lopez de San Roman earned gold in her last year racing in the 17-18 category.
Lopez de San Roman said, “The race went well as these are some of my favorite conditions - super rainy and muddy. It was a good battle between Alyssa and I, but she made a little mistake and I was able to pull away.”
1. Vida Lopez de San Roman (Sebastopol, Calif.; Bear CX National Team)
2. Alyssa White (Elkins, W.V.; Finkraft Junior Cycling Team)
3. Jorja Bond (Boulder, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling)
Only one more day of the 2023 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships remains. The event will conclude on Sunday with the U23 Men, U23 Women, Under-10, Elite Men, and Elite Women. A full list of results can be found here. All races scheduled for Sunday will be livestreamed on USA Cycling’s official media partner, FloBikes. You can find information on how to watch the stream here.
For more information about the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships, please visit https://cxnats.usacycling.org.
