The 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Championships continued Saturday with the Junior Women, U23 Men, and Elite Women. Team USA arrived on site ready to take on the muddy course. After the Junior Women’s race, the conditions changed dramatically, which resulted in many of the features that were once rideable turning into runups.
“They really had a lot of fun out there pushing themselves to the max and just laying it all out on the line. The course was energy zapping, our athletes really had to grind it out. I am exceedingly proud of this crew. They seized the day,” said Geoff Proctor from the EuroCrossAcademy, USA Cycling’s Cyclocross Program Partner.
Vida Lopez de San Roman (Sebastopol, Calif.; Bear National Team) was the top finisher for Team USA, coming in sixth. Lopez de San Roman was riding in eighth but fought hard to gain positions. After falling back into ninth position she focused on moving forward and eventually was in the lead group that finished in a sprint with Dutch rider, Mae Capaca.
When asked about her race, Lopez de San Roman said, “The race went pretty well. It was a hard battle. I fought the whole time. There was a group of three switching back and forth between positions then I made two or three passes on the last lap and a half and fought super hard toward the end. I am happy with my effort and my result. In the end, even though I was hoping for a little more today, I fought my very hardest and that’s what matters."
Lidia Cusack (Chevy Chase, Md.; CXD Trek Bikes), a first year 17-18, finished in the 17th. She moved her way through the field after starting towards the back. Team USA’s
Alyssa Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; CXD Trek Bikes) and Alyssa White (Elkins, W.V.; Finkraft Junior Cycling Team) battled together most of the race finishing in 25th and 26th. Jorja Bond (Louisville, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling) finished up the day in 35th.
“I feel really good about today,” continued Proctor. “All of our Junior Women rode hard and just put in a super solid effort to really make things build and grow for the program. I am excited about how much they put into this year. Vida was right there all year in the top 5-10 riders, to finish off the year with a sixth was just the culmination of so many things. We took it step by step, as we did with all the riders.”
1. Celia Gery (FRA)
2. Cat Ferguson (GBR)
3. Viktoria Chladonova (SLO)
6. Vida Lopez de San Roman (USA)
17. Lidia Cusack (USA)
25. Alyssa Sarkisov (USA)
26. Alyssa White (USA)
35. Jorja Bond (USA)
Next up was the U23 Men’s race where four riders took to the course for Team USA. Andrew Strohmeyer (Mount Airy, Md.; CXD Trek Bikes), the top finisher for the team was in third going into the second corner of the race but ended up crashing which resulted in a multi rider pileup. He would then have to battle back from the 35th position, ultimately ending the day in 16th.
After the race, Strohmeyer said ”The start of the race was great, I was right on Tibor [Del Grosso]’s wheel. I was right where I wanted to be in third, comfortable. We came off the pavement right into the grass. It’s a treacherous turn. All your momentum is going left, and the fence comes in on the right. There were still some frozen ruts. My front wheel got in a rut and my back wheel missed it. There wasn’t anything I could do. We hit the grass and as soon as we did, my bike was out from underneath me and I couldn’t really do anything. From that point, I heard I was in last, and I just put my head down and pushed to see how far I could make it through the field. Still an okay result given the circumstances.”
Marcis Shelton (Mill Valley, Calif.), Dylan Zakrajsek (Grand Junction, Colo.), and Jules Van Kempen (Chapel Hill, N.C.; Cervelo / OrangeLiving) rounded out the race for Team USA in 24th, 28th, and 39th respectively.
1. Tibor Del Grosso (NED)
2. Emiel Verstrynge (BEL)
3. Jente Michels (BEL)
16. Andrew Strohmeyer (USA)
24. Marcis Shelton (USA)
28. Dylan Zakrajsek (USA)
39. Jules Van Kempen (USA)
The Elite Women’s race was fast and furious from the start. The elites were the last to go and the mud dried out throughout the day making the course extremely slow with heavy mud.
Clara Honsinger (Portland, Ore.; S&M Racing) was the top American finisher in eighth place. After the race she said, “Today, it really was just about metering your effort and putting those digs in when you could. Lots of running and a lot of getting off the bike at the right time. For me, it was about remaining calm through a bit of the chaos of the first few laps and doing the best that I could. I was in a small group fighting for eighth or ninth, I think, all kinds of trading places. Finally on the last lap, I heard our coach, Grant [Holicky], on the sidelines say, ‘Everything you got on the next two climbs,’ so I went all out. The second climb, Grant said, ‘Everything from the crosswalk to the top.’ I knew there was no point in saving anything, so I just went all the way to the top and tried to carry it on down without making any mistakes. I am happy with the result.”
Raylyn Nuss (Lawrence, Kan.; Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) was the next American in the Elite Women’s field finishing in 26th place.
1. Fem Van Empel (NED)
2. Lucinda Brand (NED)
3. Puck Pieterse (NED)
8. Clara Honsinger (USA)
26. Raylyn Nuss (USA)
Tomorrow is the last day of the event where the Junior Men, U23 Women, and Elite Men will compete for the rainbow stripes. Watch it live on FloBikes.
