The 2024 USA Cycling Cross-Country Mountain Bike National Championships concluded on Sunday with the Short Track races. Clear skies greeted the riders, spectators, and staff to end a great week of racing at Bear Creek Mountain Resort. All the categories of the day would race 20-minutes on the same fast and curvy course.
In Masters Men 40+, Seth Zaluski (Boynton Beach, Fla.) pushed a blistering pace up the start hill and initiated a break of seven riders in the first lap. The group would dwindle to four riders after attacks from Corey Stelljes (Madison, Wis.; Neff Cycle Service). Stelljes attacked into the last lap, but it was Jake Hollenbach (Richmond, Vt.; Velocio Northeast) who would come out of the woods in first and power to the win. Stelljes would hold on to silver finishing 3-seconds behind.
A group of six rode to the front of the Masters Men’s 30-39 race. Gus Michaels (Brevard, N.C.; Dirt Camp Racing) controlled the front for the first lap, but three lead changes occurred during the 20-minute, 4-lap race. Cory Peterson (Annapolis, Md.; Annapolis Bicycle Racing Team), showing great form from his XCO win on Friday, attacked late into the third lap and rode to claim his second National Title of the week. Michaels held on to second place.
In Masters Women 30+, the 35-39 XCO National Champion, Teresa Laird (Richmond, Va.; Carborocket), and 45-49 XCO National Champion, Kristen Smith (San Clemente, Calif.; BagHouse), rode away from the field and worked together for the first lap. Laird pulled away from Smith on the second lap and continued to ride her own race to the finish, claiming her second gold of the week.
A smiling Paula Coyos (Elkridge, Md.; Patapsco Bicycles/Knobby by Nature) was content to ride her own race in the Amateur Women 19-29. However, a determined Wren Capra (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Avout Racing) would not make the day easy for Coyos as she put on the pressure and ate away at Coyos’ lead with each pedal stroke. Wren was able to overtake Coyos on the final lap and took home the Stars and Stripes jersey.
Relentless accelerations had riders dropping off the pace each lap in the Amateur Men’s 19-29 race. On the final lap, Jordan Porter (St. George, Utah; ACCEL Cycling) launched out of the remaining group to take the National Title, his second of the week.
The Junior Women’s 15-16 race was the day’s first championship event, and 38 riders lined up at the start. Through the first lap, a group of three formed, led by Zanna Logar (Davis, W.Va.; The Gravity Collective), Raina Logar (Davis, W.Va.; The Gravity Collective), and Friday’s XCO National Champion, Aida Linton (Missoula, Mont.; Bear National Team). A strung-out line of chasers followed close behind. Going into the fourth and final lap, Linton made the decisive move and won her second National Title of the week. Z. Logar took silver and R. Logar earned bronze.
The Junior Men’s 15-16 race had the largest field of the day with 76 starters. It was a hectic start but once things calmed down, a group of 16 formed at the front. With temperatures and humidity increasing as the day progressed, riders took more time to recover after the hard accelerations. On the last lap, Michael Ziomek (Albuquerque, N.M.; Bear National Team) launched an attack and sprinted to the line to the win the Stars and Stripes. Logan Drevlow (Golden Valley, Minn.) finished second and Rowan Nistal (Boise, Idaho; National Bear Team) rounded it out in third.
A field of 42 talented riders lined up for the Junior Women’s 17-18 race. There was a feeling of déjà vu in the crowd as the top three from Saturday’s XCO race, Vida Lopez de San Roman (Petaluma, Calif.; Bear National Team), Alice Hoskins (Charlottesville, Va.; The Gravity Collective), and Ingrid McElroy (Danville, Pa.; Bear National Team), immediately went to the front. Hoskins controlled the pace and hit the singletrack first. Early in the 20-minute race, Maddie Fischer (Midlothian, Va.; WE Development) and Estelle Slingsby (Asheville, N.C.; The Gravity Academy) were the only riders able to keep up with the leaders’ pace. Ultimately, Fischer and Slingsby lost pace on the third lap after an acceleration by Lopez de San Roman. Hoskins tried to put in a dig up the hill on the last lap, but Roman was too strong, and she sprinted to the finish to win her second National Title of the week. Hoskins crossed the line 2-seconds later and claimed silver. McElroy rounded out the podium with bronze.
The Junior Men 17-18 would be one of the most exciting races of the day. From the whistle, there was a fury of attacks, dwindling the field down to around 10 riders by the third lap of the five-lap race. With one lap to go, River Valdez (Sedona, Ariz.; Bear National Team) put in a huge effort for his teammates with Oliver Welcker (Boise, Idaho; Bear National Team) staving off a chasing pack. It came down to a group sprint where Welcker and Nicholas Konecny (Breckenridge, Colo.; Bear National Team) finished just feet apart in first and second, respectively. Colin O’Neil (Franklin, Tenn.; The Gravity Collective) rounded out the podium in third.
The U23 Men’s race was a hard-fought battle from the start. Last year’s Junior Men’s 17-18 National Champion, Dan English (San Ramon, Calif.; Santa Cruz RockShox) took the early lead, but would fall off the pace going into lap two. The Bear National Team train took control of the race after the second lap. It all came down to a group sprint where Carson Hampton (Boise, Idaho; Bear National Team) and Toby Hassett (Golden, Colo.; Bear National Team) went head-to-head with Landen Stovall (Eagle, Colo.; Bear National Team) right on their heels. Hampton crossed the line first to win his second National Title of the week. Bear National Team swept the podium with Hassett claiming silver and Stovall earning Bronze.
In the U23 Women’s race, Greta Kilburn (Burlington, Vt.; Bicycle Express Racing) rode at the front nearly the entire race with Makena Kellerman (Escondido, Calif.; Bear National Team), Sofia Waite (Durango, Colo.; WE Development), and Bayli McSpadden (Vail, Colo.; Bear National Team) in tow. Kilburn pushed hard into the third lap and dropped Waite and McSpadden. Waite went into damage control, kept the duo in sight, and slowly clawed back time. In the last half-lap, Waite made contact and was able to outsprint Kilburn for the National Title. Kellerman would take third.
With the heat and humidity peaking, the Elite Women were ready to battle it out for the coveted Stars and Stripes jersey. In the first lap, a lead group of five formed containing; Kelsey Urban (Kentfield, Calif.; Team 31), Kate Courtney (Portola Valley, Calif.; Scott-SRAM MTB Race Team), Gwendalyn Gibson (Waterloo, Wis.; Trek Factory Racing – Pirelli), Madigan Munro (Waterloo, Wis.; Trek Factory Racing – Pirelli), and Bailey Cioppa (Durango, Colo.; Bear National Team). On the fourth lap, Courtney attempted an attack, but was quickly brought back by the group on the hill. In the final stretch, it was Urban, Courtney, and Gibson fighting for victory. Urban gained a small advantage through the last turn and won her second National Title of the week. Courtney claimed silver, and Gibson took bronze.
When Urban was asked how it feels to win two National Titles, she replied, “It feels really good. I’ve been on a patience journey, and I think it’s a testament to accepting the timeline and trying to enjoy the little wins along the way, and focusing on sensation more than a result, and trusting that if I’m hitting those sensation pieces and working on little process goals, the results end up coming.”
1. Kelsey Urban (Kentfield, Calif.; Team 31)
2. Kate Courtney (Portola Valley, Calif.; Scott-SRAM MTB Race Team)
3. Gwendalyn Gibson (Waterloo, Wis.; Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli)
The Elite Men would take the line in the final race of the day. The field mostly stayed together during the first lap. The action started on lap two when Bjorn Riley (Boulder, Colo.; Trek Future Racing) and Robbie Day (Evergreen, Colo.; Bear National Team) went clear with a small gap. Riley took that opportunity to push hard, distance himself from Day, and ride in solo for his second National Title of the week. Day laid it all out on the course today to limit his losses and came in only 11-seconds down to earn silver. Devon Feehan (Windsor, N.Y.; Chenango Point Cycles) would have another stellar race and claimed the bronze medal.
Riley wasn’t immune to today’s heat saying, “My strategy really was going with two laps to go [on the hill] carrying speed and passing. But Day went through, and we had a small gap so I thought I would take that opportunity to really go hard and see if I could, if anything, get a small gap so I could recover a little…and go again.” While pouring water over his head, Riley continued, “I noticed I felt pretty good, and I was getting a gap, so I thought I might as well keep it going. But then it kind of came back to bite me because the last two laps I was suffering a lot more. In a lot of the World Cups, you wait for the last two laps, and they hurt, but they aren’t super deep, I think I dug a little too deep, just lucky that there wasn’t another lap.”
1. Bjorn Riley (Boulder, Colo.; Trek Future Racing)
2. Robbie Day (Evergreen, Colo.; Bear National Team)
3. Devon Feehan (Windsor, N.Y.; Chenango Point Cycles)
Rider results for the 2024 USA Cycling Cross-Country Mountain Bike National Championships can be found here.
Thank you for tuning in for another year of Cross-Country Mountain Bike Nationals!
Photo By: First Place Photo
