Ryan and Elphingstone Win Elite Criterium National Titles at 2026 Pro Road National Championships
The third day of racing at the 2026 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships brought high-speed action to downtown Charleston as the Elite Men and Women took on the technical six-corner criterium course.
Forty-four women lined up for 75 minutes of racing, vying for the national title. Just minutes into the race, Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28 launched the initial attack with a surge from Emily Gilbert (Tucson, Ariz.), who tested the field with the first move of the night. Attacks continued between Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28 and Caldera Medical X Aurea Racing. Every time one made a move, the other would reel it back. Attack after attack, the race was fast and full of energy from the gun. With free laps exhausted and four laps to go, an untimely crash near the back of the field fractured the peloton. With three laps left, teams started setting up for the final sprint, and Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing began to amass at the front. With one lap to go, reigning champion Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif.; Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing) started threading the needle to get in position for the push to the finish. At the final turn, Ryan launched into her sprint and claimed the Stars and Stripes jersey for the seventh time and second year in a row. Olivia Cummins (Fort Collins, Colo.; Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28) crossed the line in second, with her teammate Ella Sabo (Redlands, Calif.; Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28) rounding out the podium in third.
Ryan was complimentary of the effort from her team to help her take the win. She said, “Today, I didn’t have to do anything. My team, they were just on everything, they shared the work evenly, they made sure no one was under the pump, and it was a collective effort. I couldn’t have done it without them. I mean, there were relentless attacks, and they were just on it. I started the race, and as soon as the gun went off, I was like, ‘ok I’m not the National Champion anymore. And I want it back so bad, I want it more than anyone.’ I think I was very relaxed going into today. I just have so much confidence in my team, and I think that helped a lot. I didn’t feel as nervous as maybe I would have without them. As the race went on, I kept looking at the lap counter and thinking I can’t wait to play my part and finish it off for them.”
She went on to say, “It was so fast. It was non-stop attacking. Everyone was hungry today and it showed. I’m just so proud of my team, they were on everything and made sure we stacked the break every time, and made sure that we were just riding really smart.”
The Jack Mason Prime Lap continued to spice up the attacks. Grace Arlandson (Boulder, Colo.; Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment) was a key contributor in the attack exchanges and won herself a new Jack Mason Canton Sapphire watch.
Results:
1. Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif.; Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing)
2. Olivia Cummins (Fort Collins, Colo.; Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28)
3. Ella Sabo (Redlands, Calif.; Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28)
The Elite Men’s race headlined Thursday evening, with a stacked field of 79 riders racing for 90 minutes. The attacks started early on with a group of nine leaders forming 10 minutes into the race. The gap continued to expand throughout the race, growing as big as 55 seconds from the peloton. They fought relentlessly to pull it back, but the lead group held them off for the entirety of the race.
As the finish line reached closer and closer, it became apparent that the peloton was not going to catch the group, and the leaders started racing more strategically with Project Echelon and Modern Adventure Cycling as the only teams with two riders in the group. With three laps to go, Gavin Hlady (Sunnyvale, Calif.; EF Education-Aevolo) was the first to try and break it up, then on the next lap, it was Hugo Scala (Dallas, Texas; Modern Adventure Cycling) trying to do the same. Hlady gave it one last dig on the final lap, but it still came down to a six-up sprint, and Luke Elphingstone (Boulder, Colo.; Project Echelon Racing) raced to the Elite National Title.
After the race, Elphingstone said, “At the start of the year, this was my ‘A’ goal, so I’m just really happy to deliver for the team.” When asked about the breakaway, he said, “Yeah, it was pretty hard when we first went, but the adrenaline was high, and we settled in once we got it to like 55 seconds. With a lap to go, I knew if I just followed the right wheels, I had the sprint to do it.”
Hlady still finished third on the day and also won the Jack Mason Prime Lap, claiming the Pursuit Pro Shadow prize timepiece.
Results:
1. Luke Elphingstone (Boulder, Colo.; Project Echelon Racing)
2. Brody McDonald (Escondido, Calif.; Modern Adventure Pro Cycling)
3. Gavin Hlady (Sunnyvale, Calif.; EF Education - Aevolo)
Tomorrow kicks off the road races through the hills of West Virginia. The Junior Men start at 9:00 AM ET followed by the Junior Women at 1:30 PM ET. Click here for the full event schedule.
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