Sarkisov and Barry Earn Under-23 Road Race Titles at 2026 Pro Road Nationals
On the penultimate day of racing at the 2026 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships, fans lined the course to watch the Under-23 Men and Women take on their road races. For many athletes, it marked their third day of racing this week, and the climbs pushed their limits. Riders would first complete two laps of the junior course, featuring the Wertz climb, before transitioning to the expanded course, featuring the punishing Bridge Road climb on the opposite side of the river, for the remaining laps. The Under-23 Women completed five total laps, while the Under-23 Men faced seven laps.
The Under-23 Women lined up to battle for 92.6 kilometers through challenging terrain and punchy climbs. The action kicked off early, with a breakaway forming after the first lap. Jorja Bond (Golden, Colo.; CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group), Ella Brenneman (Gibsonia, Penn.; CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group), and Chloe Fraser (Grand Junction, Colo.; Team Winston Salem - Flow) pushed clear of the peloton, quickly building a gap of over two minutes by the end of lap two. During lap three, the first lap of the expanded circuit, the peloton began to chip away at that margin. By the Wertz climb of lap four, the lead group began to splinter; Brenneman was the first to drop, leaving Fraser and Bond out front.
With one lap to go, Fraser and Bond were positioned 54 seconds ahead of Brenneman, and nearly two minutes ahead of the peloton. After nearly three hours of unforgiving climbs and tactical efforts, the race came down to an incredibly strategic last lap. Heading up the Bridge Road climb for the final time, Katherine Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group) launched a bold attack. Assisted by a massive pull from Brenneman, Sarkisov bridged the peloton on the crest of Bridge Road, went on to catch the leaders on the Wertz climb, and ultimately crossed the finish line solo, winning the Stars and Stripes jersey. Bond powered through the line 37 seconds later, claiming silver. Fraser’s hard-fought efforts secured her the bronze medal.
“The race went super well. We really followed our team plan,” Sarkisov said. “We got two girls up super early within 3k, and that move stayed away until pretty much the last lap. During the Bridge climb on the last lap, I was able to catch one of my teammates, EB [Ella Brenneman], who was up the road. She gave me the pull of her life just over the crest of the climb to really get the gap extended. Then it was just solo until the Wertz climb, and there I caught the last two girls and was able to get a gap. My teammate Jorja, who was in the move all day, finished second, so it was really an amazing day for the team.”
Results:
1. Katherine Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group)
2. Jorja Bond (Golden, Colo.; CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group),
3. Chloe Fraser (Grand Junction, Colo.; Team Winston Salem - Flow)
Perfect conditions greeted the 95 athletes rolling out for the 135-kilometer Under-23 Men’s Road Race. Beckam Drake (Amarillo, Texas; The Parks Law Firm All-Stars) was the first to make a move, breaking away on lap one, with Marcis Shelton (Mill Valley, Calif.; Competitive Edge Racing) and Alexander Scopinich-Burgel (Concord, Mass.; Kelly Benefits Cycling) on a short-lived chase. Drake’s lead steadily grew to over two minutes, and he remained the solo leader up until the final lap. As the race wore on, each lap shed more riders from the back, and with three to go, less than half of the riders remained in the field.
During the sixth lap, a strong chase group formed with six riders, pushing hard toward Drake, including: Ashlin Barry (Boulder, Colo.; Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development), Garret Beshore (Longmont, Colo.; Meridian Racing p/b de la Uz), Noah Shelton (Mill Valley, Calif.; Kelly Benefits Cycling), Marcis Shelton (Mill Valley, Calif.; Competitive Edge Racing), Owen Cole (Chapel Hill, N.C.; Team Winston Salem), and Alfredo Bueno Jr. (Inglewood, Calif.; EF Education - Aevolo).
On the last lap, Drake could not hold off the chase group and was absorbed. It was all the group of six charging hard. By the time the riders were back on Kanawha Boulevard heading toward the finish, it was a two-up sprint between M. Shelton and Barry. Barry would edge him out to take the National Title. The race was not over from there. It was another four-up sprint for the bronze with Brendan Luongo (Santa Barbara, Calif.; Kelly Benefits Cycling) rounding out the podium.
After the race, Barry said, “It was an awesome day to say the least. Two of us went to the line together. It was a super hard race the whole day. The group just kept getting smaller up the two climbs. I went to the line with one other rider and was able to take him in the sprint, so I’m super happy with that.”
Results:
1. Ashlin Barry (Boulder, Colo.; Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development)
2. Marcis Shelton (Mill Valley, Calif.; Competitive Edge Racing)
3. Brendan Luongo (Santa Barbara, Calif.; Kelly Benefits Cycling)
The final day of racing kicks off on Sunday, featuring the Elite Women’s Road Race at 8:00 AM ET, followed by the Elite Men’s Road Race at 1:00 PM ET. Watch the full day of racing live on FloBikes. Click here for the full event schedule.
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Hincapie and Wellmeier Earn Junior Road Race National Titles at the 2026 Pro Road National Championships
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