Racing moved to downtown Roanoke for the short track events. Athletes from around the country gathered in Elmwood Park for a chance to win the Stars and Stripes jersey. Riders were greeted with challenging course features including a rock garden, technical descent, and multiple dirt-to-road transitions.
The Amateur Women 19-29 were the first to line up. Last year’s national champion, Wren Capra (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Avout Racing, Middlebury College), and teammate Gwen Urbain (Traverse City, Mich.; Avout Racing) launched an early attack and worked together to open up a gap of over 30 seconds on the field, holding their lead for seven laps. On the final lap, Capra powered through the last few corners to gain a small advantage over Urbain. Urbain chased hard but couldn’t close the gap, leaving Capra to cross the finish line solo and retain her title. Urbain earned second, and Meghan Sedovy (Roanoke, Va.) rounded out the podium in third.
From the whistle, the pace was high in the Masters Women 30+, but it was Carla Williams (Roanoke, Va.; Cardinal Bicycle) who would be the strongest on the day. Williams hammered through the first lap, causing a separation quickly, with Serena Defelice (New Egypt, N.J.; Team EPS p/b Brielle Cyclery) chasing. Williams continued to show her strength, gaining time on each lap and eventually earning the Stars and Stripes jersey. Defelice was caught by Kristen Smith (San Clemente, Calif.; Team Baghouse), who took the sprint for second.
Temperatures began to heat up for the Amateur Men 19-29, where 14 riders took to the line. As the race unfolded, an elite group of four formed, this included Benjamin Boroff (Boise, Idaho; Marian University), Caden Frost (Charlotte, Vt.; Frost Beer Works), Caleb Nevins (Williamsburg, Va.; Tidewater Challenge), and Jack Doherty (Capitola, Calif.; Specialized Flow Formulas). The group worked well together to hold off a charging field. At the finish, Boroff won the sprint, earning the national title. Nevins crossed the line for silver, with Frost taking bronze.
After a short mid-day break, racing resumed with 15 riders toeing the line for the Masters Men 30-39 category. Racing was tight from the start, but an early break saw three riders pull away. The group was made up of Jacob Zimmerman (Palm City, Fla.; Z Boys Racing), Andrew Giniat (Asheville, N.C.; Clif Family Drifters Cycling), and Gus Michaels (Brevard, N.C.; Dirt Camp Racing / Fox Factory). Zimmerman put in an attack on lap six, which forced the group to pick up the pace. It all came down to a sprint finish where Michaels powered to the line to win the national title. Giniat earned second, and Zimmerman rounded out the podium in third.
Twenty-four riders lined up for the Masters Men 40+ race, setting a fast pace with lap times just over two minutes. Early on, six riders formed a train, staying wheel to wheel through the opening laps. The group began to split on some of the course’s key features, including the rock garden. Tristan Schouten (Pylmouth, Wis.; Threshold Sports Carbon Repair) and Brian McCulloch (Yucaipa, Calif.; Big Wheel Coaching ENVE Shimano Cyclery USA) pulled away with just a few laps to go. With one lap to go, Kevin Bradford-Parish (Mead, Wash.) clocked a sub-two-minute lap in a late effort to bridge back, but the front two held their lead. It all came down to a two-up sprint, where McCulloch edged out Schouten at the line to take the win. Bradford-Parish took third.
With over 30 riders lined up to race, the Junior Women 11-14 had a stacked field for their short track race. Three riders pulled away at the start in an effort to gain an advantage over the pack. It was tight racing until the last couple of laps, where Anna Morozowich (Scottsdale, Ariz.; Durango Devo) gained a four-second advantage over Abby Cole (East Granby, Conn.; Competitive Edge Racing) to win the Stars and Stripes jersey. Kinsley Oberding (Apple Valley, Minn.; Donovan Racing) held on for third place.
The Junior Men’s 11-14 race had the largest field of the day with 55 starters. With very few places to pass on the course, a large portion of the pack were single-file lap after lap. Each lap forced the group to dwindle down. With two to go, seven riders remained at the front. In an all-out sprint, Wes Mattson (Charlottesville, Va.; Control Racing) crossed the line first to become the Junior Men’s 11-14 National Champion. Axel Farnham (Columbus, Ohio; Bobcat MTB p/b Paradise Garage) held on to second, and Isaac Sproule (Medical Lake, Wash.; Team Booger) finished third.
Full results from Wednesday’s events can be found here.
Short track continues tomorrow for the Junior, Under-23, and Elite fields.
