Team USA Recap: Blunk, Ostgaard, and Vermette podium at MTB World Cup; Simmons and Quinn find success in first weekend of Tour

(July 2-5) – It was another superb weekend of World Cup mountain bike racing for Team USA, with four medals plus ten top-10 placings in La Thuile, Italy. 

Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing) added two more medals to her 2026 World Cup collection, earning silver in elite women’s XCO and bronze in XCC.

Aletha Ostgaard (Canyon DH Racing) won the junior women’s DH, making it five podiums in five races (including two wins) for the junior women’s national champion. Asa Vermette (Framework Racing/TRP) earned silver in elite men’s DH for his third World Cup podium this season. 

Americans captured four more top-10 spots in DH: Ryan Pinkerton (Mondraker Factory Racing DH) placed 6^th in elite men’s, Zanna Logar (Frameworks Racing/TRP) placed 8^th in junior women’s, and Luke Mallen (Outlaw Intense Racing) and Boston Bryant (Outlaw Intense Racing) placed 8^th and 10^th in the junior men’s final.

Bjorn Riley (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing) was consistent, placing fourth in both elite men’s XCC and XCO. Riley Amos (Trek-Unbroken XC) was 5^th in elite men’s XCO, his best-ever elite result.

Nicholas Konecny (Lexware MTB Team) placed 6^th for his best U23 finish and Daniel English (Trinity Racing) was 10^th. Jack Spranger placed 9^th in U23 men’s XCC.

Next up is Pal Arinsal, Andorra, July 10-12.

Results here

(June 26-28) – The three-day SoHo bike Fest served as the final stop in the USA Cycling Cross-Country MTB National Series, and a stop of the UCI XCO Junior Series. Hundreds of cyclists took on a variety of challenging courses at Wasatch Mountain State Park.

Austin Beard (Team Segment 28) won elite men’s XCC on day one. Toby Hassett (WE Development), Brayden Johnson (GOAT Coaching), Ivan Sippy (Team Segment 28) and Benjamin Bravman (Bear National Team) placed 2^nd-5^th.

Canada’s Nico Knoll (Steve Tilford Foundation) won elite women’s XCC, followed by Elisabeth Knight (Bear National Team), Bayli McSpadden (Bear Pro Team), Ana Maria Roa Munoz (7Eight7 Project) and Yosselin Morales de la Cruz (JoymedP21 Living) in 2^nd-5^th. 

Ivan Sippy won elite men’s XCO, beating Austin Beard by just over one second. Brayden Johnson, Ivan Aguilar Villegas (Regulus 333) and Adair Zabdiel Gutierrez Prieto (Massi Mexico) placed 3^rd-5^th. 

Knoll won elite women’s XCO for her second victory of the weekend, followed by Ana Maria Roa Munoz, Elisabeth Knight, Bayli McSpadden and Landrie McClain (Bear National Team) in 2^nd-5^th. 

Jacob Allen (Cure T1D) won U23 men’s UCI XCO. Owen Deale (Team Segment 28 p/b Baird), Adam Mote (Donovan Racing), Preston Johnson (Rouleur National Team) and Luke Ozment (Donovan Racing) placed 2^nd-5^th. 

Mexico’s Yosselin Morales de la Cruz (JoymedP21 Living) won U23 women’s UCI XCO. Emma Wilcox (The Gravity Academy), Lacie Munns, Zoe Peterson (KUHL Cycling) and Arya Lerette (WE Development) placed 2^nd-5^th. 

Charles Thomas (WE Development) won the junior men’s XCO race. Myles Perry (Rouleur Devo/Giant), Vince Edwards (Rouleur Devo p/b DNA Racing), Tommy Rowley (Bear National Team) and Park Bishop (Oz Race Team) placed 2^nd-5^th.

Aida Linton (Bear National Team) won the junior women’s XCO race, as well as the Junior women’s 17-18 overall series title. Anna Keller, Tilia Clausen (Durango Devo, Addison Hogge (Rouleur Devo) and Siri Krum (Donovan Racing) placed 2^nd-5^th.

Rylan Zacharek (Bear Devo) won the junior men’s 17-18 overall series title. Isaac Sproulewon the junior men’s 15-16 title. Zoe LeClair won the junior women’s 15-16 title.

Results here | USA Cycling Cross Country MTB National Series final standings here

(July 4-26) – Six Americans on five different teams are taking on this year’s Tour de France, which kicked off in Spain over the weekend. Sepp Kuss (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost), Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Matteo Jorgenson (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), and first-timer Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM) took the start line in Barcelona on Saturday. 

Highlights came early for the Americans: On Tuesday’s 182-kilometer stage 4, Quinn Simmons and Sean Quinn finished in a 10-man breakaway far ahead of the peloton, placing 2^nd and 7^th respectively. The time difference put Sean Quinn, the 2024 road race national champion, in 2^nd place overall and just 28 seconds behind Tour leader Torstein Træen.  

Results here

(June 27-July 1) – More than 800 Masters and Junior cyclists competed for national titles in road, criterium, and time trial over five days of racing hosted by Tour of America’s Dairyland.

Eighty national titles were awarded at this year’s Masters and Junior Road Nationals, held in Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Columbus, and Fall River, Wisconsin. For a full list of this year’s proud owners of the Stars and Stripes jerseys, see Race recap below.

Race recap | Complete results here

(June 23-26) –  Four races on four consecutive days at Tour of America’s Dairyland made up stop number 8 of USA Cycling’s Junior Road National Series. The junior men (ages 15-16 and 17-18) raced together. Jackson Clary (Cleveland Cycling Academy) won day one’s Wilo USA Cedar Creek Classic 17-18 junior men’s race. Finnley Sonnemann (CXD Trek Bikes) was first across the line for 15-16 junior men. The junior women competed each day in the Category 2-3 women’s race. Isabella Kroutil (Twenty28 Aevolo) won the 17-18 junior women’s race and Camille Culbertson (Twenty28 Aevolo) won the junior 15-16 race. At day two’s Tour of Heartland, Keon Namazie (Team California Academy) won the 17-18 junior men’s race and Arjuna Burgos (EF Education-ONTO) placed first for 15-16 junior men. Tessa Beebe (BYRDS Cycling) won the women’s 17-18 race and Camille Culbertson won the junior 15-16 race. Diego Duran (DDP Elite Cycling Team) won day three’s junior 17-18 men’s Centraal Bay View Classic. Finnley Sonnemann was the junior 15-16 men’s winner. Tessa Beebe won day three’s junior 17-18 women’s race and Camille Culbertson repeated her win as well in junior 15-16 women. Jackson Clary won day four’s 17-18 junior men’s race, the Shorewood Criterium Classic. Nathan Peterson (Team California Academy) crossed the line first in 15-16 junior men’s. Tessa Beebe won the women’s cat 2-3 race overall and her third 17-18 junior women’s race. Mya Mendoza (Beyond Racing) won the 15-16 race.

Results here

(June 28) – SBT GRVL served as stop number 7 in the USA Cycling Junior Gravel National Series. Elite, age group and juniors took on four routes: the 108-mile Black Course with 8,000 feet of elevation gain, the 73-mile Blue with 5,800 feet of elevation, the 53-mile Red course with 4,100 feet of elevation, and the 25-mile Green course with 1,800 feet of elevation. 

Keegan Swenson (Specialized Off Road) won the pro men’s race, coming across the Black Course finish line alone in 4:36:20 for his fourth SBT title. Alexey Vermeulen (ENVE), Cobe Freeburn (Trek Driftless) and Henry Nelson (Lunchbox Racing) finished 2-4^th, all at 4:41:26, and Adam Roberge (Felt Un1TD) came in a second later for 5^th. 

Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off Road) won the pro women’s race in 5:25:01 for her second SBT title. Sarah Lange (Velocio-Kenda) placed 2^nd (5:25:07) and Lauren Stephens(Aegis x LOE) was 3^rd (5:25:49). Paige Onweller (Trek Driftless) and Cecily Decker (PAS Racing) were 4^th and 5^th (5:26:32 and 5:27:44).

Juniors also took on the Black Course, with Ben Warders winning the men’s race in 5:02:54. Trent Roberts, Jack Billowitz, Luc Abshire, and Ren Huston placed 2^nd-5^th.

Kate Elwell won the women’s junior race in 5:56:46. Eliana Kostadinov, Maddison Torres, Allie Reznicek and Zoe Honsinger placed 2^nd-5^th.

Next up in the series is Dust Bowl 100, July 25 in Eminence, Indiana.

Results here | Junior Gravel National Series Standings here