Team USA Recap: Courtney & Simmons Claim Road Race Titles; Americans Earn Nine MTB World Cup Medals; Alden & Wood Podium at BMX Racing World Cup

(June 16-21) – The roads in Charleston were packed with spectators over six days of racing as elite, U23, and junior cyclists vied for national titles and the coveted Stars and Stripes jerseys in the Time Trial, Criterium, and Road Races. 

Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) soloed to a win and defended his national title in the elite men’s road race, with Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates) and Lawrence Warbasse (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) placing 2^nd and 3^rd in the final sprint.

Cross Country Marathon MTB World Champion Kate Courtney (She Sends Racing) won the elite women’s road title, edging out Lauren Stephens (Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment) at the line. Grace Arlandson (Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment) took the bronze. 

In the U23 racing, Kate Sarkisov (CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group) won the women’s road title, followed by teammate Jorja Bond and Chloe Fraser (Team Winston Salem-Flow). Ashlin Barry (Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development) sprinted to the U23 men’s title over Marcis Shelton (Competitive Edge Racing), with Brendan Luongo (Kelly Benefits Racing) in 3^rd.

Enzo Hincapie (Redbull-Bora-Hansgrohe) won the junior men’s road race. Kaison Smith (EF Education-ONTO) and Diego Duran (DDP Elite Cycling Team) placed 2^nd and 3^rd. Mountain biker Sophia Wellmeier (Team California Academy) won her first-ever road race to claim the junior women’s road title. Liliana Edwards (CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group) was 2^nd and Lily Nguyen (TWENTY20 Aevolo) was 3^rd.

In the individual time trial, Artem Shmidt (Ineos Grenadiers) successfully defended his elite men’s title. Lawrence Warbasse (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Will Barta (Tudor Pro Cycling) placed 2^nd and 3^rd.  Pro triathlete Taylor Knibb won the elite women’s title, followed by Emily Ehrlich (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28) and Paige Onweller in 2^nd and 3^rd.

Kade Kreikemeier (Meridian Racing p/b de la Uz) won the U23 men’s ITT, with Owen Cole(Team Winston Salem-Flow) and paracyclist Elouan Gardon (Above and Beyond Cancer Cycling Team) in 2^nd and 3^rd. Kylee Hanel (Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment) won the U23 women’s title and was the only rider in her group to go under 22 minutes. Jorja Bond (CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group) and teammate Alyssa Sarkisov placed 2^nd and 3^rd.

Kash Adamski won the junior men’s ITT, followed by Enzo Hincapie(Redbull/Bora/Hansgrohe) and Sylvan Garrelts (Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team) in 2^ndand 3^rd. Liliana Edwards (CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group) defended her junior women’s title. Emma Jimenez Palos (City Bikes Miami Racing) and Tessa Beebe (BYRDS Cycling) placed 2^nd and 3^rd.

Kendall Ryan (Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing) defended her elite women’s criterium title, crediting teammates for their efforts in her win. Olivia Cummins (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28) and teammate Ella Sabo placed 2^nd and 3^rd. Luke Elphingstone (Project Echelon Racing) won the final, six-man sprint to claim the elite men’s criterium title. Brody McDonald (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling) and Gavin Hlady (EF Education-Aevolo) were 2^ndand 3^rd. 

Ella Sabo (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28) won an eight-up sprint and took gold in the U23 women’s crit. Lyllie Sonnemann (CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group) and Chloe Patrick(Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing) were 2^nd and 3^rd. Alejandro Che (Kelly Benefits Cycling) won a three-man sprint and earned the U23 men’s crit title. Luke Fetzer (Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Waldo Racing) and Alexander Scopinich-Burgel (Kelly Benefits Cycling) were 2^nd and 3^rd.

Emma Jimenez Palos (City Bikes Miami Racing) won the junior women’s crit title. Sophia Wellmeier (Team California Academy) and Tessa Beebe (BYRDS Cycling) earned silver and bronze. Gregory DeBenedetti (Project Supertraining p/b Vafels) won the junior men’s crit in a three-up sprint, with Maddox Simmons (Chaney Windows and Doors/Big Shark p/b Pastaria) and Diego Duran (DDP Elite Cycling Team) in 2^nd and 3^rd. 

Full Race Recaps: Time Trials | Junior & U23 Crit | Elite Crit | Junior Road Race | U23 Road Race | Elite Road Race | Full Results

(June 7-14) – Matteo Jorgenson (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) placed 4^th overall at the race formerly known as the Critérium du Dauphiné. The eight-day race is considered preparation for the upcoming Tour de France. Jorgenson finished 1:36 behind the winner, Mexico’s Isaac Del Toro. 

The race also featured a victory for National Champion Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), who won stage 4 in a 10-man sprint prior to heading out to National Championships. “It's been a year since I put my hands in the air, so it's pretty special," Simmons said afterward.

Results here

(June 17-21) – Americans captured two of the top-10 spots in the GC at this year’s Tour of Switzerland. Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) placed 6^th while supporting his teammate and Swiss Tour winner Tadej Pogacar. Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) placed 7^th overall and 2^nd in the Youth category. AJ August (Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team) placed 9^th in the Youth category. 

Results here

(June 21) – Sepp Kuss (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) placed 3^rd in a one-day, 125-kilometer Tour de France tune-up in Andorra, the sole UCI road race hosted by that nation. The race came down to a small group vying for the win on the final climb, with Kuss coming in 10 seconds behind Tom Pidcock, who placed 1^st.

Results here

(June 10-14) – Tim McBirney (Project Echelon Racing) placed 3^rd and Kent Ross(Cascadia/Expeditors) was 4^th at the five-stage Tour de Beauce in Quebec. It was the 38^thrunning of Canada’s oldest UCI race.

Results here

(June 11-14) – Saalfelden-Leogang kicked off another impressive weekend of World Cup racing for Team USA’s MTB squad, which earned one silver, two bronzes and 12 more top-10 placings.

Bjorn Riley (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing) earned his first elite men’s podium spot despite flatting mid-race, taking bronze in elite men’s XCO. 

Anna Newkirk (Frameworks Racing/TRP) earned bronze in elite women’s DH, marking her third elite DH podium. Aletha Ostgaard (Canyon DH Racing) took silver in the junior women’s DH for her third podium in three races this season. 

Raina Logar (Frameworks Racing/TRP) placed 4^th and Zanna Logar (Frameworks Racing/TRP) was 8^th behind Ostgaard.

In elite men’s DH finals, Americans captured two top-10’s, with Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) placing 7^th and Ryan Pinkerton (Mondraker Factory Racing) 10^th.

US women earned three of the top-10 spots in elite women’s XCO, with Savilia Blunk(Decathlon Ford Racing Team) staging an amazing fight to place 5^th after a crash knocked her out of a top spot. Gwendalyn Gibson (Trek-Unbroken XC) was 7^th and Madigan Munro (Liv Factory Racing) 8^th.

In elite women’s XCC, Blunk placed 6^th and Munro was 7^th. 

Daniel English (Trinity Racing) placed 5^th in U23 men’s XCC and 8^th in XCO. Makena Kellerman placed 9^th in U23 women’s XCO.

Results here

(June 19-21) – It was another stellar World Cup race weekend for Team USA, with one gold, two silver and three bronze medals, along with some record-setting firsts in Lenzerheide.

Anna Newkirk (Frameworks Racing/TRP) brought home her first World Cup gold in elite women’s DH, giving her two podiums in two weekends of racing. Aletha Ostgaard (Canyon DH Racing) took silver for the second week in a row in junior women’s DH, making it four podiums in four races this year for the National Champion. Asa Vermette (Framework Racing/TRP) added to the DH medals collection, earning bronze in the elite men’s race for his second podium of the year. 

Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) won the elite women’s XCC in a sprint finish, then took bronze in elite women’s XCO. Bjorn Riley (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing) placed 3^rd in both elite men’s XCC and XCO, for his second and third-ever elite men’s WC podiums. Makena Kellerman earned bronze in U23 women’s XCO and placed 5^th in U23 women’s XCC.

Along with the medals came numerous top-10 placings: Samantha Porras placed 6^th and Raina Logar (Frameworks Racing/TRP) was 7^th in the junior women’s DH final. Luke Mallen(Outlaw Intense Racing) placed 5^th in junior men’s DH. Luca Shaw (Canyon DH Racing) placed 9^th in elite men’s DH.

Gwendalyn Gibson (Trek-Unbroken XC) placed 10^th in elite women’s XCC and 8^th in elite women’s XCO. Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) placed 10^th in elite women’s XCO. 

Next up is La Thuile-Valle D’Aosta, Italy, July 3-5.

Results here

(June 13-14) – Team USA brought two medals home from rounds three and four of BMX World Cup racing in Papendal. One week after winning bronze in Sarrians, France, Cameron Wooddid it again, placing 3^rd on day one in the elite men’s final. Alexis Alden went on to take silver in the U23 women’s race. Tommy Bruney finished 9^th in U23 men’s.

Round 4 saw Wood race to a 5^th-place finish in the elite men’s final, and the rest of the squad battle to four semifinal spots: Payton Ridenour placed 13^th in the elite women’s race, Alexis Alden finished 12^th and Addison Thompson 16^th in U23 women’s, and Tommy Bruneyplaced 16^th in U23 men’s.

Next up are rounds 5 and 6 in Mentougou, China, October 3-4.

Results here

(June 13) – Dirty Dino Gravel Race served as stop 6 in the USA Cycling Junior Gravel National Series. A huge range of age categories, as well as tandem and para athletes took on the 98.3 mile T-Rex course, the 58.3 mile Stegosaurus, and the 26.9 Micro-Raptor course, with 9,200, 5,700 and 2,000 feet of elevation gain, respectively. 

In the USAC Junior Gravel Series, riders took on the 58.3 mile Stegosaurus course. Liam Clines (Maybird Reyes-Psych) won the men’s 15-16 race in 3:54:46, coming in 4 seconds ahead of 2^nd-place Ari Shapiro. Gravel National Champion Dash Prigge (Ride for Racial Justice) placed 3^rd. Dru Loeffler (Pinnacle) won the men’s 17-18 race in 3:42:24. Cody Lux(Swift Spoke Race Team) was 2^nd and Angus Hickman (Mountain Ortho) placed 3^rd.

Zoe Leclair (Rouleur Devo p/b DNA Cycling) won the women’s 15-16 race, crossing the line in 3:54:46. Eliana Kostadinov (Max-Terra) was 2^nd and Eleanora Bostrom (Maybird Reyes-Psych/Fort Lewis College) was 3^rd. Margaret Hartle (Maybird) won the women’s 17-18 race.

Next up in the series is SBT GRVL, June 28 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Results here