Team USA Recap: Koontz Earns Omnium Silver at UCI Track World Cup; Edwards Third at Omloop van Borsele Juniors

(April 17-19) – Team USA competed at the UCI Track World Cup in Hong Kong, the first of two consecutive weekends of World Cup events. Over three days of racing, top results included: 

6^th in Women’s Team Pursuit (Anna Hicks, Bethany Ingram, Emma Louise Jimenez Palos, Stephanie Lawrence) and 7^th in Men’s Team Pursuit (Graeme Frislie, Anders Johnson, Grant Koontz, David Domonoske).

8^th in Women’s Team Sprint (Emily Hayes, Kayla Hankins, Mandy Marquardt); 11^th in Men’s Madison (Graeme Frislie, Brendan Rhim) and 15^th in Women’s Madison (Bethany Ingram, Emma Louise Jimenez Palos). 

Results here

(April 24-26) – Team USA turned in another strong weekend of racing including a podium finish in Men’s Omnium at the UCI Track World Cup in Nilai, Malaysia.

Day one saw Grant Koontz take 6^th in the Men’s Elimination race and 18-year-old Emma Louise Jimenez Palos place 10^th in Women’s Elimination. 

The Men’s Team Pursuit squad (David Domonoske, Graeme Frislie, Anders Johnson, Peter Moore) finished 8^th overall.

On day two Koontz competed in the Omnium, placing 4^th in the Scratch and Tempo races and eventually finishing 2^nd overall, just one point away from a gold medal. 

Bethany Ingram and Emma Louise Jimenez Palos placed 12^th in Women’s Madison, moving up three spots from the previous weekend.

On day three, Graeme Frislie and Peter Moore took 8^th in Men’s Madison, moving up three spots from their finish last weekend in Hong Kong.

Results here

(April 17) – Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) placed 2^nd at the 175-kilometer Grand Besançon Doubs, coming in six seconds behind the winner Jordan Jegat. It was the first of two days of one-day French races for the young American.

Results here

(April 18) – Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) won the Tour du Jura, a hilly, 185-kilometer UCI road race in France. Riccitello came across the finish line alone at the top of Mont Poupet, 21 seconds ahead of his second-place teammate, Léo Bisiaux. It was the 24-year-old’s seventh pro victory.

Results here

(April 24-26) – Lily Edwards (CCB Women’s Cycling) placed 3^rd overall at the Omloop van Borsele to lead Team USA’s junior women over three days of racing in the Netherlands. 

In addition to Edwards, the roster was made up of Sophia Tripcevich (Monarch Racing), Bella Kroutil (TWENTY28 Pro Cycling), Heidi Hansen (Fount Cycling) and Tessa Beebe(Byrds Cycling), who placed 6^th on stage 3. The group of top-placed women was selected from USA Juniors Cup races to attend a USAC European Race camp prior to the stage race.

Results here

(April 16-19) – Thousands of cyclists and fans gathered for the annual Sea Otter Classic, a long weekend based at Laguna Seca Raceway featuring a bike festival and a range of elite and age-group mountain bike and gravel racing.

Pro women and men took on a nearly 90-mile gravel course. Sofia Gómez Villafañe (Specialized) won the elite women’s title in 5:10:39, coming in two seconds ahead of Lauren Stephens (Aegis x Land of Enchantment). Nele Johanna Laing (Canyon/DT Swiss) came in four seconds behind Stephens for 3^rd. 

Men’s gravel national champion Bradyn Lange (Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing) won the sprint for the pro men’s title, coming in first at 4:15:03. Keegan Swenson (Specialized) was 2^nd and Alexey Vermeulen (ENVE) placed 3^rd.

Sea Otter also hosted stop number three of USA Cycling’s Junior National Gravel Series, where juniors ages 15-18 took on two, 30-mile laps with 3,500 feet each of climbing. 

In men’s 15-16, Will Gregor placed 1^st in 3:13:53, followed by Matthew Dickens in 2^nd and Dylan Fairbairn in 3^rd. Trenton Nielsen won the men’s 17-18 race in 3:18:17, coming in three seconds ahead of Jack Billowitz. Evan Halbleib was 3^rd. Naomi Thurman won the women’s 17-18 race in 4:19:26, followed by Lily Zakaras and Allie Reznicek in 2^nd and 3^rd. 

Results here