ROAD
UCI Road World Championships: Montréal
(September 20-27) – Team USA earned two World Championship titles and a slew of top placings at this year’s UCI Road World Championships in Montréal.
Unselfish teamwork that was perfectly executed led to a win for Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), the first American to earn the elite men’s road race title in more than three decades. With the help of teammates Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease A Bike), Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost), Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Artem Shmidt (Netcompany INEOS), Larry Warbasse (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Riley Sheehan (NSN Cycling), McNulty broke away from the front group with 32 kilometers left in the 273-kilometer race and held his lead to the end, earning the rainbow stripes on the final day of racing in Montréal.
Simmons and Jorgenson placed 4th and 8th, marking the best performance in USA Cycling’s history. Earlier in the week, McNulty was just 12 seconds back from a podium finish in elite men’s TT, placing 4th.
Ashlin Barry (Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development) celebrated his 19th birthday by winning Team USA’s first U23 road race world title. Barry broke away with 29 kilometers to go in the 174-kilometer race, then soloed to victory. He also placed 4th earlier in the week in U23 men’s time trial.
The Americans captured a number of top-15 spots. Lily Edwards (CCB p/b Levine Law Group Cycling) was 7th in junior women’s TT: Taylor Knibb placed 13th in elite women’s TT; and Enzo Hincapie (grenke-Auto Eder) and Kash Adamski (Hot Tubes Cycling) placed 12th and 13th in junior men’s TT.
Katherine Sarkisov (CCB p/b Levine Law Group) placed 7th in the U23 women’s road race; Enzo Hincapie placed 8th in the junior men’s road race; Marcis Shelton (Comp Edge Racing) earned 12th in U23 men’s road race; and Sophia Wellmeier (Team California Academy) placed 10th in the junior women’s road race.
For a complete rundown on each day’s events and results, see race recaps below.
Recaps: Elite TT | U23 TT | Junior TT | U23 Women & Junior Men RR| U23 Men & Junior Women RR | Elite Women’s RR | Elite Men’s RR| Results
Tour de Gatineau, Time Trial and Road: Canada
(September 17) – Katherine Sarkisov (CCB p/b Levine Law Group) placed 6th at the Tour de Gatineau, a lead-up to the World Championships. The 121.3-kilometer course started and finished in Gatineau and was fast from the start, with Sarkisov fighting for a final spot from an 11-woman breakaway. Switzerland’s Steffi Häberlin won.
Wednesday’s contest was a 20.4-kilometer individual time trial, won by Swiss defending road world champion Marlen Reusser. Jamie Chapman (Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment) was the top-placing American, in 13th.
Results: Time Trial | Road
USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships: Frederick, Maryland
(September 20) – Cyclists from ages 14-16 through 80-plus competed on five timed segments across an 87-mile course at this year’s USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships.
Madison Maloney posted the fastest combined time for women and Bennett Rose posted the fastest time for the men. Jennifer Thornton-Brooks and Sarah Watkins placed 2nd and 3rdoverall behind Maloney. Tyler Brendel and Michael Reidenbach placed 2nd and 3rd overall behind Rose.
For a complete list of this year’s 28 Gran Fondo National Champions, see recap below. Next year’s USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships take place July 18, in Asheville, North Carolina. For more information on the national series, go here.
MOUNTAIN BIKE
UCI MTB World Cup, Soldier Hollow (XCC, XCO): Midway, Utah
(September 19-20) – Soldier Hollow hosted the first of two US stops on the World Cup Mountain Bike schedule with a weekend of short track and XCO racing in Midway, Utah.
Gwendalyn Gibson (Trek-Unbroken) placed 2nd in elite women’s XCO, earning her first elite XCO podium spot. Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing) placed 4th and Haley Batten(Specialized Factory Racing) placed 6th. Gibson also placed 7th in the elite women’s XCC. Bjorn Riley (Scott-SRAM) was 6th and Riley Amos (Trek-Unbroken) was 8th in elite men’s XCO.
Makena Kellerman had a double-podium weekend, sprinting for 2nd in U23 women’s XCC and placing 3rd in U23 women’s XCO. Nicholas Konecny (Lexware MTB) rode to 5th in U23 men’s XCO.
With one race to go, Bjorn Riley sits 3rd overall in the elite men’s XCO standings. Savilia Blunk is 4th overall in the elite women’s XCO standings, and Gwendalyn Gibson and Madigan Munro are 9th and 10th. Makena Kellerman is 8th overall in U23 women’s XCO standings.
The season wraps up in Lake Placid, New York, October 2-4.
Results here
UCI MTB World Cup, Whistler Mountain Bike Park (DH): British Columbia, Canada
(September 25-27) – Team USA captured two gold medals and a bronze under incredibly challenging conditions at the UCI World Cup downhill, held at Whistler MTB Park.
Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing/TRP) won the elite men’s race and Aletha Ostgaard(Canyon DH Racing) won the junior women’s final, her eighth podium and fifth WC win this season. Boston Bryant (Outlaw Intense Racing) won bronze in the junior men’s final.
Ostgaard, whose time was four seconds faster than the elite women’s winner, also captured the junior women’s overall title with the win. Vermette moved into the elite men’s overall lead, with just one race remaining in the series.
Luca Shaw (Canyon DH Racing) and Dylan Maples (Pivot Factory Racing) rounded out the top-10 elite men, coming in 9th and 10th.
In junior women’s racing, Samantha Porras, Raina Logar (Frameworks Racing/TRP) and Kallie Stewart placed 6th, 7th and 9th. Brodey Walker (Outlaw Intense Racing) was 6th in the junior men’s final.
The series wraps up in Lake Placid, New York, October 2-4.
Results here
Chequamegon MTB Festival: Hayward, Wisconsin
(September 19) – Thousands of cyclists tackled a 40-mile course in Wisconsin’s Northwoods at Chequamegon MTB Festival, the fourth of six races in the Life Time Grand Prix.
Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized) won the elite women’s race, completing the course in 2:14:10 and capturing her third win of the series. Karolina Migon (PAS Racing) and Sarah Lange came in 15 seconds behind, for 2nd and 3rd.
Matthew Wilson (Scott/Shimano) soloed home for the men’s win, coming in at 1:57:50. Brendan Johnston (Giant-SRAM) and Keegan Swenson (Specialized) sprinted for 2nd and 3rd, with Johnston taking the win by two seconds (1:58:48)
Next up in the series is Little Sugar MTB, October 11, in Bella Vista, Arkansas.
Results here
CYCLOCROSS
Rochester Cyclocross: Rochester, NY
(September 19-20) – Two days of elite, junior and amateur racing at Rochester CX kicked off the nine-race USA Cycling CX National Series.
Miles Mattern (CXD Trek Bikes) won Saturday’s C1 men’s race and Manon Bakker scored two victories, winning the elite women’s races both days.
Tofik Beshir (CXD Trek Bikes), Calvin Conaway (Midwest NXT), Ethan Brown (Midwest NXT) and Tyler Clark (Caledon Hills Armada) placed 2nd-5th behind Mattern on day one.
Sidney McGill (Materiaal-Lastig), Lauren Zoerner (Corner Racing p/b Beyond Horizon Media), Kaya Musgrave (Competitive Edge Racing) and Mia Aseltine (Competitive Edge Racing) were 2nd-5th behind Bakker on day one.
Tofik Beshir won Sunday’s C2 men’s race. Miles Mattern, Tyler Clark, Jules Van Kempen(Corner Racing p/b Beyond Horizon Media) and Calvin Conaway placed 2nd-5th.
McGill, Musgrave, Zoerner, and Ellen Noble (JAM/NCC) placed 2nd-5th behind Bakker on day two.
Results here
Virginia’s Blue Ridge Go Cross: Roanoke, Virginia
(September 26-27) – Virginia’s Blue Ridge Go Cross hosted stop number two in the USA Cycling CX National Series.
Tofik Beshir (CXD Trek Bikes) scored a double victory, winning the elite men’s race on both days. Manon Bakker won the elite women’s race on day one.
Tyler Clark, Calvin Conaway (Midwest NXT), Dylan Zakrajsek (Competitive Edge Racing) and Ben Frederick (The Small Monsters Project) placed 2nd-5th behind Beshir.
Kaya Musgrave (Competitive Edge Racing), Lauren Zoerner (Corner Racing p/b Beyond Horizon Media), Sidney McGill (Materiaal-Lastig) and Nico Knoll (PRO.FWD) placed 2nd-5thbehind Bakker.
Sunday’s C2 racing saw Beshir take the elite men’s victory again, followed by Ethan Brown(Midwest NXT), Calvin Conaway, Tyler Clark and Sam Brown (Mountain Pedaler-Dusty Boot p/b MCTC Foundation.
Sidney McGill stopped Manon Bakker’s win streak with her C2 victory on Sunday. Bakkerplaced 2nd, followed by Raylyn Nuss (STF Racing), Nico Knoll and Ada Watson (CXD Trek Bikes).
Next up: Charm City Cross, October 3-4, in Baltimore, Maryland
Results here
