Team USA Recap: MTB World Cup Closes with Podiums, BMX Captures Four World Cup Podiums, and Sheehan wins Paris-Tours

(September 26-October 1) – Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers) placed 4^th overall at the CRO Race, finishing just two seconds out of third behind teammate Ethan Hayter. Sheffield took the leader’s jersey on Stage 4 of the six-stage race, but lost his lead on the next stage due to a sprint-finish crash. Sheffield, 21, placed 1^st in the Youth category.

Complete results here

(October 8) – Riley Sheehan (Israel PremierTech) won the biggest race of his young career, taking first at the 214 kilometer, one-day classic Paris-Tours. Sheehan, 23, is a trainee (stagiare) rider with Israel PremierTech and won a five-man sprint at the end to take the win. “I’m speechless,” he said afterwards. “Winning such a race is incredible for me!” Sheehan won the Joe Martin Stage Race and two NCL criteriums earlier this season.

Complete results here

(September 28-October 1) – The second to last weekend of World Cup MTB racing saw Americans earn a number of podium spots.

In the DH finals, Dakotah Norton (Intense Factory Racing) took 3^rd in Elite while Ryan Pinkerton(GT-Continental Racing) continued his winning streak, taking 1^st in the Junior Men’s race with Evan Medcalf (Evolve Racing) taking 2^nd. Taylor Ostgaard (Transition Factory Racing) placed 2^nd in her first Junior Women’s World Cup podium, with Kale Cushman in 5^th.

In elite women’s XCO, Savilia Blunk (Rockrider Ford) took 4^th and Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) was 8^th. Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing) earned Bronze in Men’s U23 XCO and Bjorn Riley (Trek Future Racing) was 5^th. In women’s U23, Sofia Waite (Waite Endurance) was 7^thand Madigan Munro (Trek Factory Racing) was 9^th.

Haley Batten placed 7^th and Gwendalyn Gibson 9^th in Women’s Elite XCC. Riley Amos placed 1^stin men’s U23 XCC, Brayden Johnson (Bear National Team) was 5^th and Bjorn Riley was 8^th. In Women’s U23, Madigan Munro and Sofia Waite placed 5^th and 6^th.

Hannah (Finchamp) Otto took 1st in the 105 kilometer marathon mountain bike event. Otto won the nearly six-hour race (5:46:31) with a gap of more than 5 minutes over the second-place finisher. It was her first Marathon MTB World Cup win.

Results here

(October 5-8) – In the final weekend of the UCI MTB World Cup, Americans earned podium spots and nailed down top rankings overall in the World Cup series.

Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing) won his second race of the season and secured 2^nd overall in the World Cup series with a hard-fought win over a muddy, rainy course in men’s U23 XCO. Bjorn Riley (Trek Future Racing) took 3^rd and secured 6^th overall for the season. Madigan Munro (Trek Factory Racing) also podiumed, placing 3^rd in women’s U23 XCO and placing 6^th overall in the WC series. Savilia Blunk (Rockrider Ford) placed 7^th in the elite women’s XCO race.

Ryan Pinkerton (GT-Continental Factory Racing) placed 1^st overall in Junior Men’s Junior Downhill standings, while Evan Medcalf (Evolve Racing) placed 7^th.

Dakotah Norton (Intense Factory Racing) placed 6^th and Luca Shaw (Canyon Collective Factory Team) was 7^th in the Elite Men’s Downhill Final, placing 9^th and 10^th overall in the series. In women’s junior racing, Kale Cushman placed 6^th and Abby Ronca (Gravity Academy) was 8^th. Taylor Ostgaard (Transition Factory Racing) was 8^th overall in Junior Women’s standings.

In short track action, Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) took his first podium of the season placing 3^rd in Men’s Elite XCC, while Gwendalyn Gibson (Trek Factory Racing) and Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) placed 7^th and 8^th on the elite women’s side. Gibson ended the season 8^th overall in XCC standings. In the U23 races, Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing) took bronze, Bjorn Riley (Trek Future Racing) was 6^th and Brayden Johnson (Bear National Team) was 10^th. Amos finished 3^rd overall and Riley was 8^th for the XCC season. Sofia Waite (Waite Endurance) and Madigan Munro (Trek Factory Racing) placed 6^th and 8^th on the Women’s U23 final, with Munro placing 7^th overall for the XCC WC series.

Results here

(October 7-8) – 17-year-old Ava Corley (Tangent/ Rift/ Rockstar Racing Team) earned her first-ever U23 World Cup podium spot with a win in Round 7 of the BMX World Cup. McKenzie Gayheart(Factory Full Tilt/Radio) placed 6^th. In the elite women’s race, Felicia Stancil (Factory SSquared/Answer) placed third for her first World Cup podium of the season.

Sunday’s racing saw Cameron Wood (Mongoose/USA BMX Foundation) make a triumphant return from an early season injury to take 2^nd in the Elite Men’s final. On the elite women’s side, Alise Willoughby (Team Toyota/ Daylight Cycle Co) placed 5^th in the finals and Payton Ridenour(Mongoose Bicycles) was 8^th. McKenzie Gayheart podiumed for the second time this season in the women’s U23 race, placing 3^rd, and Ava Corley placed 8^th.

Team USA will again compete in Santiago Del Estero next weekend in Rounds 9 and 10 of to conclude the World Cup season.

Complete results here

(October 7-8) – National Champions Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles/SRAM) and Lauren Stephens (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) placed 5^th and 6^th respectively in the elite men’s and women’s fields at the UCI Gravel World Championships, held in Veneto, Italy. Both races attracted top pros from the road and gravel cycling worlds, with the men tackling a 169 kilometer gravel/paved course, and elite women taking on 140 kilometers.

Swenson overcame a couple of crashes and a mid-pack start to finish the race in an all-out sprint with former World Road Race champion and Tour de France stage winner Alejandro Valverde. Stephens was slowed by a mechanical mid-race but fought her way back. “Last year I was in the winning break and then cramped out of it with 30km to go,” she said afterwards. “This year I was able to hold my own in the group and had a much better finish.”

Besides elite riders, more than 1,000 cyclists representing 44 nations vied for age-group titles in 22 categories, including these USA podium finishers: Victor Sheldon (3^rd, M55-59); Juergen Eckmann (1^st, M60-64); Amy Phillips (2^nd, W50-54); Tracey Jacobs (1^st, W55-59); Susan McDonough (2^nd, W60-64); and Pam Glenn (1^st, W65-69).

Complete results here

(September 30-October 1) – Day 1 of racing at Charm City saw Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD-Trek Bikes) and Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) place 2^nd and 3^rd in men’s C1 elite racing. Strohmeyer earned the win the next day, with White again taking bronze.

US juniors continued their domination of the series, with Miles Mattern (CXD-Trek Bikes), Henry Coote (Competitive Edge Racing) and Luke Walter (Fairview Mountain Bike Team) taking the top three spots on day 1’s C1 racing. On day 2, it was Coote, Mattern and Alexander Scopinich-Burgel (New England Devo p/b Cadence Wealth Management) placing 1, 2, 3. On the women’s side, day 1 saw Alyssa Sarkisov (CXD-Trek Bikes) and Alyssa White (Finkraft Junior Cycling) placing 2^ndand 3^rd. On day 2, Sarkisov placed 3^rd and White was 4^th.

The series wraps up at the end of October at the Really Rad Festival, in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

Complete results here