Team USA Recap: Powless wins in Italy, McNulty wins CRO Race, and Americans wrap up MTB World Cup Season with Top Rankings

(October 7) – Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) wrapped up his cycling season with a bang in a series of one-day races in northern Italy, posting his best results of the year. Powless began with a 4^thplace finish at the 174.3 kilometer Coppa Bernocchi, which starts and finishes in Legnano, Italy. 

Complete results here

(October 10) –  Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) took his first victory of the season at the one-day classic Gran Piemonte, which takes place in the foothills of the Italian Alps. Powless launched a 43 kilometer solo attack to win the 182 kilometer race. “There aren’t many feelings in the world that can compare to this one,” Powless said afterwards. “Every cyclist works so hard all year to hopefully put it together on a day that it matters, and I’m just so happy that I could put it together today.” He is the first American to ever to win Gran Piemonte. 

Complete results here

(October 12) – Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) placed 8^th at the final Monument race of the season, Il Lombardia, which was won in a stunning solo attack by Road Race World Champion Tadej Pogačar. “It’s just about surviving that last climb,” said Powless before the 255 kilometer race, which began in Bergamo and ended in Como. 

Complete results here

(October 1-6) – Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) took the victory at the six-stage CRO Race, for his second stage-race win of the season. “It’s a great feeling to end the season with a win, this was my last race this year,” he said afterwards. McNulty won a rain-soaked stage 3 and placed first overall by 8 seconds. 

Complete results here

(October 4-6) – The UCI MTB World Series concluded in Mont-Saint-Anne, Canada, with Americans capturing a number of top spots in the overall season standings.

In junior men’s downhill, Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing) placed 3^rd overall in the standings; on the junior women’s side, Kale Cushman (The Gravity Collective) was 6^th and Matilda Melton(Transition Factory Racing) 8^th on the season. Anna Newkirk (Beyond Racing) was 7^th overall in elite women’s downhill.

In U23 Men’s overall standings, Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing) and Bjorn Riley (Trek Future Racing) ranked 1^st and 2^nd in both XCO and XCC. Madigan Munro (Trek Factory Racing/Pirelli) was 3^rd overall for the season in Women’s U23 XCO and XCC. 

Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) finished top 5 in both elite women’s XCC and XCO for the season, and Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) was 10^th overall in elite men’s XCO and 6^th in XCC. 

In the weekend competition, Kale Cushman placed 3^rd and Pella Ward was 4^th in junior women’s downhill. Anna Newkirk was 7^th in elite women’s downhill and Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) was 7^th in elite men’s. 

Bjorn Riley placed 2^nd  and Riley Amos was 7^th in U23 men’s XCC, while Madigan Munro was 6^th in U23 women’s XCO and 5^th in XCC. 

Savilia Blunk placed 7^th in elite women’s XCC and 10^th in XCO. 

Complete results here

(October 4-6) – In the final weekend of the TREK USCX series at Waterloo, Wisconsin, Kerry Werner(Groove Off Road Racing), Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD Trek Bikes) and Scott Funston (Cervelo Orange Living) swept the top three spots in elite men’s C1 racing, while Katie Clouse (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) was the top elite female in 5^th, behind repeat winner Hélène Clauzel. 

Benjamin Bravman (Bear National Team) placed 1^st and Garrett Beshore (Boulder Junior Cycling) 2^nd in junior men’s racing, and Rachel Lev-Tov (Boulder Junior Cycling) took 3^rd on the junior women’s side. 

Sunday’s C2 racing saw the top-three elite men repeat, this time with Andrew Strohmeyer placing 1^st, followed by Kerry Werner and Scott Funston. Katie Clouse moved up a spot to 4^th as the top American, with Hélène Clauzel again taking the win for elite women. 

In junior men’s racing, Garrett Beshore was 1^st, followed by Benjamin Bravman and Dylan Haynes(Boulder Junior Cycling) in 2^nd and 3rd. Lyllie Sonnemann (CXD Trek Bikes) placed 3^rd on the junior women’s side.

For the 8-race series, which started in September, Andrew Strohmeyer ranked 1^st overall among elite men, followed by Kerry Werner and Scott Funston. Katie Clouse ranked 4^th overall among elite women, followed by Lauren Zoerner (Competitive Edge Racing) in 6^th. 

Benjamin Bravman took the junior men’s overall title, with Isaiah Culbreath (Oklahoma Flyers) placing 3^rd. Ada Watson (CXD Trek Bikes) and Nicole Clamann (Blue Ridge Cross) took the 2^nd and 3^rd overall spots for junior women.

Complete results here

(October 12-13) – The Major Taylor Cross Cup brought together age group and elite cyclists for a weekend of C2 racing at the Indy Cycloplex’s Major Taylor Velodrome. It was stop number six of the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Series, and races 5 and 6 for the @ohio_valley_cyclocross regional series.

Caleb Swartz (ENVE/Forward Endurance Coaching) and Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz SRAM htSQD) placed 1^st and 3^rd on day one in elite men’s C2 racing, while Lizzie Gunsalus (Marian University) and Jorja Bond (CXD Trek Bikes) placed 2^nd and 3^rd for elite women. 

Garrett Beshore (Boulder Junior Cycling) was 1^st and Jack Bernhard (Finkraft Junior Cycling Team) 3^rd in junior men’s racing, while Alyssa White (Finkraft Junior Cycling Team) won the junior women’s race, followed by Rachel Lev-Tov (Boulder Junior Cycling) in 2^nd.

Lizzy Gunsalus and Anna Dorovskikh (Donovan Racing) took 2^nd and 3^rd for the day two’s elite women’s race. Garrett Beshore scored his second win of the weekend in the junior men’s race, while Jack Bernhard and Dylan Haynes (Boulder Junior Cycling) placed 2^nd and 3^rd. Alyssa White also completed a double win for the weekend, taking first at Sunday’s junior women’s race, followed by Rachel Lev-Tov in 3^rd. 

Complete results here

(October 5-6) – Hundreds of elite and age-group cyclists gathered in Belgium for the third annual UCI Gravel World Championships, held on a series of courses across paved and unpaved roads in Flanders. Elite Gravel National Champion Lauren Stephens (Cynisca Cycling) was the top-placing American pro, taking 15^th on the 134 kilometer elite women’s course. 

Other top results among American age-group cyclists: Wendy Skean (1^st, 80-plus); Amy Phillips (3^rd, 50-54), Molly Van Houweling (6^th, 50-54), Cherell Jordin (10^th, 50-54); Tracey Jacobs (3^rd, 55-59), Denise Esposito (7^th, 55-59); Laura Van Gilder (1^st, 60-64), Terry Quirk (7^th, 60-64), Jennifer Slawta (8^th, 60-64); Ruth Clemence (1^st, 65-69), Lillian Pfluke (3^rd, 65-69), Grace Plager (4^th, 65-69), Pam Glenn (7^th, 65-69), Bevo Tarika (8^th, 65-69); Vanessa Cooney (1^st, 70-74); Alexandra Benda (10^th, 35-39); Erin Reedy (10^th, 45-49)

Top results for American men: William Humphreys (2nd, 80+); Stephen Crowley (10^th, 65-69). 

Complete results here