MOUNTAIN BIKE
2023 USA Cycling Cross-Country MTB National Championships: Macungie, Pennsylvania
(July 5-9) – Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) and Savilia Blunk (Rockrider Racing Team) earned two national championship titles each over four days of racing at the USA Cross-Country MTB National Championships.
Defending champion Blunk placed first in the Elite Women’s Cross Country race and then, in tough weather conditions, took first in Elite Short Track on the final day of racing. Blevins won the Elite Men’s Cross Country title and came back the next day to defend his short track title.
Defending champion Madigan Munro (Trek Factory Racing) won the women’s U23 Cross Country title, while Brayden Johnson (Bear National Team) took the men’s U23 title. Andie Aagard (Bear National Team) won the Junior Women’s title, and Nicholas Konecny (Bear National Tear) won the Junior Men’s championship.
Race Recaps:
Complete results here
2023 USA Cycling Gravity MTB National Championships: Zirconia, NC
(July 12-16) – More than 600 pro and amateur mountain bikers vied for championship titles in downhill, enduro and dual slalom over four days of racing at Ride Rock Creek, North Carolina. Mitch Ropelato (Cannondale) and Kale Cushman (Slipping Gears Cycling) kicked things off, winning the Elite Dual Slalom national titles on Friday. Sixteen-year-old Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing) won the Pro Men’s Enduro on Saturday, while defending multi-champion Amy Morrison (Transition Bikes) took the women’s title by nearly 30 seconds.
The final day featured downhill racing, with Anna Newkirk (Beyond Racing) winning the Women’s Elite Downhill title, and Luca Shaw (Canyon Collective) taking first on the Elite Men’s side.
Race roundups:
Complete results here
ROAD
Tour de France
(July 1-23) – With two weeks down and one week of racing to go, Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), riding in support of race leader Jonas Vingegaard, sits in 6th place overall and is the highest-placed American on GC at this year’s Tour de France. “Sepp is our mailman because he always delivers. He’s a nice guy, and he’s always there when you ask him,” said Richard Plugge, Jumbo-Visma’s general manager, after Stage 15. “He’s really an example for all cyclists in America to go cycling because this is what you can achieve.”
Other US highlights: Neilson Powless (EF Education/EasyPost) captured the King of the Mountains jersey in week 1 and held on to it for nearly two weeks, Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) won most combative rider for his Stage 9 solo effort to conquer the Puy de Dome, and Lawson Craddock(Team Jayco-AlUla) took 4th on Stage 15, a career-best Grand Tour result.
In addition to Kuss, Powless and Craddock, one other American remains in the race: Kevin Vermaerke (Team DSM-Firmenich), who at 22 is the second-youngest cyclist left in the field. USA Road Race National Champion Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) withdrew on Stage 9 a few days after a crash and Jorgenson withdrew before Stage 16 with an injury.
Complete results here
Giro d’Italia Donne
(June 30-July 9) – Veronica Ewers (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) placed 4th overall at the Giro d’Italia Donne, her best placing so far this season on the Women’s World Tour circuit. Ewers had top-10 placings on three of eight stages.
Chloé Dygert (Canyon/SRAM Racing) continued her strong comeback, earning podium spots on two stages. She finished 32nd overall and was 2nd in the points competition.
Complete results here
Valromey Juniors: France
(July 12-16) – Andrew ‘AJ’ August (Hot Tubes Racing) placed first overall at Valromey Juniors, a five-day stage race for junior riders in France. August, 17, is the Men’s Junior Time Trial National Champion and the Junior Cyclocross National Champion.
Complete results here
Boise Twilight Criterium, American Criterium Cup: Boise, Idaho
(July 8) – Ty Magner (L39ION of Los Angeles) won the men’s race and Skylar Schneider(L39ION of Los Angeles) soloed to a win on the women’s side in super-hot conditions at the Boise Twilight Criterium, race number 5 in the American Criterium Cup. It was Magner’s second consecutive win and Schneider’s third consecutive win at Boise.
Pro Men’s Results: Ty Magner (L39ION of Los Angeles), Cory Williams (L39ION of Los Angeles), Danny Summerhill (American Cycling Group)
Pro Women’s Results: Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles), Paola Munoz (Miami Nights), Marlies Mejias Garcia (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24)
Complete results here
Salt Lake Criterium, American Criterium Cup: Salt Lake City, Utah
(July 15) – On stop number six of the 10-race series, Danny Summerhill (American Cycling Group) won the men’s race and Paola Muñoz took the women’s victory at Salt Lake Criterium. Summerhill and Munoz also lead the series overall. Next stop: Chicago’s Intelligentsia Cup on July 29.
Pro Men’s Results: Danny Summerhill (American Cycling Group), Alfredo Rodriguez (Miami Nights), Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (Denver Disruptors)
Pro Women’s Results: Paola Muñoz (Miami Nights), Jeydy Praderas (Miami Nights), Nicola MacDonald (Cervelo Ziptrack)
Complete results here
BMX FREESTYLE
UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup: Brussels, Belgium
(July 6-9) – Three-time world champion Hannah Roberts (Hyper BMX) captured a podium spot at Round 3 of UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup racing, placing 2nd in the women’s final in Belgium.
The men’s qualifications started with 80 riders then narrowed down to 12 for the final and included Americans Marcus Christopher (DK Bicycles) and Justin Dowell (Hyper BMX). Dowell was the top US finisher in the men’s final, placing 5th. Next up for Team USA is the World Championships in August in Glasgow.
Final results here
TRACK
USA Cycling Junior, Elite, and Para-Cycling National Championships: Carson, California
(July 5-9) – Hundreds of cyclists competed at USA Cycling’s Track National Championships, held over five days of racing at the Velo Sports Center in Carson, California. Junior, elite and para-cycling athletes competed for championship jerseys in more than a dozen events, from Endurance, to Sprint, to Team events.
Race recaps:
Complete results here
GRAVEL
Lifetime Grand Prix Round 3, Crusher in the Tushar: Utah
(July 8) – Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz htSQD) and Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized) won the men’s and women’s pro titles at Crusher in the Tushar, the 70-mile mixed gravel/dirt/tarmac race with more than 10,000 feet of elevation gain. The race, which takes place in southern Utah’s Tushar Mountains and Fishlake National Forest, was Round 3 of the Life Time Grand Prix series.
Next up in the seven race, off-road endurance series is the Leadville Trail 100 MTB on August 12. Swenson and Villafañe currently lead the men’s and women’s standings.
Pro Men’s Results: Keegan Swenson, 3:56:42, Peter Stetina, 4:02:36, Matthew Beers, 4:04:53
Pro Women’s Results: Sofia Gomez Villafañe, 4:49:43, Lauren De Crescenzo, 4:52:26, Flavia Oliveira Parks, 4:53:12
Complete Results here
