Team USA Recap: Two stage wins at Giro d’Italia Donne, three gold medals at Track Nations Cup, plus podium finishes at MTB World Cup

(July 1-10) – Kristen Faulkner (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) took two stage wins and earned the Queen of the Mountain jersey at this year’s Giro d’Italia Donne, the second Grand Tour on the pro women’s calendar. Faulkner earned the pink leader’s jersey on the opening stage, a 4.7 km time trial, then took the 112km final mountain stage with a solo attack. Faulkner placed 11^th overall in the GC, while Krista Doebel-Hickok (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) was 15^th.

(July 1- 24) – Through week 2 of the Tour de France, six American men continued to make their mark on the three-week long Grand tour, despite the loss of Kevin Vermaerke (Team DSM) after a crash that occurred earlier in the race. Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) was 13^th overall in the GC with two, 4^th place stage finishes, while Sepp Kuss(Jumbo-Visma) was 21st overall. Kuss took 9^th and 10^th on two stages, while Tour rookie Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) placed 4^th and 5^th on two stages.

Through Stage 15 in the best young riders competition, Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) was 3^rd, Matteo Jorgenson was 4^th and Tour rookie Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo) was 11^th. The Tour wraps up July 24 in Paris.

(July 9) — The fifth stop in the 10-race American Criterium Cup series saw racers from L39ION of Los Angeles take the men’s and women’s elite victories.

Elite Men: Ty Magner (L39ION of Los Angeles), Luke Lamperti (Trinity Racing), Michael Hernandez (Best Buddies Racing)

Elite Women: Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles), Maggie Coles-Lyster (DNA Pro Cycling), Andrea Cyr (Butcherbox Cycling p/b LOOK)

(July 16-17) —The sixth stop on the 10-race American Criterium Cup series brought two days of racing to Salt Lake City. Weather was a factor both days, with races shortened by 10 minutes on day one due to temperatures in the low 100’s.

Day 1

Elite Men: Ty Magner (L39ION of Los Angeles), Tyler Williams (L39ION of Los Angeles), Cory Williams (L39ION of Los Angeles)

Elite Women: Kendall Ryan (L39ION of Los Angeles), Maggie Coles-Lyster (DNA Pro Cycling), Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles)

Day 2

Elite Men: Ethan Craine (Project Echelon Racing), Clever Martinez (Miami Blazers), Andrew Giniat (CS Velo Racing)

Elite Women: Maggie Coles-Lyster (DNA Pro Cycling), Danielle Moreshead (LA Sweat), Holly Breck (Torelli-Cayman Island-Scimitar)

(July 17) — One hundred ninety seven age-group cyclists vied for Gran Fondo National Championship titles in Asheville, North Carolina, and the chance to race at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championship in Italy this fall. Hundreds of other riders participated in three other rides on the Gran Fondo route in hilly Asheville, North Carolina.

2022 National Champions:

Men 14-16, Jade Rohde; Men 17-18, Jacob Barrick; Men 19-24, Benjamin Wright; Men 25-29, Tyler Kirkwood; Men 30-34, Felipe Aros; Men 35-39, Jesse Siemen; Men 40-44, Owen Shott; Men 45-49, Andrew Knight; Men 50-54, Raik Huster; Men 55-59, Mike Unruh; Men 60-64, Randy Warren; Men 65-69, Gaylord Otte; Men 70-74, Mark McCarthy; Men 75-plus: S. Durward Higgins.

Women 17-18: Greetja Nestler; Women 19-24, Zoe Eckman; Women 25-29, Rachel Jordan; Women 30-34, Meghan Henry; Women 35-39, Stefanie Sydlik; Women 40-44, Jill Patterson; Women 45-49, Blair McCurry; Women 50-54: Debbie Milne; Women 55-59: Lisa Weiss; Women 60-64, Brigitte Sims; Women 65-69, Martha Parks

(July 8-10) — With downhill, XCO and XCC races, it was a busy weekend for World Cup mountain biking. Aaron Gwin (Intense Factory Racing) took 11^th in the men’s downhill final, while Anna Newkirk (Beyond Racing) placed 10^th on the women’s side. Riley Miller (Commencal North America) was 13^th in the junior women’s downhill. Christopher Blevins(Specialized Factory Racing), who won last season’s final XCO Cup race, placed 8^th in a packed men’s field, while Kate Courtney (Scott-SRAM) took 7^th on the women’s side. Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing) was 12^th in the junior men’s XCO race, while Madigan Munro(Trek Factory Racing) took 10^th on the women’s side. In the women’s elite short track event, Kate Courtney took 7^th again, matching her XCO spot, and Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) was 14^th.

(July 15-17) — It was another huge weekend for World Cup action, with downhill, XCO and XCC racing over three days in Andorra. Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing) made his way back on to the podium taking bronze in the men’s U23 XCO race, bettering his results from a week earlier in Switzerland. Gwendalyn Gibson raced to 7th in the Short Track to get a front row call up in the XCO, and the hard work paid off. She finished Top-15 after coming back from a knee injury in May. Aaron Gwin (Intense Factory Racing) also made his way back on to the podium in 4^th on the men’s side, while Anna Newkirk (Beyond Racing) placed 8^th in the women’s downhill taking her best World Cup result. Riley Miller (Commencal North America) took 6^th in junior women’s downhill, while Kenneth Pinkerton (GT Factory Racing) grabbed the 10^th spot on the junior men’s side.

(July 9) — More than 20 waves of age group cyclists plus UCI elite men, women and juniors took on Banner Elk’s XCO course, held at Lee’s-McRae College in North Carolina.

Elite Men: Carson Beckett (Dirt Camp Racing), Kerry Werner (Kona Adventure Team), Scott McGill (Wildlife Generation Pro Cycling)

Elite Women: Emily Werner (Ken’s Bike Shop), Isabella Hyser (Bear National Team), Sydney Wenger (The Black Bibs)

Junior Men: Owen Cole (First Flight Devo), Matthew Edwards (First Flight Devo), Shannon Himstedt (Dirt Devo)

Junior Women: Lauren Moon (Dirt Camp Racing), Sabine Buccheri (Knobby By Nature), Grace Wilson (WE Development)

(July 7-10) — Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Valente won three races over three days at the Track Nations Cup in Colombia to lead Team USA in Cali. Valente, 27, took gold in the women’s Elimination and Omnium races, and, along with Colleen Gulick, captured gold in the Madison. These results would solidify her World Cup overall in the Elimination and Omnium for the Nations Cup Series. Gavin Hoover also took the overall win in the Omnium. That’s the first time an American man has won the overall title!

Other notable performances include: Spencer Seggebruch placed 6^th in men’s Individual Pursuit; Eddy Huntsman and Peter Moore placed 7^th in men’s Madison; Moore, Grant Koontz and Tristan Manderfeld placed 5^th, 6^th and 7^th in the men’s Omnium; and Manderfeld, John Croom, Moore and Seggebruch placed 4^th in Team Pursuit.