Team USA Recap: U23 MTB World Cup Gold for Kellerman; Three BMX Freestyle World Cup Medals from Dowell, Christopher, and Roberts
(May 22-24) – At stop number two of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Makena Kellerman won the U23 women’s Short Track, her second XCC gold medal this month following her first-ever World Cup win in South Korea. It was another great showing for Team USA, with eight top-10 placings in addition to the gold medal. Bailey Cioppa took 5th behind Kellerman and Nicholas Konecny (Lexware) placed 10th in U23 men’s XCC. Gwendalyn Gibson (Trek-Unbroken XC) placed 7th in elite women’s XCC, while Riley Amos (Trek-Unbroke XC) and Bjorn Riley (Scott-SRAM) placed 8th and 9th in the elite men’s race.
In the cross-country races, Vida Lopez de San Roman (Trinity Racing) placed 8th in U23 women’s XCO. Savilia Blunk (Decathlon-Ford Racing Team) placed 6th and Gwendalyn Gibson was 10th in elite women’s XCO. On the men’s side, Bjorn Riley and Riley Amosshowed they have the fitness to mix it up at the front of an elite race at just 24 years old. Bjorn Riley was in the podium fight and riding at the front of the race until a broken wheel on the second-to-last lap ended his chances.
Next stop on the World Cup calendar is Loudenvielle, France, May 28-31, for Enduro and DH racing.
Results here
(May 15-17) – Round one of BMX Freestyle World Cup action saw three Americans on the podium in Montpellier, France. Two-time Olympian and former World Champion Justin Dowell earned silver and Paris 2024 Olympian Marcus Christopher earned bronze in the elite men’s finals. Five-time World Champion Hannah Roberts earned bronze in the elite women’s final.
Round two of BMX Freestyle World Cup gives American fans their best chance to watch the pros, with action taking place August 6-9 in Birmingham, Alabama. Round 3 is in Shanghai and Round 4 wraps up in November in Sakai, Japan.
Results here
(May 14-17) – Katherine Sarkisov (USA) placed 9th overall and Kate Courtney (USA) earned her first UCI road win at her first UCI road race at the Tour de Feminin.
Sarkisov, 22, earned top-6 spots in three of four stages at the Tour de Feminin. Along with Mountain Bike Marathon World Champion, Courtney, the two were part of a US Women’s National Team squad competing in Czechia.
Results here
(May 19) – Artem Shmidt (Netcompany INEOS Cycling) won the 202-kilometer mainly flat Dunkerque classic in France, in a solo win across the line. This was the first pro race victory for the 22-year-old reigning Time Trial National Champion, who’s in his second season competing on the professional level.
Results here
(May 20-24) – Artem Shmidt (Netcompany INEOS Cycling) placed 9th overall and 3rd in the Youth category after five days of racing in France, starting in Lagny-le-Sec and ending in Dunkerque. Highlights included a fourth-place finish on the 157-kilometer Stage 3.
Results here
(May 22) – Kaia Schmid (O’Shea Red Chilli Bikes) placed 9th at the 134-kilometer circuit race in the Netherlands, marking the best result so far for her this season. The 23-year-old placed top-five in the U23 ITT, road race and criterium national championships last season.
Results here
(May 24) – Lily Williams (Human Powered Health) placed 5th at Antwerp Port Epic Ladies, a 143-kilometer Belgium course featuring features dozens of unpaved and cobbled sectors. Williams sprinted to fifth from a chase group that came in more than a minute after the solo winner, Femke Markus of the Netherlands.
Results here
(May 16-17) – Seventeen-year-old Kash Adamski (Hot Tubes Cycling) won the Tour de Gironde Juniors, a three-stage race in France. The junior men’s Road Race National Champion also won the stage 2 time trial. Teammate Sylvan Garrelts (Hot Tubes Cycling) won stage 1 and placed 8th on stage 2.
Results here
(May 22-24) – Kash Adamski (Hot Tubes Cycling) placed 10th at the four-day stage race in the Netherlands. He also placed 2nd on the stage 2 time trial, missing out on a win by two seconds.
Results here
(May 24) – Enzo Hincapie (grenke-Auto Eder) was 4th at the 124-kilometer Ronde van Vlaanderen. The 17-year-old sprinted for the finish with a small group, coming in two seconds behind the winner, Sweden’s Elias Wandel.
Results here
