Day seven of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships saw multiple disciplines take place in Stirling, Glasgow, and Glentress Forest. The morning kicked off with the Mountain Bike Team Relay, where the United States earned eighth overall after an early crash. The Time Trial in Sterling saw two U23 riders put in strong solo efforts to finish in the top 35. The track events wrapped in the evening with Jennifer Valente (San Diego; TWENTY24 Pro Cycling) earning her second rainbow jersey of the week. The United States has 20 total medals heading into day eight of the world championships.
On the final night of track cycling at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, Valente defended her World Championship Title. The event, comprised of four races: the Scratch Race, Tempo Race, Elimination Race, and Points Race, is one of the most challenging competitions in cycling. All four events are done within four hours. In the first event, the Scratch Race, Valente was extremely efficient with her efforts, allowing other riders to chase down attacks. With three laps to go, she burst to the front of the field and won the field sprint. During the Tempo Race, Valente showed why she is one of the best track racers in the world. After the French rider, Valentine Fortin attacked early and took a lap, Valente attacked and started collecting points. Within ten laps, Valente completed taking a lap on the field. Between the points she earned and the lap she took, Valente cemented her win in the event.
In the third event, the Elimination Race, the nerves were palpable. Three crashes throughout the race brought on neutralization. Valente avoided calamity and was surgical in her precision, picking riders off the back. She took the win in the event, which set her up with a solid lead of 20 points heading into the final event. Going into the last race, Valente was on defense. She kept an eye on the top five riders and made sure none of them gained enough points to overtake her sizeable lead. She executed against her plan and successfully defended her title. This gold medal is Valente’s 17th Elite World Championship medal, and her third Elite Individual World Championship Title, having won the Omnium in 2022 and then the Scratch Race earlier in this championship.
Women’s Omnium
1 – Jennifer Valente (USA)
2 – Amalie Diderikson (AUT)
3 – Lotte Kopecky (BEL)
Colby Lange (Edwards, Colo.; Chaney Windows and Doors) represented the United States in the final men’s event on the track, the Point’s Race. Active at the front for the entire race, Lange was able to break away with a group of five riders to take a lap before the halfway point of the race. It was an intense race, with the eventual winner, Aaron Gate (NZL), constantly on the attack. In the end, Lange finished in 16th.
Men’s Points Race
1 – Aaron Gate (NZL)
2 – Albert Torres Barcelo (ESP)
3 – Fabio van den Bossche (BEL)
16 – Colby Lange (USA)
The mountain bike team kicked off their events in Glentress Forest today starting with the Team Relay. The team of Brayden Johnson (Littleton, Colo.; Bear National Team), Nicholas Konecny (Breckenridge, Colo.; Bear National Team), Madigan Munro (Boulder, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing), Vida Lopez de San Roman (Sebastopol, Calif.; Bear National Team), Kate Courtney (Kentfield, Calif.; SCOTT-SRAM Factory Racing), and Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing) raced a total of six laps. After a crash at the start, the team fought to earn back as many positions as they could to finish in eighth place.
Mixed Team Relay
1 – Switzerland
2 – France
3 – Denmark
8 – United States
The race against the clock started today in Sterling, Scotland where two U-23 athletes represented the United States. The first American to go was Viggo Moore (Feldberg, Ger.; Israel Premier Tech). He battled the gruesome 36.2 kilometer course to finish in a time of 46:22.92, putting him in 31st overall. Next to go was 19-year-old Evan Boyle (Niskayuna, N.Y.). Boyle completed his race in a time of 45:45.87. An effort that was good enough to earn him 25th place.
U23 Time Trial
1 – Lorenoz Milesi (ITA)
2 – Alec Segaert (BEL)
3 – Hamish McKenzie (AUS)
25 – Evan Boyle (USA)
31 – Viggo Moore (USA)
After Tuesday’s qualifying runs, Matt Wilhelm (Naperville, Ill.) was the lone American to progress to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the top eight riders would progress to the finals on Thursday. Wilhelm threw down a wicked run and earned a score of 78.66. Unfortunately, all of the athletes brought their a-games to the event, and Wilhelm did not advance into the final, placing eleventh.
The final day of the BMX Racing Challenge classes saw the Men and Women 16, 17-24, 25-29, and 35+ all take to the track for their championships. Seven Americans were present in the main event. Sean Day (Tacoma, Wash.) took home the win in the men’s 16-year-old class, along with Team USA Coach Barry Nobles winning the 30+ class.
It’s a busy day back at Glentress Forest for the Mountain Bike Team, with the Junior Men and Women contesting their Cross-Country events. Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialized Factory Racing), Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Rockrider FORD Racing Team), and Gwendalyn Gibson (Ramona, Calif.; Trek Factory Racing) then go for the rainbow jersey in the Short Track races later in the day. Chloé Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; CANYON//SRAM Racing) and Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif.), take on the race against the clock, the individual time trial.
