The 2024 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships kicked off on Thursday morning at Joe Creason Park in Louisville, Ky. It was a cold start to the week with the Non-Binary and Singlespeed Women racing in below freezing temperatures to kick off championship racing.
Thirteen athletes competed in the singlespeed race on Thursday morning. Taking the win by almost a minute, Jennifer Malik (Carroll, Ohio; Smanie p/b Paradise Garage) became the National Champion, topping last year’s second place result. Carla Williams (Roanoke, Va.; CarboRocket) rolled across the line in second, and Marjie Bemis (Indianapolis, Ind.; Marian University) rounded out the podium in third.
Results:
1. Jennifer Malik (Carroll, Ohio; Smanie p/b Paradise Garage)
2. Carla Williams (Roanoke, Va.; CarboRocket)
3. Marjie Bemis (Indianapolis, Ind.; Marian University)
The non-binary race began one minute after the singlespeed race. Finishing in a time of 41:45.00, Robert Cummings (Portland, Ore.; Team S&M) secured the win after a strong performance. Joshua Strong (Boulder, Colo.; Green Mountain Cyclocross) earned second, and Safety Tregelles (Nashville, Tenn.; Safety Herd Racing Team) secured third.
Results:
1. Robert Cummings (Portland, Ore.; Team S&M)
2. Joshua Strong (Boulder, Colo.; Green Mountain Cyclocross)
3. Safety Tregelles (Nashville, Tenn.; Safety Herd Racing Team)
Forty-four men lined up to compete for the Stars and Stripes in the Men’s 60-64 race during Thursday’s morning session. Winning by just a mere seven seconds, Samuel Morse (Cohasset, Mass.; Corner Cycle/FinKraft) had a strong ride finishing just ahead of New York native, Erik Grimm (Pitsford, N.Y.; Minuteman | Empire Automation p/b Full Moon Vista). Todd Cassan (Boulder, Colo.; Jones and Co) rounded out the podium in third place.
Results:
1. Samuel Morse (Cohasset, Mass.; Corner Cycle/FinKraft)
2. Erik Grimm (Pitsford, N.Y.; Minuteman | Empire Automation p/b Full Moon Vista)
3. Todd Cassan (Boulder, Colo.; Jones and Co)
After having a fantastic ride, Harry Hamilton (Madison, N.J.; PROthirteen Racing) competed against 33 riders to win the Master Men’s 65-69 National Championship title. David Rustico (Plantsville, Conn.; Team DSO Mfg - ERRACE) finished 30 seconds behind him in second. Curtis Southern (Frederick, Md.; National Capital Velo Club) earned third.
Results:
1. Harry Hamilton (Madison, N.J.; PROthirteen Racing)
2. David Rustico (Plantsville, Conn.; Team DSO Mfg - ERRACE)
3. Curtis Southern (Frederick, Md.; National Capital Velo Club)
Thirty-eight athletes competed in the Master Men 70+ category, with the one of oldest riders being 91. California native George Smith (Menlo Park, Calif.; Bike X p/b Hyperthreads) finished first in the Men’s 70-74 race after a two-man sprint to the line against Frank Jennings (Edgartown, Mass.; Spin Arts Cycling/American Lung Association Cycling Team). Charles South (Fort Waye, Ind.; 3 Rivers Velosport Racing Team) earned the national title in the Men’s 75-79 race, Mark Pearson (Goodyear, Ariz.; Team Santini USA) was crowned the champion in the Men’s 80-84 category, and Joe Saling (Bridgewater, N.J.; Team Somerset/Pop's Bike Shop) secured the win in the Men’s 85-89 race.
In the most senior category of the day, Frederic Schmid (Waco, Texas; GeriAtrix) secured the win in the Men’s 90-94 race at 91 years old. Schmid, a multi-discipline athlete has won over 30 national titles.
Master Men 70-74 Results:
1. George Smith (Menlo Park, Calif.; Bike X p/b Hyperthreads)
2. Frank Jennings (Edgartown, Mass.; Spin Arts Cycling /American Lung Association Cycling Team)
3. Paul Curley (Taunton, Mass.; American Lung Assn. / Spin Arts Cycling)
Master Men 75-79 Results:
1. Charles South (Fort Waye, Ind.; 3 Rivers Velosport Racing Team)
2. Robert Ogren (Bloomington, Minn.; NorthStar Development)
3. Arthur Allen (Boulder, Colo.)
Master Men 80-84 Results:
1. Mark Pearson (Goodyear, Ariz.; Team Santini USA)
2. Dominic Rossetto (Grafton, Wis.; Project Echelon Vanguard)
Master Men 85-89 Results:
1. Joe Saling (Bridgewater, N.J.; Team Somerset/Pop's Bike Shop)
Master Men 90-94 Results:
1. Frederic Schmid (Waco, Texas; GeriAtrix)
In the Collegiate Women’s race, both Varsity and Club categories were combined, but the Club women started one minute behind the Varsity women. Fifty-one athletes lined up to compete for the two titles that were on the line. Vida Lopez de San Roman (Sebastopol, Calif.; Milligan University) rode at the front for most of the race saying, “There was a group of us in the front for the first two laps and then there was a little crash behind me and I put a little gap in and then kind of like grew it and then raced pretty consistently the next three laps and Milligan came out on top, which was pretty exciting.” After putting down multiple consistent laps, Lopez de San Roman earned gold over second place finisher Cassidy Hickey (Grand Junction, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University). "The race just went super well. I really loved the course. It was a little slidey and technical and almost muddy and then it dried out a little bit and it was going super-fast. I was having so much fun out there,” said Lopez de San Roman.
Securing the win in the Club category, Elsa Westenfelder (Missoula, Mont.; University of Denver) raced for the University of Denver and was the sole representative for her team in this year’s race. “ I had a good race. Yeah, I'm really happy. I just focused on riding clean and trying to work my way through the Varsity field that started ahead of us. And yeah, it was really fun.” When asked about her favorite part of the course she said, “The back section through the trees was fun. It was kind of muddy, which was awesome. It made it a little more technical.” She’ll be returning on Saturday to compete in the U23 Women’s race.
Club Women Results:
1. Elsa Westenfelder (Missoula, Mont.; University of Denver)
2. Olivia Sandoval (Baltimore, Md.; University of Vermont)
3. Tegan Brown (Boulder, Colo.; University of Colorado Boulder)
Varsity Women Results:
1. Vida Lopez de San Roman (Sebastopol, Calif.; Milligan University)
2. Cassidy Hickey (Grand Junction, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University)
3. Natalie Quinn (Durango, Colo.; Fort Lewis College)
The Collegiate Men’s Club race was action packed with 26 athletes competing for the coveted Stars and Stripes jersey. Earning gold for UC Berkeley, Justin Peck (Los Gatos, Calif.; Cal Cycling) finished over a minute ahead of second. When asked about his race he said, “This is my third time coming out to cross nationals, so I’m happy to finally get the win in my senior year after finishing fourth last year. The course was good this year, it was pretty flowy and had some steep sections on the backside that suited me well, so on the second lap I just rode away and tried to hold my gap after that.”
In one of the most exciting races of the day, the Varsity Men had 56 starters, all eager and excited to battle for the title. The lead group separated quickly with six riders taking control of the front. The group included three CMU riders: Henry Coote (Manchester, Mass.), Ivan Sippy (Durango, Colo.), and Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.); two Brevard riders, Owen Clark (Mono, Calif.) and Cole Punchard (Brevard, N.C.); and one Marian rider, Miles Mattern (Rochester, N.Y.).
The leaders were all still together with one lap to go and then things got interesting. Coote was able to get a small gap then crashed coming out of the last pit. Sippy got a little tangled up in the crash, allowing Clark to get around him, but Sippy didn't let him get too far, especially leading into the barriers. Sippy was one of the few riders hopping the barriers and was able to ride the feature successfully, taking the inside line and allowing him to get around Clark, then he hit the pavement and sprinted in for the win. Colorado Mesa University dominated with Spranger finishing second, and Coote still riding in for fourth place.
Club Men Results:
1. Justin Peck (Los Gatos, Calif.; Cal Cycling)
2. Nathan Cusak (Chevy Chase, Md.; University of Vermont)
3. Gavin Lopez (Englewood, Colo.; University of Colorado Boulder)
Varsity Men Results:
1. Ivan Sippy (Durango, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University)
2. Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.; Colorado Mesa University)
3. Owen Clark (Mono, Calif.; Brevard College)
Racing continues tomorrow with the Master Women 30-44, Master Men 30-59, Collegiate Team Relay, and Non-Championship Mixed Team Relay.
Don't miss the excitement this Saturday! Watch the 17/18, U23, and Elite races live on FloBikes. Tune in and catch every moment of the action. Click here to sign up and watch.
Photo By: Tory Hernandez, Evrgrn Photo
