Over the weekend, U.S. riders across different disciplines excelled domestically and internationally.
Pan American Continental Track Championships, Cochabomba, Bolivia
The U.S. National Team for Track Cycling headed down to Bolivia earlier this week to compete at the Pan American Continental Championships. Every member of the team either took home a medal or broke a National Record.
The first medals earned of the event were by Jennifer Valente (San Diego, Calif.) and Eric Young (Geneva, Ill.) who both took home gold in the Scratch Race. Valente would go on to take Gold in the Points race, the Madison alongside Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif.) and a silver in the Team Pursuit alongside the squad of Ryan, Emma White (Delanson, N.Y.), Lily Williams (Asheville, N.C.), and Christina Birch (Los Angeles).
The Men’s Team Pursuit Squad of Ashton Lambie (Lincoln, Neb.), Daniel Holloway (Boulder, Colo.), Adrian Hegyvary (Ashville, N.C.), John Croom (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Eric Young (Geneva, Ill.) clocked their second fastest time ever of 3:56.702 in the qualifying round and followed it up with a new American Record time 3:52.747. Holloway and Hegyvary would go on to earn silver in the Madison.
The next Americans to break records were sprinters Madalyn Godby (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and James Mellen (Schnecksville, Penn.) who broke the flying 200km Sprint American Records. Fellow American Mandy Marquardt (Allentown, Penn.) would go on to earn bronze in the Sprint later in the competition.
Records continued to fall as Lambie took to the track to contest the Individual Pursuit, except this time it was a World Record. In the qualifying round, Lambie broke his own World Record set during the 2018 Pan-American Continental Championships. He again lowered that record in the gold medal round to a new World Record time of 4:05.403, nearly two seconds faster than the record he set just one year before. White also competed in the Women’s Team Pursuit earning silver.
The event would conclude with Gavin Hoover (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) earning bronze in the Omnium and Young breaking the National Record in the Kilo, making him the first U.S. rider to break the minute barrier.
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Snowshoe, W.V.
The 2019 UCI World Cup concluded this weekend in Snowshoe, W. Va. and our American riders put on a show for their hometown cycling fans. The competition kicked off on Friday with the Short Track Competition. U.S. National Team Members Kate Courtney (San Francisco, Calif.; Scott-SRAM), Chloe Woodruff (Prescott, Ariz.; Stans NoTubes Pivot p/b Maxxis), Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt.; Sho-Air TWENTY20) and Erin Huck (Boulder, Colo.; CZ Racing p/b Scott) animated the race with Courtney riding her way to the bronze medal. Courtney was followed by Woodruff, Davison and Huck placing sixth, seventh and 13th respectively, earning first and second row call ups for Sunday’s Olympic Cross Country race.
Saturday’s Downhill finals were just as exciting with Anna Newkirk (Riehen, Switzerland; SRAM Young Guns) earning a silver medal in the Junior Women’s Category. In the Elite Men’s Race, Charlie Harrison (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.; Trek Factory Racing) took home the bronze medal while three other U.S. riders, Dakotah Norton (Rotten Oaks, Tenn.; Unior Devinci Factory Racing), Aaron Gwin (Murietta, Calif.; Intense Factory Racing) and Luca Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C.; Santa Cruz Syndicate), rode their way into the top 15.
Sunday saw not only the Olympic Cross Country races, but also the final showdown in the battle for the 2019 UCI Overall World Cup Series title. The first race of the day to go off was the U23 Women’s race. U.S. riders Kelsey Urban (Kentfield, Calif.; Rouler Devo p/b DNA Cycling), Haley Batten (Salt Lake City, Utah; Clif Pro Team), Gwendalyn Gibson (Ramona, Calif.; Norco Bicycles) and Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Sho-Air TWENTY-20) all placed in the top 15. After the Men’s U23 race, all eyes were on the Elite Women’s race. After an exciting turn of events, Courtney rode to a fifth place finish, which was enough to overtake Swiss rival, Yolanda Neff to claim the overall Series Title. Woodruff, Davison and Huck once again were not far behind, placing sixth, eighth and 12th respectively.
Steragas Vlaamse Brabant Classic
As the road season rolls towards its conclusion later this month, Junior rider Quinn Simmons (Durango, Colo.; Lux Cycling) picked up a bronze medal over the weekend at the Steragas Vlaams Brabant Classic in Belgium while racing for the U.S. National Team. Over the season, the Men’s and Women’s Junior programs have accumulated multiple victories during their racing blocks in Europe.
Rochester Cyclocross
As the Road and Mountain Bike seasons wind down, Cyclocross is heating up. The second ProCX race, Rochester Cyclocross saw top performances from several Americans. In both the Men’s and Women’s Saturday C1 races, six of the top 10 spots were earned by U.S. riders. In Sunday’s C2 race, reigning Continental Champion Curtis White (Delanson, N.Y.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocross World), took the top step of the podium in the men’s race with four of his compatriots rounding out the top 10, the Women’s race once again saw six of the top ten positions earned by Americans.
See full results here: https://www.uci.org/cyclo-cross/results
La Vuelta a Espana
Sepp Kuss (Durango, Colo; Jumbo-Visma) took Sunday’s stage of La Vuelta a Espana by storm earning his first Grand Tour stage victory. Read how it happened here: https://www.velonews.com/2019/09/vuelta-a-espana/kuss-wins-big-in-the-vuelta_500470
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For more information, please contact Kelly Fox at apalermo@usacycling.org.
