Bjorn Riley (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing) and Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing) successfully defended their elite titles on Thursday in the cross-country short track races at the USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Bike Nationals.
The elite men's XCC race came down to a pair of head-to-head sprints to decide the medals, with Riley using an extra kick on the finish straight to dispatch last year's UCI World Cup champion Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing). The battle for the bronze medal also came down to the wire, Ivan Sippy (Team Segment 28 p/b Baird), the reigning 2025 Collegiate Mountain Bike XCO and XCC Varsity national champion, edging out Riley Amos (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing) at the line.
Last year Riley needed a final surge of speed to outduel Amos for his first XCC national championship.
"I just went back-to-back in the XCC, battling Riley and Chris," Riley told USA Cycling at the finish. "It was hot, it was wild, really happy to be able to back it all up.
"I will say, for Nationals, this crowd is massive. This course is super fun, it’s super flowy, every single corner is super loose, so you really have to be on your game. But maybe that’s what makes it fun, you really have to be fully locked in and there’s no time where you can zone out."
Riley made his move with two laps remaining in the 11-lap circuit at Elmwood Park in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. He opened a gap on Blevins, who fought back for the bell lap showdown.
Blevins, who had been sidelined for more than two months because of a broken collarbone, suffered at the start of the World Cup campaign in South Korea. He proved he was back in form last weekend in Andorra where he finished third in the XCC race, which was won by Riley for his first World Cup race victory, and then backed it up with fourth in the XCO.
Blunk used an acceleration in the rock garden with five laps to go to nullify a dangerous move by Crystal Anthony (Flow Formulas/Kenda/The Black Bibs) and only Gwendalyn Gibson (Trek - Unbroken) was able to react and follow for the next circuit. Blunk used the final three laps to extend her lead, winning by 26 seconds over Gibson, who earned the silver medal. Anthony followed another 38 seconds later for bronze.
Twice a double national champion in XCC and XCO, Blunk now has seven national titles in mountain biking, her first wins in 2021 as an U23 rider. She is currently ranked fifth overall among UCI elite women in both the World Cup XCC and XCO standings.
"I kind of attacked in the middle of the race in the technical parts and just committed from there. We had four laps to go still, so it was a bit far out," she told USA Cycling after crossing the line solo.
"It was really nice to have my mechanic and my fiancée on course just telling me to commit one hundred percent. It’s a really nice welcome home after two months in Europe."
The men's U23 race came down to a photo finish, Nicholas Konecny (Lexware Mountain Bike Team) just clipping the finish line for the gold medal and leaving Dan English (Trinity Racing) in second place.
Greta Kilburn (Bicycle Express Racing) attacked on the final lap of the women's U23 contest to outdistance Bear National Team riders Alice Hoskins and Elisabeth Knight for the national title.
The cross-country Olympic races will be held on Saturday for elite riders, as well as junior 17-18 and under-23 divisions for men and women. Those races shift to Roanoke County's Explore Park.
