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.