US Amateur Road Nationals
The 2023 USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championships were held from June 14-17 in Roanoke, Virginia with events held in the time trial, road race and criterium.
In the 174km road race, Ama Nsek (CS Velo Racing) defended his category 1 national title with a two-up sprint over Jonny Brown (Miami Blazers), a former US Pro road race champion. In the men’s U23 road race, a photo finish between Owen Cole (Velocious Sport) and Colby Simmons (Jumbo-Visma Devo) went to Cole for the stars-and-stripes jersey.
Enzo Hincapie (EF Education-ONTO) edged Brady Hogue (Landis/Trek) in a two-rider sprint to win for a second consecutive year in the men ‘s 15-16 junior US Amateur Road National Championship.
Brown, Cole and Simmons will be on the start line June 25 to compete for the US Pro road title. It’s a home race for Tennessee-native Brown and he will be joined in Knoxville by Blazers teammate Brandon Feehery, who won the amateur men’s category 1 criterium championship in downtown Roanoke.
“WOW! I am still at a loss for words. What an incredible feeling it is to win the US Elite National Criterium Championship!!! Being able to put on the Stars and Stripes jersey is something I have dreamed about for the last 20 years,” Feehery wrote on Instagram.
“I knew I had to start my sprint early from the final corner. I put my head down and gave it all I had left, crossing the line in 1st! Without the whole team, I would have never won this race.”
In the time trial championship events, Cory Lockwood (United Cycling) won the men’s category 1 race and Viggo Moore (Israel Premier Tech) won the U23 title. Aevolo’s Brody Mcdonald won the U23 men’s criterium national title.
While junior women’s races were held across the same four days in Roanoke, the U23 divisions will again be contested as part of the US Pro Road Nationals in Knoxville, Tennessee, June 22-25. Low registration numbers across the time trial, criterium and road race have been the main reason for USA Cycling to combine the under-23 and pro fields for women. A total of six U23 women will be part of the pro women’s time trial start list on Thursday, with U23 registration numbers reflecting 16 in the pro criterium on Friday and 15 in Sunday’s road race.
Alexis Jaramillo (Sonic Boom Racing) won the women’s 15-16 junior race. Samantha Scott (CompEdge Racing) took the title in the women’s 17-18 junior road race, hitting the line first from a three-rider sprint. Darren Parham (Hot Tubes Development) won the men’s 17-18 junior event.
Harlem Skyscraper Cycling Classic
Emily Singleton (CRCA/Rockstar Games) won the women’s race of the Harlem Skyscraper Cycling Classic from a three-rider sprint and Jamual John (CRCA/Foundation) sailed uncontested across the line to win the men’s finale at Marcus Garvey Park in New York City.
Now in its 51st edition, the Harlem Skyscraper Cycling Classic, also referred to as the Harlem Crit, took place this past Sunday as part of the community’s Juneteenth celebration, a US national holiday to commemorate the end of slavery.
The women marked each other until the late laps and with two laps to go Singleton clung to the wheel of veteran criterium racer Laura van Gilder. On the final lap, Tara Seplavy (PA) launched an attack, but could not shake the field. Singleton threw her bike across the line to just edge Katerina Gregoriou (Good Gals Racing) for the win, and Van Gilder settled for third.
In the men’s race it was a similar scenario with top teams keeping any attacks in check for the first half of the race. Only Jermaine Burrowes (Burrowes Brothers Bikes Team) was able to see some daylight at the front, but the Red Train of CRCA/ Foundation pulled him back, as well as other attempted attackers. The team would go one-two with John winning in front of teammate Adam Alexander. Third place went to Francisco Lara Carbajal (DCC/Alpecin).
Gravel Locos Pueblo cancelled
The second edition of Gravel Locos Pueblo will have to wait, as organisers cancelled the southern Colorado race set for September 30 due to a conflict with the nearby Rad Dirt Fest in Trinidad.
GL Pueblo was held last year as a fall companion event to follow the popular Gravel Locos race in Hico, Texas. Organiser Fabián Serralta said the decision was made when Life Time, owners of the nearby Rad Dirt Fest, made a late calendar change for their Life Time Grand Prix event and created a conflict for the same weekend.
“I chose September 30th, 2023 because the weekend before is the Pueblo Chili Festival and the weekend of October 7th and 8th is when the Lifetime, Inc.[sic] event The Rad Dirt Fest takes place. It is important to note that Pueblo and Trinidad, Colorado are approximately an hour apart from each other. I took that into consideration and made sure that we stayed away from the Rad Dirt’s usual October 7th and 8th date,” Serralta wrote on social media last week.
“A couple of months after our 2023 Pueblo date announcement, I was contacted by Lifetime, INc. whom informed me that they were moving their Rad Dirt [and it] would become part of the Lifetime Grand Prix series. The Lifetime decision would mean less registrations for Pueblo and the loss of our pro cyclist friends because they would have to be at the Lifetime Grand Prix race.
Serralta said he tried to remain positive and did not cancel right away, but felt there was no other option.
“It has become very clear that a grassroots charity event like Gravel Locos can’t possibly compete with Lifetime. Canceling the Pueblo race was not an easy decision for me to make because it means letting the Red Creek Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department in Pueblo down.”
Serralta said the funds raised from GL Pueblo would have provided indoor plumbing for the volunteer fire department, which plays a critical role in the local community with day-to-day emergency services, from fires to motor vehicle accidents. The spring Gravel Locos race in Texas has raised more than $200,000 for the Hico Volunteer fire department.
Responses of disappointment about the cancellation were posted on social media by many of the top gravel racers, from Gravel Locos past champion Laurens ten Dam and former Unbound Gravel winners Alison Tetrick, Ted King and Ian Boswell.
“Bummed to hear this but hope the event makes a return in the future, I really enjoyed Pueblo last year,” Boswell posted to Instagram.
Alex Howes added to the stream of support by saying, “Had a heck of a good time with y’all in Pueblo last year. Keep your head up & let’s keep pushing.”
Registration for Gravel Locos Hico will open in September.
Jayco AlUla returns to Maryland Cycling Classic
The Maryland Cycling Classic presented by UnitedHealthcare confirmed Team Jayco AlUla would return to the invitation-only field on September 3, looking to defend the team’s success with Belgian rider Sep Vanmarcke winning the inaugural edition.
Along with EF Education-EasyPost and Trek-Segafredo, there are now three WorldTour teams confirmed for the only one-day UCI Pro Tour race in the US this season.
Five additional teams were confirmed by organisers - ProTour teams Israel-Premier Tech and Corratec Selle Italia, US Continental programmes Team Skyline and Project Echelon Racing, as well as a USA Cycling National Team.
These eight teams will race alongside six other teams previously announced - Human Powered Health, Team Novo Nordisk, L39ION of Los Angeles, Hagens Berman Axeon, Toronto Hustle and Team Medellín-EPM. Two additional teams are expected to be added later this summer to round out a field of 17.
The 120.4-mile (194 km) race, will begin in Baltimore County at Kelly Benefits headquarters in Sparks, Maryland, and finish in the Inner Harbor area.
