Reigning US junior cyclocross national champion Matthew Crabbe wasted no time in winning his first-ever race in Europe, grabbing glory on the first day of a four-event swing with the Eurocross Academy (ECA).
The Buford, Georgia 16-year-old used a final lap sprint to outdistance Bas Vanden Eynde of Belgium for the victory in the men's U17 race on Saturday at Parkcross in Belgium. He said he and his ECA teammates lined up in the last three rows and he had to work especially hard in each corner to pass riders and work his way to the front.
"Our main goal was to learn as much as we can here, so there were no results expectations. Winning my first race was a nice payoff," said Crabbe, who spoke to Cyclingnews from a break in camp in Ruinen, Netherlands on Wednesday.
"The racing is aggressive and punchy and especially hard. I was not expecting a win, but the last two laps got very hard and I recalled all the work I put in over the last five years, it gave me motivation."
Of the nine US riders competing at the Belgian race, all placed 16th or better, including third place for Aida Linton, the reigning 15-16 junior women's Pan-American champion. The following day the group raced in Almelo, Netherlands, Linton taking a silver and Crabbe finishing sixth.
The two-week 'full-immersion' block of racing for the junior athletes, ages 15-16, selected for the Eurocross Academy will conclude the trip November 23-24 in the Netherlands.
Between races, the academy provides training rides, networking and cultural experiences, which on Monday included a group video conference with Niels Vandeputte, winner of X2O Trofee series Flanderiencross in Hamme.
"For sure it was cool to meet him. He had a lot of good info, like when he was a junior he was not that dominant, but has honed on what he is good at, and gone from being a top 10 rider as a junior to a podium contender in elite races. It was good to learn about perserverance," Crabbe said about the interaction with Vandeputte.
Crabbe has amassed seven US junior titles across track, road and cyclocross. Before he departed to Europe, he notched nine 'cross victories out of 10 races including victories in the elite men's open division at Major Taylor Cross Cup and Kings CX, riding for FinKraft Junior Cycling for domestic cyclocross.
Crabbe has been part of three summer camps in the US with ECA, but this was his first trip ever to Europe. Once returning to the US next week, he will prepare for US Cyclocross National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky on December 15. After a rest period, he will continue with Hot Tubes Cycling on the road in 2025.
The Eurocross Academy trains aspiring, young student-athletes, ages 14-20, through summer domestic preparation camps and European competition opportunities, with a pathway for cyclocross development using international competition. An online application form is typically available each spring.
Donations can be made to help fund the Eurocross Academy by clicking here: Eurocross Academy.
Double take for junior men at US Madison Nationals
Juniors Ashlin Barry and Enzo Edmonds, both category 2-level riders, notched a pair of titles within 30 minutes at the USA Cycling Madison Track National Championships last Saturday.
At the Lexus Velodrome in Detroit, Michigan. The 17-year-olds first captured the men's junior 15-18 Madison victory and then followed with the win in the men's elite open category contest.
Defending champions Danny Summerhill and Brendan Rhim finished with the silver in the elite race, and the pairing of Kyle Perry and Aaron Beebe, who won silver last year, took the bronze.
In the men's 15-18 Madison race, Barry and Edmonds broke away and lapped the field to seal the victory. In the 180-lap elite men’s race, the young duo battled against six teams and sealed an exciting victory with a sprint.
Barry, who races for EF Education-ONTO on the road, doubled his haul of national titles last weekend, having won a pair of gold medals in May at US Road National Championships, winning the men's junior road and time trial events.
He also took silver in the junior criterium. Barry has Canadian-US dual citizenship and moved to a USA Cycling licence earlier this year. He resides in Toronto, Canada with his parents Michael Barry, a Canadian Olympian, and Deirdre “Dede” Demet-Barry, a US Olympian.
Edmonds, a New York resident who races for Hot Tubes Development on the road, won four medals in August at USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships, taking wins in Elimination and Scratch races.
Rhim (Project Echelon Racing) would go on to win the Scratch race for elite men that same weekend in Detroit, Summerhill taking the bronze. The 29-year-old Rhim won three medals - Omnium, Scratch Race and Elimination - at Elite Track Nationals in the summer.
Last year when he won the Madison title with Summerhill (REIGN Storm Racing), a veteran from the road, cyclocross and the track, it was Rhim's first time racing the Madison, a crowd favourite with a hand-slinging motion for rider exchanges.
