Vida Lopez de San Roman (Bear CX) rode away former two-time U23 champion Katie Clouse (Steve Tilford Basis Racing) on the ultimate lap and received her first elite ladies’s title at USA Biking Cyclocross Nationals on Saturday afternoon.
For a lot of the six-lap race, Clouse and Lopez de San Roman dictated the tempo. Clouse, who was second within the elite race final yr, suffered cramping in her hand on the final half lap. She couldn’t match an acceleration by the 18-year-old Lopez de San Roman, who opted to leap into the elite contest slightly than defend her ladies’s junior 17-18 nationwide title from final yr.
Clouse held on to the silver medal, driving 1:05 behind the brand new elite champion. Her Steve Tilford Basis Biking teammate Raylyn Nuss was one other 13 seconds again for the bronze medal, the duo replicating their podium spots from final yr.
Natalie Quinn (CCB p/b Levine Regulation Group Biking) rode solo for fourth, whereas her teammate Lizzy Gunsalus, final yr’s U23 champion and the reigning U23 Pan-Am champion completed fifth.
“Fairly particular race on the market. So thrilling to be out with the elites for the primary time, and sort of simply leap within the combine. I did not have too many expectations. I simply raced as patiently as attainable and keep calm and sensible all the best way till the top. There have been moments on the market I completely doubted the outcome, however I simply tried to remain in it. And it labored out in the long run. It is actually, actually thrilling,” Lopez de San Roman instructed FloBikes commentator Brad Sohner after the end.
To maneuver as much as elites was a tricky resolution for {the teenager}, who stated, “I used to be torn between simply leaping within the U23 race and doing extra of what I’m comfy with. However a couple of week and a half in the past I made a decision I used to be up for the problem.
“It was a tricky battle with Katie on the market. I am tremendous proud of my resolution in the long run.”
The elite ladies’s discipline of 27 riders had been the fifth of six teams navigating the 3km black course at Joe Creason Park, driving in a counter-clockwise route on a route with extra technical descents and off-camber climbing than final yr. Underneath grey skies, the clouds didn’t launch any precipitation however the course remained cheesy with thick mud in a lot of the corners, brought on by morning frost that melted in hotter temperatures.
Clouse took management from the opening shot, adopted by Gunsalus and Anna Megale (Aggressive Edge Racing). Throughout the flyover, Clouse set the tempo with Gunsalus and Lopez de San Roman adopted a number of seconds again by Raylyn Nuss (Steve Tilford Racing) and Megale. As soon as via the climbing and off-camber sections, Natalie Quinn (CCB p/b Levine Regulation Group Biking) had bridged to the entrance to make it a bunch of six.
The six riders had carved a 27-second result in start the second of six laps, Anna Dorovskikh (Donovan Raccing p/b AES), Amelia Shea (Suggestions Sports activities) and Caitlin Bernstein (Easton Overland) main the chase. Different notables included Crystal Anthony (Liv Racing) rode in tenth place and Lauren Stephens was fifteenth.
Clouse, a former two-time U23 champion, and reigning junior champion Lopez de San Roman marked one another to start the third lap. Nuss caught the again wheel of Clouse because the circuit started, with the CCB duo of Quinn and Gunsalus tagging alongside to make it a five-rider group headed to the descent to the stone stairs on the mansion. The corners weren’t as slippery because the morning rounds, which allowed Clouse and Lopez de San Roman to trip via the mud and never run, solely Gunsalus falling off the again.
The Clouse-Lopez de San Roman choreographic sequence settled on laps 4 and 5, however they stored the tempo excessive and put distance in all contenders. Nuss and Quinn started to battle for the bronze medal, as they trailed by xx seconds because the bell rang for the ultimate lap.
On the final move on the again facet of the course on the mansion, Lopez de San Roman opened a major hole on Clouse, the previous U23 champions seen grimacing and taking her left hand off the handlebars, showing to undergo cramps. The 18-year-old could not have seen the bodily problems with Clouse, however she detected the change in cadence and velocity and sailed away.
Earlier than she scored her first nationwide title within the elite class, Lopez de San Roman received the ladies’s Varsity collegiate race at cyclocross nationals on Thursday.
Outcomes
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