The first day of the 2023 USA Cycling Professional Road National Championships kicked off in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on Thursday. 54 riders made their way around the 11.6-kilometer course along Lake Melton to compete in the race against the clock, the Individual Time Trial. Chloé Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; CANYON//SRAM Racing), Betty Hasse (Providence, R.I.; CCB Alpine Carbon), and Brandon McNulty (Phoenix; UAE Team Emirates) all claimed the stars-and-stripes jersey in the Elite Women, U23 Women, and Elite Men, respectively.
USA Cycling reported Coryn Labecki (Tustin, Calif.; Team Jumbo-Visma) and Luke Lamperti (Sebastopol, Calif.; Trinity Racing) earned the Elite Criterium National Titles on the second day of the 2023 USA Cycling Professional Road Championships. The 1.1-mile course, held in downtown Knoxville, Tenn., proved challenging with its six corners and steep climb to the last corner. Labecki and Lamperti are previous winners of the event, with Lamperti earning the hat trick, winning in 2021 and 2022, and Labecki in 2016. Multi-time Junior Track World Championship Medalist Chloe Patrick (Carson, Calif.; Serious Cycling) earned the U23 Women’s National Title and the Elite Women’s bronze.
Elite Women
Kicking the night off with a high-intensity bang, 72 of the country’s top women sprinters took on the 70-minute race. Through the race’s first half, the group kept the tempo up, but no attack could come away for more than a half-lap. Teams like L39ion of Los Angeles and DNA Pro Cycling attempted to break away, but the field would not let them slip away.
With seven laps remaining, the attacks kept coming. Teams like CCB p/b LLG, DNA Pro Cycling, and L39ion of Los Angeles took turns at the front, testing the peloton’s cohesiveness. But each time, any attempts were countered, making the race an all-out brawl for the final lap. As the bell rang at one lap remaining, the L39ion Lionesses, including defending champion Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif.), were lined up four deep at the front of the field. Behind them was a fight for position to get on the lead-out train. Coryn Labecki took the fifth spot in the field with half of a lap remaining, placing herself in contention for the final sprint. In a surprising move to the field, Labecki attacked the L39ion riders at the base of the final climb, charging uphill. Ryan was quick to respond and went toe-to-toe with Labecki. Coming out of the last corner, Labecki maintained her lead, sprinting full gas for the line, taking the win, and making this her 73rd national title across multiple disciplines and age groups. Ryan took the silver, and Chloe Patrick rounded out the Elite Women’s Podium.
Results
1. Coryn Labecki (Tustin, Calif.; Team Jumbo-Visma)
2. Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif.; L39ion of Los Angeles)
3. Chloe Patrick (Carson, Calif.; Serious Cycling)
USA Cycling Pro Road Nationals Video
U23 Women
Adding to her bronze in the Elite Women’s Criterium Championship, 18-year-old Patrick earned herself the U23 Women’s National Champion title as the best placing rider aged 19-22. Patrick, a track cycling multi-time national champion, was excited to see her efforts transfer to the elite and U23 levels. “It feels so unexpected. I wanted to come here as a first-year non-junior just to get experience. See what I could do, see what the race is about. I’m just so shocked and excited to get the title. I’ve put in a lot of work to get here. I’m so excited to see it all payoff.”
Fellow Southern California native Makayla MacPherson (Corona, Calif.; Human Powered Health) earned silver, and Jane Tullis (Indianapolis; Goldman Sachs ETF’s Racing) the bronze.
Results
1. Chloe Patrick (Carson, Calif.; Serious Cycling)
2. Makayla MacPherson (Corona, Calif.; Human Powered Health)
3. Jane Tullis (Indianapolis; Goldman Sachs ETF’s Racing)
Elite Men
Ninety-five men lined up for the Elite Men’s Criterium National Championship. As the starter’s pistol went off to begin the race, athletes revved their engines and kept the throttle open for the entirety of the 80-minute race. Like the Elite Women’s race, the Men’s teams played cat and mouse, with teams attacking, counter-attacking, and recovering. The race saw a near-constant stream of changing leaders.
As the lap cards flipped to show nine to go, the peloton leveled up the intensity. Attacks from Project Echelon, Miami Nights, Miami Blazers, L39ion of Los Angeles, and Aevolo animated the front of the race, keeping things lively. The L39ion squad took charge, putting five men at the front in an attempt to control the race. Not to be locked out of the front, Luke Lamperti and Colby Simmons (Durango, Colo.; Team Jumbo-Visma Development) stuck to the team like glue, shadowing their every move. L39ion attacked, with Gavin Hoover (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), leading out teammate Tyler Williams (Santa Rosa, Calif.) into the race’s final climb. The climb was a battle between Williams, Lamperti, and Simmons, each dancing on the pedals to get up the hill. Lamperti was able to get on Williams’ wheel and was the first out of the final corner to take his third win.
Lamperti commented on being the lone rider for Trinity Racing, “It’s a good course to freelance, I will say that. For sure, L39ion has a strong team and Tyler was right there for a win. Luckily he hit his pedal in the last two corners, which is a tough way to lose your speed. It’s a good course to freelance and probably my favorite for sure. So we’ll see where we go next after Knoxville.”
Results
1. Luke Lamperti (Sebastopol, Calif.; Trinity Racing)
2. Colby Simmons (Durango, Colo.; Team Jumbo-Visma Development)
3. Tyler Williams (Santa Rosa, Calif.; L39ion of Los Angeles)
The first day of the 2023 USA Cycling Professional Road National Championships kicked off in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on Thursday. 54 riders made their way around the 11.6-kilometer course along Lake Melton to compete in the race against the clock, the Individual Time Trial. Chloé Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; CANYON//SRAM Racing), Betty Hasse (Providence, R.I.; CCB Alpine Carbon), and Brandon McNulty (Phoenix; UAE Team Emirates) all claimed the stars-and-stripes jersey in the Elite Women, U23 Women, and Elite Men, respectively.
Elite Women
The morning kicked off with the Elite Women’s Time Trial, where the women did two laps of the course for a total of 23.3 kilometers. Rain greeted the riders as they rolled out from the start house, cranking up the difficulty on the already technical course. Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.), the newly minted Trek-Segafredo Ironman Triathlete, held the hot seat for most of the race, stopping the clock at 31:41.22. The last three riders to start, Dygert, Lauren Stephens (Dallas; EF Education-TIBCO-SVB), and Pan-American Champion Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif.), would take over the hot seat in quick succession. Ultimately, Dygert had the fastest time, 31:06.65, earning her the national title. Stephens was second with her time of 31:15.67. Neben rounded out the Elite Women’s podium with her time of 31:39.54.
Results
1. Chloé Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; CANYON//SRAM Racing) 31:06.65
2. Lauren Stephens (Dallas; EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) 31:15.67
3. Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif.) 31:39.54
U23 Women
Part of the Elite Women’s race, riders aged 19-22 are also eligible for the U23 Women’s title. Last year’s bronze medalist, Hasse, bettered her position and time in much more challenging conditions. Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; Instafund La Prima) earned silver, and Chloe Patrick (Carson, Calif.; Serious Cycling) was third.
When asked about today’s course conditions, Hasse said, “It was crazy town. It was raining steadily the whole time. I was riding the turnarounds, and there was a little ‘skirt skirt’ from my bike, and I just thought, ‘I just have to send it,’ and it worked for me.”
Results
1. Betty Hasse (Providence, R.I.; CCB Alpine Carbon) 34:29.62
2. Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; Instafund La Prima) 35:08.06
3. Chloe Patrick (Carson, Calif.; Serious Cycling) 35:26.32
Elite Men
By the start of the Elite Men’s Time Trial, the weather mellowed to overcast skies and a light drizzle through the afternoon. The riders completed three laps of the course, totaling 34.9 kilometers, with course conditions only slightly better than what the women had. The final rider of the day, McNulty, put on a show for the fans, consistently setting a new best-time with every time split. At the finish, he stopped the clock at 40:39.22, marking the best time on this course since 2018, and the fourth-best time on this course ever.
William Barta (Boise, Idaho; Movistar) was the silver standard for the men, punching the clock at 42:11.61. Multi-time Time Trial National Champion, Joseph Rosskopf (Decatur, Ga.; Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) took third.
Results
1. Brandon McNulty (Phoenix; UAE Team Emirates) 40:39.22
2. William Barta (Boise, Idaho; Movistar) 42:11.61
3. Joseph Rosskopf (Decatur, Ga.; Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) 42:39.43
