Lopez de San Roman and Strohmeyer Earn Elite Titles at…

The 2024 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships continued Saturday morning at Joe Creason Park and featured the Junior 17-18, Under-23, and Elite Men’s and Women’s races. Below freezing temperatures left the ground frozen at the start, but as the day warmed up and the course began to thaw, several sections turned increasingly slick, adding a new layer of challenge for the racers. 

ELITE MEN 

In the final race of the day, 39 athletes lined up on the grid for the Elite Men’s race. Three athletes led from the start: Andrew Strohmeyer (Mount Airy, Md.; CXD Trek Bikes), Scott Funston (Boulder, Colo.; Cervelo Orange Living), and Eric Brunner (Boulder, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing). The trio stayed together for the entirety of the race. 

Brunner had several bobbles in the wooded section of the course but managed to remain in contention. The three men were all consistently hopping the barriers, until Brunner crashed on the landing, and Strohmeyer attacked giving it everything he had. Brunner was able to catch back on and bring the group back together. Strohmeyer, Brunner, and Funston all exchanged pulls, setting an extremely quick pace. In the final few hundred meters, it came down to a three-up sprint, with Strohmeyer gaining a small gap in the last grass section before the road. Strohmeyer crossed the finish line first, winning by less than a second, claiming the Elite Men’s National Title. Eric Brunner (Boulder, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing) earned silver, and Scott Funston (Boulder, Colo.; Cervelo Orange Living) secured bronze. 

When asked about what his plan was going into the last lap Strohmeyer said, “I don’t even know. I am still trying to process what happened. I mean I hadn’t really planned anything going into the last lap. I just knew I had to lead going into the technical section. I gave it everything just to get to that section. I knew I just had to hold it together on the hill.”  

Results: 

1. Andrew Strohmeyer (Mount Airy, Md.; CXD Trek Bikes) 

2. Eric Brunner (Boulder, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing) 

3. Scott Funston (Boulder, Colo.; Cervelo Orange Living) 

ELITE WOMEN  

Twenty-two athletes lined up for the Elite Women’s race on Saturday afternoon. The lights turned green and the riders started their 50-minute race. Leading the pack from the start, Katie Clouse (Park City, Utah; Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) immediately started pushing the pace out of every corner with Vida Lopez de San Roman (Sebastopol, Calif.; Bear CX National Team) on her heels. At the midpoint, Clouse and Lopez de San Roman kept taking turns at the front, while Raylyn Nuss (Warrenton, Miss.; Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) clawed her way back to the group with Natalie Quinn (Durango, Colo.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group) close behind. Lopez de San Roman and Clouse kept trading attacks, and both managed to ride away from the others. Lopez de San Roman put in a big attack that Clouse tried to respond to heading into the limestone stairs. She ended up getting a cramp in her leg, which allowed 18-year-old Lopez de San Roman to pull away. She rode to the line solo and took the win, making her the youngest Elite National Champion in USA Cycling history. Clouse earned silver, and Nuss took bronze. 

“The course totally changed as the laps went on, but Katie was a super strong rider, it was a really tough battle out there against her. I’d say the first few laps I was kind of just getting a feel for things and all the riders in the field. Then I started to notice the lines in places where I was maybe stronger and could make up time, and I really used that to my advantage. It was a tough battle with Katie out there and it was really cool to race her,” said Lopez de San Roman. Her cyclocross season will continue as she heads to Europe for Team USA later this month. 

Results: 

1. Vida Lopez de San Roman (Sebastopol, Calif.; Bear CX National Team) 

2. Katie Clouse (Park City, Utah; Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) 

3. Raylyn Nuss (Warrenton, Miss.; Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) 

UNDER-23 MEN 

The Under-23 Men’s race was one to watch as 46 starters lined up on the grid for a 50-minute race. Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.; Bear CX) took the hole shot and led the group through the first half lap. Several riders including Henry Coote (Manchester, Mass.; Competitive Edge Racing) sat right behind him as they closed out the first lap. Things really started to change after the second lap when Coote took the lead and never looked back. “Of course I wanted to be there, but I didn’t really expect it to happen that quickly. It wasn’t really part of my plan. I really wanted to kind of stay calm for the first half of the race and remain in the group and then take it as it came. But I looked back and I had a gap, and I didn’t really know what to do,” said Coote who rode in solo to take the win. Ivan Sippy (Durango, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) claimed silver, and Spranger earned bronze. 

Results: 

1. Henry Coote (Manchester, Mass.; Competitive Edge Racing) 

2. Ivan Sippy (Durango, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University)  

3. Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.; Bear CX) 

UNDER-23 WOMEN 

Heading into the Under-23 Women’s race, Lauren Zoerner (Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing) was the race favorite after consistently placing in the top five in the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Series this season. Zoerner took the hole shot and settled in but seemed to have some sort of mechanical which resulted in her needing to swap bikes in the pit. Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; CCB) took over at the front on the second lap as Kaya Musgrave (Littleton, Colo.; Cervelo/Orange Living) and Makena Kellerman (Escondido, Calif.; Broken Carbon) followed her wheel. As the race continued to splinter, two groups formed at the front, but Hickey and Kellerman were still neck and neck. It eventually came down to a sprint to the line where Sarkisov, Kellerman, and Hickey were all giving it everything they had. Hickey and Sarkisov pulled away but collided and crashed right at the line. The officials awarded Sarkisov the win and Kellerman second. Hickey was relegated to third for deviating from her line in the final stretch.  

Results: 

1. Katherine Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; CXD Trek Bikes) 

2. Makena Kellerman (Escondido, Calif.; Broken Carbon) 

3. Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; CCB) 

JUNIOR MEN 17-18 

Kicking the morning off, the Junior Men 17-18 were the first riders to take to the course at Joe Creason. The ground was frozen at the start of the race but started to thaw after a couple of laps. Multiple key riders crashed several times throughout the morning. It was a race of attrition as a group of seven riders settled in. Riders dropped lap after lap, and it came down to a group of three: Garrett Beshore (Longmont, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling), Benjamin Bravman (Golden, Colo.; Bear National Team), and Dylan Haynes (Boulder, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling). At the tail end of the race, Beshore managed to ride away from Bravman (Golden, Colo.; Bear National Team) and Haynes. Bravman ended up in second and Haynes earned third.  

When Beshore was asked about his race he said, “My teammate Dylan Haynes, he kind of got a gap off the front and I bridged up to him, looked back when I was coming through the start-finish straight, and realized we had a little bit of a gap. So, I told him we should just pin it.” 

Results: 

1. Garrett Beshore (Longmont, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling) 

2. Benjamin Bravman (Golden, Colo.; Bear National Team) 

3. Dylan Haynes (Boulder, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling) 

JUNIOR WOMEN 17-18 

The favorite heading into today’s race was Lidia Cusack (Chevy Chase, Md.; CXD Trek Bikes) after winning the first-ever Junior World Cup for Team USA. After completing her first lap in less than 10 minutes, she stayed consistent lap after lap which paid off in a big way. By the third lap, Cusack was safely off the front. It ended up being a sweep for Team CXD Trek Bikes taking the top four spots. Cusack wrapped up the day on top, Alyssa Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; CXD Trek Bikes) finished a little over 30 seconds behind in second, and Ada Watson (Carrboro, N.C.; CXD Trek Bikes) rounded out the podium in third.  

Cusack still has a busy couple of months ahead, “I’ll head over to Europe for Christmas. I go on Tuesday, race the next three World Cups, and then come home and train. Then I’ll take a little break and train up for Worlds,” said Cusack. 

Results: 

1. Lidia Cusack (Chevy Chase, Md.; CXD Trek Bikes) 

2. Alyssa Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; CXD Trek Bikes) 

3. Ada Watson (Carrboro, N.C.; CXD Trek Bikes)  

UP NEXT: 

Racing will conclude tomorrow with the following events: 10 & Under Non-Championship race, Juniors 11-16, Master Women 45-55+, and Singlespeed Men.