Olympic athletes finished first in both the men and women’s divisions of USA Cycling time trial races in Oak Ridge on Thursday.
Olympians also won second and third place in the women’s division.
The 2021 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships are in Oak Ridge and Knoxville this week with the Individual Time Trial races in Oak Ridge on Thursday. It featured the Elite Women’s and Elite Men’s divisions racing against the clock on a 11.6-kilometer course (about 7.2 miles) on Melton Lake Drive. Racing continues in Knoxville on Friday, with a criterium occurring downtown Friday evening. There is a road race on Sunday.
Chloé Dygert of Brownsburg, Indiana, won first place in the Elite Women’s Division in the Individual Time Trial races in Oak Ridge on Thursday. She finished two laps of the course in 30:11.22. Dygert was the 2019 Time Trial World Champion.
Finishing about 27 seconds behind her at 30:38.74 was Amber Neben of Irvine, California, who is making her third trip to the Olympics. (Read more about Neben here.)
In third place was Leah Thomas of Santa Clara, California, who crossed the finish line about 50 seconds behind Dygert at 31:01.60.
All three will represent the United States as part of the U.S. Olympic Cycling Team (women’s road team) during the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, from July 23-August 8. Dygert is also on the women’s track team for the USA Cycling Olympic Team. Dygert, Neben, and Thomas were among 22 riders in the Elite Women’s division in Oak Ridge on Thursday.
Lawson Craddock of Houston, Texas, won first place in the Elite Men’s Division with a time of 41:33.90. The men made three laps on the time trial course. Craddock is on the USA Cycling Olympic Team (men’s road team) competing in Tokyo this summer.
There were 45 starters in the Elite Men’s event, the largest field in recent history, according to USA Cycling.
Finishing second in the men’s field was Chad Haga of McKinney, Texas, at 41:51.44, less than 18 seconds behind Craddock.
In third place at 42:03.18 was Tejay van Garderen of Basalt, Colorado, a soon-to-be-retired professional bike racer, USA Cycling said.
Also recognized Thursday were riders under 23 years old in the Elite Women’s event: Kira Payer of Housatonic, Massachusetts, at 35:00.44, and Ava Sykes of Clover, South Carolina, at 36:02.19.
See the women’s results here and here.
See the men’s results here and here.
The 2021 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships started in Oak Ridge and Knoxville this week with the Individual Time Trial races in Oak Ridge on Thursday, June 17, 2021. It featured the Elite Women’s and Elite Men’s divisions racing against the clock on a 11.6-kilometer course (about 7.2 miles) on Melton Lake Drive. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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