The USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships opened Thursday with the Individual Time Trial events on Melton Lake Drive in Oak Ridge.

The championship racing events continued Friday through Sunday in Knoxville.

Here are photos from Thursday’s races by Julio Culiat.

In the races in Oak Ridge on Thursday, Amber Neben, 44, of Lake Forest, California (Cogeas – Mettler Pro Cycling Team), successfully defended her title in the elite women category, according to USA Cycling. She was in a field of 23 women, and she secured her third consecutive gold medal in the individual time trials with a time of 30 minutes and 19 seconds.

The time trial course was 7.12 miles (11.5 kilometers). Women completed two laps, and men raced for three.

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