Team USA Rides to Two Top-10 Finishes in Junior Cross-Country World Championships

August 25, 2022

Cioppa and English have stand-out rides in the Junior XCO.

August 25, 2022, LES GETS, France /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Day two of the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships brought on Junior Cross-Country racing and the Downhill Qualifications.

Junior Women’s Cross-Country

The Junior Women had a four-lap race with Bailey Cioppa (Durango, Colo.; Bear National Team) taking the first call-up for the Americans. She held a good position on the first lap, with many riders going out too fast at the beginning of the race. Cioppa managed her pace and rode in the front, consistently picking off riders. She fought to eighth place and held that for the second and third laps. She moved up one more spot in the race’s final lap, finishing seventh for the day. Lauren Aggeler (Durango, Colo.; Team Segment 28) felt strong on the climbs and rode her way to 21^st place.

Results

1. Monique Halter (SUI)

2. Lea Huber (SUI)

3. Natalie Grzegorzewska (POL)

7. Bailey Cioppa (Durango, Colo.; Bear National Team)

21. Lauren Aggeler (Durango, Colo.; Team Segment 28)

44. Chloe Fraser (Boulder, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling)

Junior Men’s Cross-Country

It was a hot one today out on the hill in Les Gets. Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.; Bear National Team) came off the line with an incredible start. He sat third in the first half lap, ahead of all the bottlenecks and crashes in the back of the pack in the woods. He settled into a pace he could hold for the rest of the race while managing the heat, dumping a bottle of water on himself every lap. Daniel English (San Ramon, Calif.; Bear National Team) was not too far behind Spranger at the start. He rode steady, consistently working his way up through the field. He was moving quickly on the climbs and having a blast on the downhills. He worked his way up to Spranger and passed him on lap three. English finished his race, saying, “That was so much fun. I felt like an animal!” He was not expecting a top-10 finish from himself, but it was well deserved after how he rode. Cayden Parker (Hot Springs, Ark.; Bear National Team) rode a great race, finishing in the top 25% of riders.

Results

1. Paul Schehl (GER)

2. Jan Christen (SUI)

3. Paul Magnier (FRA)

9. Daniel English (San Ramon, Calif.; Bear National Team)

12. Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.; Bear National Team)

27. Cayden Parker (Hot Springs, Ark.; Bear National Team)

80. Brady White (Laguna Beach, Calif.; WE Development)

Downhill Qualification

It was a fast day on the mountain with all the Americans qualifying for the final round of the Downhill World Championships on Saturday. The course was dry and dusty, challenging many of the riders with a variety of line choices. With rain in the forecast for later in the week, the track will change dramatically for the racers.

The top American qualifier was Aaron Gwin (Morongo Valley, Calif.; Intense Factory Racing), coming down with a time of 3:30.471, finishing tenth in the Elite Men. Luca Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C.; Canyon Cllctv) is back after an injury from earlier in the season and is still on pace. He qualified twelfth with a time of 3:31.055. The Elite Women needed to make it down the hill to move on to the finals. The American favorite Anna Newkirk (Riehen, Switzerland; Beyond Racing) rode a safe run sliding into fourteenth place.

Results

Elite Men

1. Benoit Coulanges (FRA) 3:26:074

2. Amaury Pierron (FRA) +0.240

3. Angel Suarez (ESP) +1.776

10. Aaron Gwin (Morongo Valley, Calif.; Intense Factory Racing) +4.397

12. Luca Shaw(Hendersonville, N.C.; Canyon Cllctv) +4.981

22. Dakotah Norton (Clinton, Tenn.; Intense Factory Racing) +7.854

33. Austin Dooley (Yucaipa, Calif.; Commencal USA) +10.296

39. Dante Silva (Chula Vista, Calif.; Canyon Cllctv Pirelli) +11.715

49. Christopher Grice (Brevard, N.C.; Specialized Factory Racing) +13.950

50. Neko Mulally (Pisgah Forest, N.C.; Frameworks Racing) +18.191

Elite Women

1. Myriam Nicole (FRA) 3:56:654

2. Nina Hoffman (GER) +6.686

3. Eleonora Farina (ITA) +7.346

14. Anna Newkirk (Riehen, Switzerland; Beyond Racing) +27.562

22. Abby Hogie (Heidelberg, Germany; Beyond Racing) +52.433

28. Ella Erickson (Hayden, Idaho; NW Gravity Collective) +1:05.635

Junior Men

1. Jordan Williams (GBR) 3:31:361

2. Jackson Golstaone (CAN) +3.729

3. Bodhi Kuhn (CAN) +6.973

6. Ryan Pinkerton (Aliso Viejo, Calif.; GT Factory Racing) +8.897

16. Andrew Driscoll (Bow, N.H.; Defiant Racing) +12.813

37. Alden Pate (Snohomish, Wash.; Transition) +23.988

59. Colin McElyea (Scottsdale, Ariz.; Evolve Racing) +46.133

60. Evan Medcalf (Albuquerque, N.M.; Evolve Racing) +52.366

Tomorrow, new Short Track World Champions will be crowned! Reigning World Champion Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialized Factory Racing) will take the start in the men’s race along with Gwendalyn Gibson (Ramona, Calif.; Norco Bicycles), Haley Batten (Park City, Utah; Specialized Factory Racing), Kate Courtney (Kentfield, Calif.; SCOTT-SRAM Factory Racing), Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Orange Seal Off-Road Team), Kelsey Urban (Kentfield, Calif.; Team 31: Outride), and Hannah Otto (Salt Lake City; Pivot Cycles/ DT Swiss) in the women’s competition. The E-MTBs will also race for their World Titles. Watch live here.

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For more information, please contact Angelina Palermo at apalermo@usacycling.org.

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