The first national titles of the 2021 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships were awarded on Wednesday. Twenty stars-and-stripes jerseys were awarded across cross-country and dual slalom events. A highlight from the day includes 88-year-old Fred Schmid (Waco, Texas; GeriAtrix), who won the Master Men 85+ Cross-country race, becoming the oldest Mountain Bike National Champion ever. The 13-14 championship cross-country events would see large fields, promising a bright future for American Mountain Bike Racing.
The day kicked off with the conclusion of the individual non-championship, with the youngest of our competitors taking to the cross-country course. In the Junior Men’s 6-8 Non-Championship, Ian Barton (San Antonio, Texas; Hill Country Bicycle Works) took the podium's top step. Alexandria Beard (Boise, Idaho; BYRDS) rolled away from her competition in the Junior Women’s 11-12 Non-Championship race, finishing 5 minutes ahead of the field. The non-championship dual slalom also finished its rounds in the early afternoon. Fred Lariviere (Alpine, Utah) would dominate the Junior Men’s 11-14 Non-Championship event, winning all of his rides. Lorissa Thorpe (Littleton, Colo.) proved equally dominant in the Women’s 19+ Non-Championship.
The day closed with our first gravity championship, where five national titles were awarded in the Women 11+, Junior Men 11-14, Senior Men 19-29, Master Men 30-39, and Master Men 40+ Dual Slalom events. The Junior Men 11-14 bracket was especially exciting with multiple close calls, and in the end, the top qualifier, Ryder Lawrence (Menifee, Calif.), came out on top, dominating all of his rides. In the Women’s 11+, third-fastest qualifier and recently named BMX Worlds team member, Caitlyn Farmer (Sandy Springs, Ga.) would fight and claim the podium's top spot.
“This was the most insane course I've ever ridden. Yesterday, I did not have a clean lap until my fourth run. I didn't really have any clean, but I had two practice runs today, so I wasn't really feeling that great. Qualifying went OK. I slid a little bit then, you know, race. I'm just able to turn it on. So I just got it done,” said Lawrence about how she felt riding to her first mountain bike national title today.
Like Lawrence, top-seeded rider Ryan Wischmeyer (Las Vegas, Nev.) in the Senior Men 19-29 event would go through his rounds undefeated to claim his national title. Jesse Borror (Morgantown, W.V.) earned the podium's top step in the Master Men 30-39. In the Master Men 40-49, local rider Petr Hanak (Winter Park, Colo.) defeated eight others to come out on top.
The championship cross-country events took place in the middle of the day. In the Junior Women’s 13-14 Cross-Country race, 36 riders started on the 4.3-mile lap. Kira Mullins (Avout Racing; Highlands Ranch, Colo.) led lap 1 with a 36-second gap on Alyssa White (AW5 Racing; Elkins, W.V.) with another 20-seconds to Maya De Brouwer (Canada MTB Team/ Boost Cyclesport; La Canada Flt, Calif.). They held their placings for a whole other lap, making Mullins the 13–14-year-old National Champion.
“I tried to get a gap on the uphill because that's one of my strong suits. And on the downhill, I just knew I had to play it safe but still go fast,” said Mullins when asked about how she was applying pressure through the race. “I knew I had to push it on the climbs, and at some point, I looked back, and what I thought was 30 seconds was a bigger gap than I thought it was, so then I just played it safe on the downhill.”
Fifty-eight riders in the Junior Men’s 13-14 Cross-Country race took to the line. Logan Drevlow (Donkey Label Racing; Golden Valley, Minn.) and Benjamin Bravman (Waite Endurance Development Team; Golden, Colo.) came through neck and neck after their first lap. With one to go, Drevlow extended his lead on Bravman to 12-seconds, as they had almost 3-minutes on the rest of the field. Bravman would make the pass on lap three and become the 2021 National Champion over Drevlow. George Frazer (Louisville, Ky.) would grab the third spot.
Earlier in the day, the championship rides kicked off with the older Master’s groups for both men and women. In total, 84 riders from ages 55 and up for men and 50 and up for women. Riders like Schmid and Master Women 75+ winner, Wendy Skean (Nathrop, Colo.; Hammer Nutrition), prove that champions can be made at any age. In the Master Men 55-59, Victor Sheldon (Vista, Calif.; Specialized Baghouse Hammer) took a commanding lead early in the race and proceeded to grow his lead in each of the remaining two laps. In the Master Men 60-64, it was slightly tighter, with Brent Peacock (Jackson, Wy.; Hoback) hot on the wheel of winner Kevin Wilson (Carbondale, Colo.). Frank Winters (Susanville, Calif.; SABA Dirt Riders) claimed the gold standard in the Master Men 65-69 race, stopping the clock at 1:24:31. Dwight Hibon (Park City, Utah; Stay Park City Cycling (SPCC)) earned gold for the Master Men 70-74. Going to the podium's top step in the Master Men 75-79 was Stan Ford (Temecula, Calif.; The Bike Shop). Rounding out our Master Men winner’s circle was Raymond Ferbrache (Salida, Colo.; Absolute Bikes), who finished in a time of 54:52.
For the Master Women, Mary Dannelley (Corona del Mar, Calif.; Nations Interbanc) earned her first national title in the Master Women 50-54 race. Carla Hammer (Evergreen, Colo.; Racer X) finished in a time of 1:36:00, awarding her the stars-and-stripes jersey in the Master Women 55-59 event. In the Master Women 60-64’s, Lynn Simms (Knoxville, Tenn.; Tennessee Valley Bicycles) finished in a time of 1:09:50, giving her the victory. California native Lesley Jensen (Lafayette, Calif.; Revolution Racing) set the pace for the Master Women 65-69 group, earning her a national title. Maurine Sweeney (Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Racer X Racing/Colorado Bike Law) added another national title to her resume, winning the Master Women 70-74 race in a time of 1:18:58.
