Team USA fielded 25 athletes across 5 races over the weekend at the 2019 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Bogense, Denmark. Team USA walked away with 7 athletes in the top 20 and three top 10 performances in the Elite and U23 Women’s races.
On Saturday, Kaitie Keough (Colorado Springs, Colo.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld) took the spotlight for Team USA. Keough spent the second half of the race battling with Swiss rider and Mountain Bike Worlds Silver Medalist Jolanda Neff for 6th. After being overtaken in the last half lap, Keough ended the race and a phenomenal season in 7th place. Rebecca Fahringer (Concord, N.H.; Kona Maxxis Shimano CX) also had a career best race in the Elite Women’s race coming from a fourth row starting position to fight her way into 16th place.
Earlier in the day Saturday, the Junior and U23 Men raced. In the Junior race, 2018 National Champion, Alex Morton (Saint Clair, Mich.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) finished 18th. U23 Continental Champion Gage Hecht (Parker, Colo.; Alpha Bicycle Co / Groove Subaru) was the top U.S. finisher for the U23 Men coming in 12th place while National Champion, Spencer Petrov (McKinney, Tex.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com), fought his way back from a slow start to end the race in 16th.
Sunday began with the U23 Women’s race where with two laps to go, Clara Honsinger (Portland, Ore.; Team S&M Cyclocross) led teammate Katie Clouse (Hideout, Utah; Alpha Bicycle Co / Groove Subaru) in a bridge to the leaders, ultimately putting Junior racer, Clouse in position to take 7th place while National Champion, Honsinger secured 10th place. Also notably, Maddie Munro (Boulder, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling) the youngest U.S. rider in the combined team of Junior and U23 women placed a respectable 25th in her first-ever World Championships.
In the Elite Men’s race, Continental Champion, Curtis White (Delanson, N.Y.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld), fought a battle throughout the grueling 12-lap race in a group of six riders. White ended the race and his first Elite World Championships in 21st place. Pro-CX Calendar Champion Kerry Werner (Birdsboro, Penn.; Kona Maxxis Shimano CX) placed 31st, followed by National Champion Stephen Hyde (Easthampton, Mass.; Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld) in 32nd.
“I’m extremely impressed by the effort everyone put in this weekend. We saw gritty performances from all of our riders, and the level of intensity was inspiring,” said Jesse Anthony, Cyclocross Manager for USA Cycling. “There is so much potential across this group of riders and I am committed to helping them continue improving. We saw impressive top-10 finishes from Kaitie Keough, Katie Clouse and Clara Honsinger. Our men, Gage Hecht, Spencer Petrov, Alex Morton and Curtis White, made some massive charges toward the front. I’m so proud of this entire crew, and I am excited to build on the momentum we have.
“We’re excited about the future of Cyclocross in the U.S.,” said Scott Schnitzspahn, VP of Elite Athletics for USA Cycling, “With our increased resources and staff, we are able to get more riders into the development pipeline and provide more support as they progress in the sport. As shown this weekend, our young riders have immense potential and we look forward to helping them achieve success.”
For more information and full results from the 2019 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships visit: https://www.uci.org/cyclo-cross/events/uci-cyclo-cross-world-championships. Visit USACycling.org for more information on athletes, events and membership programs. Follow @USACycling across all channels for the latest on Team USA.
For more information, please contact Kelly Fox at apalermo@usacycling.org.
