The U23 Men took to a softening, slippery, muddy Cantigny Park course as the fourth UCI race at Sunday’s 2021 USA Cyclocross National Championships.
While early racers took to the course on file and mix treads, mud tires were a required ingredient by the time the U23 men hit the course.
2021 USA Cyclocross National Championships U23 Men
Scott Funston, fresh off his Pan Ams win last weekend, took to the muddy course with the confidence from a championship win. If Funston could be the best on a continent, surely he could be the best in the country?
Funston finished third in 2019, and with Eric Brunner and Caleb Swartz moving into the Elite category, Funston was the favorite on paper.
Andrew Strohmeyer, the 2019 Nationals Junior 17-18 winner, exploded off the start, determined to show he was racing for the win in his first U23 Nationals attempt.
Funston remained calm. “My plan was to be second or third on the first lap, which I was after the sand and was stoked,” Funston explained.
Strohmeyer then bobbled after the stairs, slowing and then riding into the course tape, giving Funston a chance to claim the lead.
The Pan Am champ seized his chance and didn’t look back. The former BMXer hopped the barriers, cleaned the climbs was off to a commanding lead.
Meanwhile, Strohmeyer made a series of mistakes in his chase for the win and saw his chance at victory slip down the Cantigny off-cambers.
Back and Forth for Silver
While Funston turned his gap into a chasm, the race for the other medals was on. As Strohmeyer faltered, Daxton Mock and Sam Noel made their way past the 2019 Junior Champ.
Daxton was methodical in getting on and off his bike, while Strohmeyer, determined to ride most sections, lost time. It looked like Noel and Strohmeyer would battle for bronze.
But Strohmeyer wasn’t done, and finally had a clean final lap. He clawed back Mock, who after relinquishing his second place, hit a course pole and went over the bars.
Mock collected himself for third, with Noel in fourth and Jules van Kempen finishing in fifth.
Funston is no stranger to Nationals. We first saw Pacific Northwest-based rider take silver in 2010 in Bend, Oregon.
Full results below.
Featured photo: 2018 Nationals
2021 USA Cyclocross National Championships Results: U23 Men
| Rank | Bib | Name | Affiliation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 102 | Scott FUNSTON | Blue Competition Cycles p/b Build | 54:15:00 |
| 2 | 103 | Andrew STROHMEYER | CX Hairs Devo : Trek Bikes | 56:28:00 |
| 3 | 106 | Daxton MOCK | Trek Cyclocross Collective | 56:58:00 |
| 4 | 104 | Sam NOEL | Competitive Edge Racing | 57:39:00 |
| 5 | 105 | Jules VAN KEMPEN | Alpha Bicycle Co. - Groove Subaru | 58:29:00 |
| 6 | 111 | Dillon MCNEILL | Trek Cyclocross Collective | 58:31:00 |
| 7 | 108 | Sam BROWN | Alpha Bicycle Co. - Groove Silverthorne | 58:32:00 |
| 8 | 130 | Ian MCDONALD | KCCX Elite Cyclocross Team | 58:38:00 |
| 9 | 107 | Tommy SERVETAS | Competitive Edge Racing | 58:52:00 |
| 10 | 124 | Dylan ZAKRAJSEK | KCCX Elite Cyclocross Team | 59:06:00 |
| 11 | 123 | Ivan SIPPY | Team Segment 28 | 59:50:00 |
| 12 | 132 | Peter SWINAND | The Pony Shop p/b KPMG | 59:55:00 |
| 13 | 129 | Lucas STIERWALT | Aether Racing | 1:00:06 |
| 14 | 110 | Vin HLUDZINSKI | Boulder Junior Cycling | 1:00:18 |
| 15 | 131 | Nick CARTER | NorthStar Development | 1:00:43 |
| 16 | 109 | Kyle JOHNSON | 1:01:08 | |
| 17 | 135 | Luke FEUERHELM | KCCX Elite Cyclocross Team | 1:02:00 |
| 18 | 125 | Cobe FREEBURN | Fort Lewis College | 1:02:16 |
| 19 | 146 | Oliver BOYD | Colorado Mesa University | 1:02:30 |
| 20 | 142 | Nathan KNOWLES | ASU Devo ProCx | 1:02:41 |
| 21 | 128 | Ian LOPEZ DE SAN ROMAN | Bear National / WCX | 1:02:44 |
| 22 | 133 | Tydeman NEWMAN | Cannondale/Team Dream | 1:02:47 |
| 23 | 166 | Isaac BRYANT | Milligan University | 1:03:21 |
| 24 | 149 | John Paul AMALONG | USAC ODA | 1:03:35 |
| 25 | 126 | George PIEPGRAS | Fort Lewis College | 1:04:28 |
| 26 | 148 | Nicholas TABARES | ASU Devo Pro CX | 1:04:59 |
| 27 | 139 | Henry DANILUK | Action Wheels | 1:05:14 |
| 28 | 112 | Brody MCDONALD | Milligan University | 1:05:57 |
| 29 | 141 | Ryder UETRECHT | ASU Development ProCX | 1:05:57 |
| 30 | 150 | Dakota OLSEN | Move Up | 1:06:20 |
| 31 | 152 | Joshua FITZGERALD | Lindenwood University | 1:06:34 |
| 32 | 153 | Jacob OLANDER | USA Cycling Olympic Development Academy | 1:07:16 |
| 33 | 163 | Henry MCALVANAH | Trek Cyclocross Colletive | 53:30:00 |
| 34 | 145 | Patrick FRANK | JAM / NCC | 39:44:00 |
| 35 | 143 | Seamus OCONNOR-WALKER | University of Iowa | 39:55:00 |
| 36 | 140 | Malaki CALDWELL | LWC Cycling/ Phat Tire Bike Shop | 40:22:00 |
| 37 | 144 | Luke ELPHINGSTONE | 40:54:00 | |
| 38 | 137 | Brandon GOODWIN | Aether Racing | 41:43:00 |
| 39 | 156 | Elijah JOHNSON | Milligan University | 41:55:00 |
| 40 | 151 | Aiden MAPEL | Competitive Edge Racing | 41:55:00 |
| 41 | 136 | Alex GREEN | Fort Lewis College | 42:04:00 |
| 42 | 162 | Luke REILLY | Oklahoma Flyers | 42:11:00 |
| 43 | 147 | Luke ARENS | Adapt Cycling | 42:17:00 |
| 44 | 160 | Tayton PARKER | Oklahoma Flyers | 42:18:00 |
| 45 | 167 | William SEITZ | Velocious Sport | 44:31:00 |
| 46 | 155 | Henry LORD | Kelly Benefit Strategies Elite Devo | 28:59:00 |
| 47 | 165 | Owen ROGERS | Dark Horse Racing p/b TCNF Legal | 29:01:00 |
| 48 | 154 | Orion CHILD | Velo Childeric | 29:10:00 |
| 49 | 159 | Spencer WEISGRAM | Army West Point Cycling | 29:33:00 |
| 50 | 158 | Max CHILSEN | The Pony Shop | 30:17:00 |
| 51 | 161 | Eddie STILLMAN | Lindenwood University | 30:53:00 |
| 52 | 164 | Jacob ARRIGONI | Plus one cycling | 36:18:00 |
| 53 | 168 | Jacob KUPER | Lindsey Wilson College | 17:51 |
| DNS | 122 | Calder WOOD | Rouleur Elite Team | |
| DNS | 127 | Patrick BALL | ||
| DNS | 134 | Ivan GALLEGO | Missoula Bicycle Works - Team Stampede | |
| DNS | 157 | Owen BRENNEMAN | CXHAIRS DEVO : TREK BIKES |
Win a CycloPrecisian custom-built frame, Reserve carbon wheels, a Marin Bobcat Trail 5 mountain bike and much more while helping a nonprofit provide transportation to those in need. Check out BikeX.org’s silent auction fundraiser.
See the course preview videos from Cantigny Park, DuPage County, Illinois here.
Visit our dedicated 2021 USA Cycling Cyclocross Nationals page for all of our 2021 National Championships coverage.
