The Women Singlespeed was the seventh title race, but perhaps the most colorful race on Saturday at the 2021 USA Cyclocross National Championships.
The race was the first race of the day to go beyond two laps due to the weather-delayed and shortened schedule.
2021 USA Cyclocross National Championships Women Singlespeed
2019 Cyclocross Nationals singlespeed champ Sarah Sturm won the last two singlespeed titles with wins in 2019 in Lakewood and in 2018 in Louisville.
In 2021 in Illinois, Sturm showed she meant business despite her colorful kit, sprinting away from a starting straight crash behind her, and taking a commanding first-lap lead.
Sunny Gilbert woke up this morning excited about the muddy conditions. The runner kept her cool, and ran her way back into contention on Lap Two, and passed Sturm before the second time down the pavement.
Sturm had one last push left in her, and closed back in, reducing a 20-second gap down to 13 seconds, but Gilbert, switching between her all-new 2021 Blue Norcross (see Eric Brunner’s Norcross here) and Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie cyclocross bikes, held off the defending champ.
Gilbert had an added challenge out on the course as she not only had to battle Sturm and a tough course but a falling Golden Bikini that hindered her running and remounts.
Melissa Barker, who won the Masters 45-49 race earlier in the week, finished third.
Full results below.
Featured photo: 2021 Trek CX Cup, D. Mable.
2021 USA Cyclocross National Championships Results Singlespeed Women
| Rank | Bib | Name | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 706 | Sunny GILBERT | Blue Competition Cycles p/b Build | 34:50:00 | 3 |
| 2 | 702 | Sarah STURM | Specialized/Rapha/Sram | 35:03:00 | 3 |
| 3 | 708 | Melissa BARKER | Feedback Sports Racing | 37:29:00 | 3 |
| 4 | 703 | Ivy AUDRAIN | Hand Up X The Black Bibs X Squid Bikes | 39:18:00 | 3 |
| 5 | 719 | Emily SCHALDACH | BitchNGrit: Firefly, TenSpeed Hero | 39:30:00 | 3 |
| 6 | 704 | Molly CLARK-OIEN | Parallel 44 Racing p/b Sanford POWER | 40:19:00 | 3 |
| 7 | 715 | Jennifer NOWLIN | The Fix Studio | 27:22:00 | 2 |
| 8 | 720 | Hannah DILLARD | Rock Lobster | 28:47:00 | 2 |
| 9 | 717 | Victoria CANE | Team Clark Logic | 29:21:00 | 2 |
| 10 | 716 | Kristie AREND | Sonic Boom Racing | 30:43:00 | 2 |
| 11 | 722 | Tracy BERMAN | Ann Arbor Velo Club | 31:59:00 | 2 |
| 12 | 713 | Courtney TANNER | Union P/b ten speed hero | 32:35:00 | 2 |
| 13 | 721 | Kari HUTSON | Dirty Kitten Racing | 33:07:00 | 2 |
| 14 | 718 | Mason HOPKINS | Warren Wilson College | 33:28:00 | 2 |
| 15 | 725 | Katie BRINKERHOFF | 40:35:00 | 2 | |
| 16 | 723 | Jessica ALEXANDER | WYN Racing p/b Specialized | 42:02:00 | 2 |
| 17 | 724 | Marlena BLONSKY | 32:10:00 | 1 | |
| DNF | 707 | Evie EDWARDS | Inga Thompson Foundation/Save Womens Sport | 0 | |
| DNS | 705 | Jessica CUTLER | Hodala! | 0 | |
| DNS | 710 | Tracy YATES | Feedback Sports Racing | 0 | |
| DNS | 711 | Molly LOHRY | University of Pennsylvania | 0 | |
| DNS | 712 | Sarah GINSBACH | Square1 Cycling | 0 | |
| DNS | 714 | Heidi GUROV | Square1 Cycling | 0 |
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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.
