Familiar names for Durango residents can be found up and down the timing sheets of the 2024 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships. Many riders from Durango and Fort Lewis competed last weekend at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie, Pennsylvania.
FLC cycling’s Toby Hassett showed his speed around the 1.2-mile short track on Sunday and finished second place in the men’s U-23 race. Hassett finished at 21 minutes and 57 seconds, the exact same time as winner Carson Hampton who narrowly beat Hassett in a sprint finish.
Hassett said he was in the front group for the entire short track race and said it was a tactical race which he enjoyed. It was on and off with some attacks. He said this kept the group together and there was a lead group of eight heading into the final lap. Hassett decided to stay back for most of the race except for a few times when he wanted to make it harder on his opponents.
“There was a moment when I was probably sixth wheel in the group and I could see everyone sitting up,” Hassett said. “So I decided to hit it with everything I had and come by the first couple guys with momentum. I was riding off the front with the group chasing for half the final lap and was going to try to stick it, but when I realized that I couldn't stay away the whole time. I sat up, let them catch me and then attacked again in the same spot at the last lap of the climb. I wanted to lead into the final corner, which I did because I thought I would have the sprint in the bag. But Carson just did something incredible and no complaints from me. I wouldn't have changed a thing.”
His podium finish in short track was the highlight but the day before Hassett finished 22nd in the men’s U-23 cross-country race after having numerous flat tires. He finished with a time of 1:33:53, 8:31 behind winner Carson Hampton.
The first flat happened six or seven minutes into the race and it was less than halfway through the first lap. Hassett had to stop in the pit zone for repairs. He runs a more durable setup than the pit wheels offered so Hassett ended up flatting a few more times around the 3.9-mile cross-country course.
Despite Hassett’s struggles on Saturday, he enjoyed the Bear Creek courses and said they were super rocky even on the downhill. He noticed more separation between riders on the descending and technical parts than on most of the courses he races.
Hassett was hoping for some wet conditions after practicing in the wet because it’s less predictable. But it was dry on both race days which made the courses fast.
Another strong performer was fellow Skyhawk Bailey Cioppa. The Durango native finished fifth in the women’s U-23 cross-country race and fifth in the women’s elite short track race.
“As an athlete, I'm pretty wired to say I would have loved to do more in the XCO,” Cioppa said. “But I gave it what I had and I can be happy with this. The American women right now are flying and it was a super fast race. It was pretty tactical and maybe I played a couple of my cards wrong. Racing up in short track was more to have some experience with a little faster racing … so to race with them makes me stronger and everyone else in the field.”
Cioppa finished the cross-country race with a time of 1:27:47. Madigan Munro won the race with a 1:20:42. Cioppa said the cross-country laps were very long and the race blew apart pretty quickly so Cioppa finished alone in fifth.
On Sunday in the short track race, Cioppa also finished relatively by herself with a time of 21:11, just over a minute behind race-winner Kelsey Urban. She was able to move up to the women’s elite field because she’s done well enough in her races so far this year.
In the four-lap race, she was with the leading pack for the first 2.5 laps before she couldn’t hold the pace after the leaders attacked.
Like Hassett, Cioppa really enjoyed the Bear Creek layout and said it was one of the best national tracks she’s raced.
Lauren Aggeler was also in the women’s U-23 field at Bear Creek. The 2024 Iron Horse winner finished eighth in the women’s U-23 cross-country race and seventh in the U-23 short track race.
She finished the cross-country race with a time of 1:31:26 and the short track race with a 21:27, just over a minute behind race-winner Sofia Waite.
Aggeler was sick in the days leading up to the national championships after a quick turnaround from Europe and its World Cup events. Therefore she didn’t get the proper training before the national championships with her sickness.
The course did fit Aggeler’s eye and she felt super confident on the downhill sections heading into Saturday’s cross-country race.
“But then I could tell especially during warm-up, my legs felt a little heavy,” Aggeler said. “Then the race started, and I thought ‘Oh, here we go.’ But I got into a rhythm and was battling with this one girl, Bayli McSpadden, who's from Vail, for the whole race and she got away just at the end. I’m happy that I rode consistently and strongly in the downhills but just had no legs. Honestly, it was a bit of a bummer.”
Aggeler said her legs felt better in the short track race on Sunday but she didn’t have the pace of the top riders. She said she learned a lot and feels motivated after her weekend at Bear Creek.
Durango’s Ivan Sippy also fared well with a ninth-place finish in the men’s U-23 race and fifth in the men’s elite short track race.
The Colorado Mesa student-athlete finished ninth with a time of 1:29:48 in the cross-country race and a 21:56 in the short track race which was won by Bjorn Riley who finished 34 seconds ahead of Sippy.
Sippy had some bad luck to begin his weekend. He was riding well in the U-23 cross-country race before his seat post was stuck open on the last lap so it wasn’t set which made it an awkward ride.
Then in the U-23 men’s short-track race, Sippy broke his chain in the first lap. Luckily and unbeknown to him, there was a rule that allowed him to race in the men’s elite race later in the day after breaking his chain. Sippy said he was happy with his weekend and recognized he’s had good luck mechanically all year.
Sippy also really enjoyed the Bear Creek layout and said it’s the best course in the United States for World Cup-style racing.
He also said the humidity was a challenge for him but luckily for him he and some of his teammates had a little training camp in Vermont to get used to the conditions.
“It's cool that we'll be on the other side of the country and there are still at least 20 people you know from Durango there from such a small town,” Sippy said about the national championships at Bear Creek. “So that's always such a cool thing.”
Sippy had a nice battle with fellow Team Durango Segment 28 and FLC rider Dane Grey in the men’s elite short track race. Grey and Sippy battled on the last lap and Grey got into a better position going into the final sprint and beat Sippy for fourth place.
Durango’s Emmett McManus struggled on Saturday’s men’s 17-18 category race. He said he couldn’t get into a good rhythm and finished 44th with a time of 1:21:23. Fellow Team Segment 28 rider Kai Lokey finished 15th in the same race with a 1:15:15.
McManus was more pleased with his ride in the men’s 17-18 short track race. Despite some tactical errors where he sat behind the wrong people and those people got dropped, McManus finished sixth with a 23:05. Lokey finished 14th in the same race with a 23:12.
FLC’s Carson Beard also finished fifth in the men’s U-23 cross-country race with a time of 1:28:14. Riley Huston finished 29th in the women’s 17-18 short track race with a time of 24:50 and 35th in the cross-country race with a 1:19:52 riding for Team Durango Segment 28.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
