Ella Sabo (Virginia's Blue Ridge-TWENTY28) claimed the under-23 women's road race title at the USA Cycling Pro Road Championships in Charleston on Saturday.
The 19-year-old was the fastest among a group sprint, crossing the line ahead of runner-up Cassidy Hickey (CCB p/b Levine Law Group) and third-placed Kaia Schmid (Liv AlUla Jayco Women's Continental).
The under-23 women's field races along two laps of the junior course featuring the Wertz climb before crossing to the opposite side of the river to tackle the punishing Bridge Road climb on three laps of the elite course for a total of 92.6km.
There were 31 riders competing in the event, and Lizzy Gunsalus (CCB p/b Levine Law Group) and Kylee Hanel (Aegis Cycling Foundation) were the first to attack.
Their efforts were short-lived but led to a 10-rider group emerging. From that move, Mia Aseltine (Competitive Edge Racing) opened a small gap on the third ascent of Bridge Road, but she too was reeled back in. Cassidy Hickey (CCB p/b Levine Law Group) was the next to launch a bold attack, but the field was back together in the closing kilometres.
Sabo was fastest in the bunch sprint to claim the under-23 title.
“From the gun, we kept it steady up the climbs and dropped a few riders every time. Once we finally hit the big climb on Bridge Road, the tempo picked up, and we just kept shedding people off the back," Sabo said following the race.
"The second time up, Cassidy [Hickey] launched an attack over the top and held a decent gap for about half a lap. We worked together to slowly bring her back; my teammate did a lot of work there, and I’m super thankful.
"We went really hard up the climb, but it stayed together. After that, it became a bit of a cat-and-mouse game all the way to the line. My teammate kept the pace high and launched a few attacks to discourage other teams from organizing.
"When it came down to a sprint, I knew I had a good shot. I’ve really been working on my sprint. Out of the last corner, someone opened it up and I jumped on. When I felt it was the right moment, I launched and didn’t look back."
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