This page contains the podium, decisive moments, tactical analysis, team verdicts, and per-rider performance reports. Read no further if you intend to watch this race unspoiled.
Kate Courtney (She Sends Racing) outsprinted Lauren Stephens from a select group on the hilly Charleston circuit to win her first elite women's road race national title. Stephens finished 5 seconds back, with Grace Arlandson taking third from the chase, ending two-time defending champion Kristen Faulkner's road-race streak.
OPENINGThe elite women raced a multi-lap circuit around Charleston, the steep Wertz Avenue climb the obvious selection point each time up.
UNFOLDSAttrition on Wertz Avenue cut the lead group down over the laps, with Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment well represented and two-time defending champion Kristen Faulkner among the marked riders.
DECIDEDThe race came down to a select front group; rather than a long-range move, it was decided in the finale.
FINALEFrom the reduced group Kate Courtney — the former mountain-bike world champion — produced the fastest finish to outsprint Lauren Stephens by five seconds, with Grace Arlandson winning the chase sprint for third.
The MTB world champion translated her engine to the road, surviving every Wertz Avenue selection and winning the sprint from the lead group for a maiden elite road race title and the stars-and-stripes jersey.
Lauren Stephens (2nd) and Grace Arlandson (3rd) put the squad on two podium steps but couldn't deny Courtney the win.
Courtney claims her first elite road race national title, ending the run of two-time defending champion Kristen Faulkner. A reduced-group sprint finale after a hard, hilly circuit rewarded the strongest finisher among the survivors.