USA Cycling Professional Road Championships 2016

Past Winners

The opening day of the USA Cycling Professional Road Championships saw two former winners return to the top step of the time trial podium. Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing), who won the title in 2014, took the men's race with a time of 1:02:46. He beat Rally Cycling's Tom Zirbel by 1:09 over the 48km course and LottoNL-Jumbo's Alevey Vermeulen by 1:12.

In the women's race, 2013 champion Carmen Small (Cervelo-Bigla) upset pre-race favourites Kristin Armstrong (Twenty16-Ridebiker) and Evelyn Stevens (Boels Dolmans). Small covered the 33km course in 42:32, just 23 seconds faster than runner-up Amber Neben and 1:08 better than Armstrong in third.

2016 US Pro Time Trial Championships - Brief results

The second day of racing at the 2016 USA Cycling Professional Road Championships saw the men and women compete on an urban circuit in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

Megan Guarnier (Boels Dolmans) defended her 2015 title, taking a sprint win from a reduced bunch in front of Coryn Rivera (UnitedHealthcare) and Mandy Heintz (Visit Dallas-DNA Cycling).

In the men's race, 21-year-old Gregory Daniel (Axeon Hagens Berman) upset the pre-race favourites with a perfectly timed attack with about 2km remaining, soloing across the line for his first national title as the group of favourites closed in. Cannondale Pro Cycling's Alex Howes was second, followed by Travis McCabe (Holowesko-Citadel).

2016 US Pro Road Race Championships - Brief results

 2016 Race Details

In 2016 the USA Cycling Professional Road Championships moves from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with the best men and women in the country battling for the time trial and road race stars-and-stripes jerseys on Friday, May 27, and Saturday, May 28.

2016 USA Cycling Professional Road Championships Courses

The men's and women's time trial championships will take place Friday on a rolling frontage road alongside Interstate 421 west of Hamptonville. The men will cover two laps of a 24km on an out-and-back course for a total of 48km. The first riders begins at 8 a.m. The women's 33km race against the clock follows. 

The road races will be decided on a 15.4km circuit on the west side of Winston-Salem. The women race nine laps for 140km beginning at 9:30 Saturday morning. The men's 12-lap, 187km race begins at 1:30 Saturday afternoon.

Unlike the Chattanooga course, the route in Winston-Salem lacks the 15 minute climb on every lap, so a bigger group could come to the line.

2016 USA Cycling Professional Road Championships Contenders

Kristin Armstrong and Andrew Talansky are the defending champions against the clock, while Matthew Busche and Megan Guarnier won the 2015 road race titles.

Talansky won't return to the defend his time trial title this year, choosing instead to take a break after the Tour of California as he continues to prepare for the Tour de France. Taylor Phinney, the 2014 champion, will return to the race this year, However. Phinney won the time trial in Chattanooga but then seriously injured his leg during a crash in the road race. He missed most of the 2015 season but will be back at the championships as the clear favourite for the win. Other riders to watch include Brent Bookwalter, Tom Zirbel, David Williams and Evan Huffman.

The women's time trial could play a crucial role in the upcoming selection for the Rio Olympic games, with time trial specialists Armstrong and Evelyn Stevens facing off for the first time this year. Armstrong is unbeaten in the race against the clock domestically this year, while Stevens, the current UCI Hour Record holder, has been focusing on European racing. Other riders to watch include Amber Neben, Carmen Small and 2015 Junior time trial world champion Chloe Dygert.

Favourites for the road races are less clearcut, with Busche's shape coming into the race an unknown after he was a last-minute withdrawal from UnitedHealthcare's Tour of California roster. The parcours could favour a rider like Phinney, but Bookwalter was third overall at the Tour of California last week and has been on the podium at nationals in the past. Kiel Reijnen is another rider who has come tantalisingly close to a jersey but so far missed out; he'll be highly motivated on Saturday. Ben King, the 2010 champion, has returned from a off-season injury and showed his current form with a California stage win. 

The Continental field is deep with talent that could put in a jersey-winning ride. The Holowesko-Citadel team considers Winston-Salem its home race, and Travis McCabe was sprinting with the best in California. The 2014 runner-up is a threat for the win in a sprint or from a breakaway. Eric Marcotte, the 2014 winner, will return again, while former Team Sky rider Danny Pate will line up for national for the first time in years.