Reynolds wins junior championship

Juniors Women 17-18
The juniors women 17-18 field showcased 26 of the country's best 17-18-year-old women road racers. The riders stayed together after 24 of the 72 kilometers were complete. On the second of three laps, Page Robertson (Team TIBCO II) attacked and earned a 20-second gap as she embarked on the third lap.

The field caught Robertson early in the third lap and rode together until Grace Alexander (BYRDS (Boise Young Riders Development Squad)) attacked with Alexis Ryan (Team TIBCO II), who was defending her national title in this race, on her wheel. With the field seemingly willing to ride for third, Alexander and Ryan agreed to work together until the end and let a sprint settle the top spot.

Ryan and Alexander worked together up the final climb when Ryan noticed Alexander breathing heavy. With under one kilometer remaining, Ryan decided it was time to sprint, Alexander couldn't answer and Ryan carried it through the finish line, six seconds ahead of Alexander. Kayla Sterling (Exergy Twenty12) won the field sprint for third, narrowly edging Allison Arensman (Pepper Palace/Spin-Tech Training) and Ellen Noble (C.F. Racing p/b Trek Portsmouth), who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

"At the top of the last climb, I looked at Grace and she was breathing really hard," Ryan explained. "I ramped it up, looked back and realized I had a gap so I just sprinted. This national title is actually sticks out the most (of her seven career national titles) because it came out of a breakaway. It felt fair."

Ryan also may have had extra incentive. Apparently, before the race, Alexis' father, Kevin, promised her a chocolate ice cream cone if she won the race. With the late morning temperatures soaring in the high 80 degrees fahrenheit Alexis Ryan admitted to envisioning the refreshing treat during the race.

Juniors Men 15-16
Ethan Reynolds (BYRDS (Boise Young Riders Development Squad)) won a six-rider sprint to the finish line to win the 72km juniors men 15-16 road race.

At the midpoint of the three-lap race, the five riders who comprised the five spots on the podium broke away and worked together to grow their advantage on the field. Reynolds kicked in a higher gear to win the field sprint, slightly edging Efren Flores (Donny's Cafe Cycling Club), who earned the silver medal.

Adrien Costa (Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development). Jonathan Brown (Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team) and Eric Oien (ACQUA AL 2-San Diego Bicycle Club finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

"This feels great," Reynolds said. "We (the five breakaway riders) were working really well together. We just pulled through really fast. We kept a good pace and were gaining more seconds on the field. I'm just super happy right now. This feels amazing!"

For Reynolds, the win marks the fourth national championship of his career. He was the national champion in the juniors men 13-14 criterium in 2011 and 10-12 criterium in 2009 as well as winning the individual time trial at the 2010 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships.

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