Charleston, West Virginia — Two cyclists competing in this week's USA Cycling Pro Road Nationals have qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
More than 100 athletes representing multiple countries completed the 20-mile course in downtown Charleston on Wednesday. About 50 of those athletes were competing for a spot on his 2024 Paris Olympic team.
First, leading the women's elite time trial race was Taylor Knibb of Boulder, Colorado and Trek Factory Racing. Her time was 41:54.69, which was good enough to make her the national champion and qualify for the Olympics.
“I'm shocked. To be honest, I'm shocked,” she said after learning of her win.
Kunib qualified for the U.S. triathlon team at last year's test event in Paris. Now she is officially heading to Paris as a representative for USA Cycling.
Knib's performance has improved this year thanks to a new bike and new setup. She said Charleston's route is a flatter course but with few hills, which helps her speed.
“Last year we had so many turns, but only four times did we have to reach race pace,” Knibb said. “There are a lot of great riders here, and it was a really great day riding with them.”
Kristen Faulkner (EF Education Cannondale, Homer, Alaska) completed the podium with a time of 42:05.88, and Amber Neben (Lake Forest, California) finished in 42:44.53.
Despite the heavy rain, the elite men's momentum remained strong, with more than 28 athletes competing to be selected to the American team. Brandon McNulty (Phoenix, Arizona, UAE Team Emirates) finished with a time of 37 minutes, 42.08 seconds, beating second place Tyler Stites (Tucson, Arizona, Project Echelon Racing) by just under a minute. Neilson Powless (Houston, EF Education – Easy Post) completed the podium in third place with a time of 38:44.17.
McNulty qualified for the tournament for the second time. He said the win was close to the top of his career, which has seen him achieve many results in Europe.
“Winning a national title is always special, but this time it was a little more important in terms of qualifying for the Olympics. This is a big deal for me,” McNulty said after the match in a soaking wet suit.
The last few kilometers were the toughest, but McNulty said he pushed through and it paid off in the end.
“I knew there was going to be a headwind on the last straight, I knew it was going to be the last big push, and I almost died,” he said. “Then I was lucky to have a few guys in front of me to keep me motivated and pushing.”
Both cyclists said they enjoyed cycling on Charleston's roads. McNulty called it a “simple course.” Knibb said he is looking forward to living in the city for the next four years.
U23 Women's Time Trial Podium Results:
Betty Hasse (Providence, Rhode Island, CCB p/b Levine Law Group): 45:38.85
Chloe Patrick (Siniska Cycling, Carson, Calif.): 47:51.28
Ella Brenneman (CCB p/b Levine Law Group, Gibsonia, Pennsylvania): 48:00.55
U23 Men's Time Trial Podium Results:
Artem Schmidt (Hagens Berman Axeon, Cumming, Georgia): 38:52.17
Troy Fields (Hendersonville, Tenn., Team California P/B Barge): 39:52.27
Owen Cole (Chapel Hill, North Carolina, UAE Team Emirates Generation Z): 39:52.29
Racing resumes at 6.30pm on Thursday with the first night of the twilight criterium featuring junior women, junior men and the U23 men taking the course for the first time.