Coryn Labecki returned to her US roots of criterium racing this week, lining up on the opening spherical of USA Pace Week in Greenville, South Carolina “to honour the jersey that I received final summer season”. There have been no parade laps, simply full-on, high-speed racing for 50 laps, the stars-and-stripes jersey on show for the primary time in 10 months.
Labecki used the Greenville Biking Traditional as her coming-out-party for the nationwide jersey, having received the elite girls’s criterium nationwide title final June on the USA Biking Professional Street Championships, holding off two-time crit champion Kendall Ryan (L39ION of Los Angeles). It was a staggering 73rd nationwide title of her profession, throughout junior and elite divisions in a number of disciplines.
Since she received the nationwide criterium in Knoxville, Tennessee final 12 months, she’s raced completely in Europe and has by no means worn the highest prize in a race. So participation in Pace Week was the excuse she wanted after the spring Classics and a visit dwelling.
“[I’m here] to honour the jersey that I received final summer season. I made a decision to do some criteriums earlier than Nationals, and actually this was the one time that match completely with my European schedule,” Labecki informed Cyclingnews in Greenville.
“So I made a decision to come back down and have some enjoyable and showcase the jersey a bit bit whereas I can.”
A complete of 18 street champions might be determined at USA Biking Professional Street Championships from Might 14 to 19 in Charleston, West Virginia, with all programs positioned within the downtown space.
Labecki solely has three extra weeks to parade the red-white-and-blue equipment on the short-lap races, as the subsequent US Professional Criterium nationals for elite girls happen Might 16. New for 2024 might be separate races for U23 girls within the criterium and particular person time trial; the U23 street race champion will proceed to be determined in a mixed area with elite girls.
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“I grew up racing crits; that’s how I realized my race craft. It doesn’t matter what the course is, so long as there’s a end line, my aim is to get there first or to get my staff there first,” she informed Cyclingnews previous to her win in Knoxville final 12 months.
The previous six editions of the US Professional Street Championships have been held in Tennessee in June, and the California native participated yearly, profitable the street race title in 2018, and final 12 months took a fourth silver medal within the street race on the Knoxville venue.
She plans to race all three occasions for elite girls this 12 months, which she has not at all times completed since that is an Olympic Video games 12 months and the winner of the person time trial receives an computerized berth for the Paris Video games. On the Tokyo Olympic Video games in 2021, she was the highest US rider within the street race in seventh place.
“I am doing all three occasions, and the time trial being the Olympic qualifier. The crit I like to do as a result of it is enjoyable, after which the street race is simply the place my coronary heart lies. So yeah, I am doing all three, it is near dwelling now,” she mentioned about West Virginia’s shut proximity to her new dwelling base on the east coast.
“I really stay in Pennsylvania now, so I assume you possibly can say I am an East coaster. My coronary heart nonetheless lies within the on the West Coast, however having fun with life out right here within the East.”
It was a straightforward option to make the journey down the backbone of the Appalachians to the foothills in South Carolina for the primary two races of Pace Week, and he or she’ll keep for different races in Georgia as nicely.
“Humorous sufficient, I’ve by no means raced Pace Week earlier than, so it’s all new for me,” she mentioned in Greenville, and he or she was glad Thursday evening when she completed eighth, a part of a gaggle of high contenders who all missed a three-rider breakaway received by Kaitlyn Rauwerda (DNA Professional Biking). She was overwhelmed to the road by L39ION of Los Angeles duo Alexis Magner and Ryan (fourth and seventh, respectively) and Skylar Schneider (Miami Blazers).
In her eleventh professional street season, this 12 months driving with the US Continental-level EF Training-Cannondale squad. The previous Tour of Flanders winner had 9 begins at this 12 months’s spring Classics, driving aggressively at each Paris-Roubaix Femmes and De Brabantse Pijl in assist of teammates, however seems for her first victory within the pink colors of EF Training in West Virginia.
And in contrast to previous years when she rode solo at nationals driving for European-based commerce groups, she’s mentioned she’s wanting ahead to having a sizeable staff round her this time.
“So yeah, we’re additionally an American staff. So will probably be an enormous aim for us to win one, or three, nationwide championships. And, we simply obtained into the Tour de France, in order that’s going to be an enormous aim of ours. Hopefully, I’ll get a stage win.”
The rapid want for pace was throughout a area the place inventory automotive racing and school soccer seize many of the sports activities headlines within the giant markets, however for now Pace Week will steal a bit of the highlight with eight days of racing in 11 days.
Starting with Greenville Biking Traditional, Pace Week provides prize cash for women and men, whether or not people or on groups, which totals $86,000. Three of the occasions – Spartanburg Criterium, the Athens Twilight Criterium and LaGrange Traditional – will even be a part of USA Crits, which provides a staff competitors throughout six occasions of $76,800.
