· Nationwide
Around the Country
US junior cyclocross outside the Northeast — the season through September 20.
The biggest cyclocross race in America this month wasn’t in Rochester. It was in Portland, Oregon, where the Trophy Cup drew 513 riders on September 8 and 487 the following Sunday — and where a 37-rider Junior Open field was larger than the UCI junior race at Rochester.
If you follow junior cyclocross through the UCI calendar, you see almost none of this. The first six weeks of the American season are club series, weeknight races and regional cups, and the junior racing inside them is deeper in some parts of the country than anything the Northeast has put on so far.
All ages are cyclocross racing ages for 2026–27. Age coverage varies sharply by region — see the note at the end.
Mid-Atlantic: the biggest junior fields in the country
Virginia and Maryland are running junior fields that dwarf everyone else’s. Vanish Cross in Leesburg (Sep 13, 396 racers) and Hyattsville CX in Maryland (Sep 20, 433 racers) each fielded four separate junior categories per gender, with 13 to 23 riders in each.
Two programs are doing the heavy lifting: Baltimore Youth Cycling and Rock Creek Velo, with Mid-Atlantic Devo supplying the sharp end.
Vanish Cross — Leesburg, VA (Sep 13)
| Junior field | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men Junior U19 9-18 (15) | Peter Muffels, 15 (Mid-Atlantic Devo) | William Dausch, 17 (Rock Creek Velo) | Matteo Cruz, 17 (Rock Creek Velo) |
| Men Junior 13-14 (16) | John Tracy, 14 (Rock Creek Velo) | Shane Tyrrell, 12 (Baltimore Youth) | Brooks Cox, 13 (Baltimore Youth) |
| Men Junior 11-12 (23) | Nate Haislip, 11 (Baltimore Youth) | Max Owens, 12 (Baltimore Youth) | Silas Benson, 12 (Rock Creek Velo) |
| Men Junior 9-10 (13) | Edgar Benson, 10 (Rock Creek Velo) | Roger Moore, 10 | Blake Lustenberger, 10 (Baltimore Youth) |
| Women Junior U19 9-18 (4) | Delia Thorpe (Rock Creek Velo) | Elise Rearick, 16 (Rock Creek Velo) | Tessa Blanck, 17 (Baltimore Youth) |
| Women Junior 13-14 (6) | Olive Benitez, 13 (Baltimore Youth) | Juliet Devine, 14 (Baltimore Youth) | Eliza Buckley, 13 (Rock Creek Velo) |
| Women Junior 11-12 (5) | Hadie Zajac, 12 (Baltimore Youth) | Sloane Gittleman, 11 (Rock Creek Velo) | Sophie Francer, 12 (Rock Creek Velo) |
| Women Junior 9-10 (6) | Zoe Joyce, 10 (RCV) | Norah Cox | Elowen Ruse, 10 (National Capital Velo) |
In the open fields: Mid-Atlantic Devo went 1-2 in Men Cat 3 Intermediate — Nolan Sands, 16, and Ryder Newell, 16. Olive Benitez, 13, won Women Cat 4 Intermediate on top of her junior win, and Naomi Harcum, 13, won Women Cat 4/5 Beginner.
Hyattsville CX — Hyattsville, MD (Sep 20)
| Junior field | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men Junior U19 9-18 (10) | William Dausch, 17 (Rock Creek Velo) | Matteo Cruz, 17 (Rock Creek Velo) | Maks Roma-Shtylla, 15 (Rock Creek Velo) |
| Men Junior 13-14 (19) | Liam Collins, 12 (Baltimore Youth) | Flynn Miller | Clyde Leigh-Tambre, 14 (Rock Creek Velo) |
| Men Junior 11-12 (21) | Nate Haislip, 11 (Baltimore Youth) | Oscar Klapper, 12 (Rock Creek Velo) | Silas Benson, 12 (Rock Creek Velo) |
| Men Junior 9-10 (19) | Edgar Benson, 10 (Rock Creek Velo) | Blake Lustenberger, 10 (Baltimore Youth) | Owen Hatfield |
| Women Junior U19 9-18 (5) | Delia Thorpe (Rock Creek Velo) | Tessa Blanck, 17 (Baltimore Youth) | Lilah Devine, 16 (Baltimore Youth) |
| Women Junior 13-14 (3) | Juliet Devine, 14 (Baltimore Youth) | Avery Holland, 13 (Baltimore Youth) | Mia Taylor |
| Women Junior 11-12 (8) | Zuza Kusmierz-Pearce, 11 (Rock Creek Velo) | Clara Smith, 12 (Rock Creek Velo) | Hadie Zajac, 12 (Baltimore Youth) |
| Women Junior 9-10 (7) | Luna Faulkner (Rock Creek Velo) | Zoe Joyce, 10 (Rock Creek Velo) | Gwendolen Bramwell (Baltimore Youth) |
Ryder Newell, 16, won Men Cat 3 Intermediate outright. Maks Roma-Shtylla, 15, was second in Men Cat 5 Beginner, a 44-rider field, and third in the junior U19 race.
Pacific Northwest: Portland is the biggest show in the country
Portland Trophy Cup — 513 racers on September 8, 487 on September 15. The Junior Open field alone drew 37 and 33.
And one team owns it. Team Booger filled the junior podium and then went out and won the open races too.
| Race | Field | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Trophy Cup #1 (Sep 8) | Junior Open (37) | 1. Jack Abel, 17 · 2. Johnie Hogue, 16 · 3. Lincoln Sanchez, 17 — all Team Booger |
| Junior Women (13) | 1. Elena Gerwing · 2. Vivianne McManuis · 3. Evelyn Payne | |
| Open 3/4 (63) | 1. Johnie Hogue, 16 | |
| Open 1/2 (14) | 2. Jack Abel, 17 | |
| Women 1/2 (23) | 2. Morgan Filer, 17 · 3. Stella Cafiso, 17 | |
| Trophy Cup #2 (Sep 15) | Junior Open (33) | 1. Jack Abel, 17 · 2. Arthur Conley · 3. James Umberhandt |
| Junior Women (12) | 1. Elena Gerwing · 2. Evelyn Payne · 3. Iselin Eide | |
| Open 1/2 (10) | 1. Jack Abel, 17 | |
| Open 3/4 (60) | 2. Oliver Litinsky, 15 (Team S&M) | |
| Women 1/2 (16) | 2. Morgan Filer, 17 |
Jack Abel won an Open 1/2 field at 17. Johnie Hogue won a 63-rider Open 3/4 at 16. And then all three — Abel, Hogue and Filer — flew east and raced Rochester the following weekend, where Abel was fourth in the UCI junior race and Hogue rode the Cat 3 field.
Corn Cross — Boring, OR (Sep 13): junior fields split finely by age — Luka Dedrick (11-12), Dylan Glazer (13-14, Team Booger), Garett Hawes (15-16, Corvallis Junior Cycling), Nicolas Rinaldi Ceroni (9-10), Phoebe Hogue (Junior Women 11-12), Sunny Wittreich (Junior Women 15-16). Oliver Litinsky, 15, was second in Category 3/4 Open.
MFG #1 Beach Party — Silver Lake, WA (Sep 13, 381 racers) runs junior racing on school grades rather than age bands — 1st-2nd Grade, 3rd-5th Grade, Middle School, High School. Winners: Tim Nachtigal (HS Male), Molly McAllister (HS Female), Cormac Jaten-Thompson (MS Male), Oakley McMahan (MS Female), Tristan Jaten-Thompson and Addy Stenovec (3rd-5th), Asa Plourde and Hazel Butchart (1st-2nd). Paige Holden, 15 (NWCX Project), was fourth in Cat 1/2 Female.
Midwest: devo teams everywhere
The North Central region is the most devo-saturated in the country — Midwest Devo, Lionhearts Junior Racing, Broken Spoke Devo, Capital Bicycle Racing Club — and juniors aren’t just winning open fields, they’re filling them.
Lionhearts CX (Sep 6, 153 racers) is the extreme case: juniors won every single wave on the card.
| Wave | Winner |
|---|---|
| Wave 1 | Owen Witt, 17 (LionHearts) |
| Wave 1 Women | Ellie Minner, 15 (Lionhearts Junior Racing) |
| Wave 2 | Grayson Scott, 13 (Midwest Devo) — with Kaden Fishman, 13, and Henry Watenpool, 13, behind |
| Wave 3 Women | Ellie Minner, 15 |
| Wave 5 | Silas Fisher, 16 (Midwest Devo) — Aaron Boehman, 16, second |
Devo Cross (Aug 22, 145 racers) — the season’s earliest race in this sweep. Junior 13-14 M: Grayson Scott, 13. Junior 13-14 F: June Fisher, 14. Junior 0-12 M: West Moore, 12. Junior 0-12 F: Alex Alvarado, 12 — all Midwest Devo. In the open waves, Axel Farnham, 16 (Donovan Racing) won Wave 1a, Aaron Boehman, 16, won Wave 5, and Ellie Minner, 15, won the open women’s wave.
Carter Park CX — Kings Mills, OH (Sep 13, 203 racers) — Henry Cummings, 16 (Midwest Devo), won Wave 1, a 38-rider field combining Boys 15-18, Men’s 3 and Masters 3. Ellie Minner, 15, won Women’s 1/2/3. Aaron Boehman, 16, won Wave 5, 44 riders. Junior fields: Grayson Scott, 13, and Zoe Minner, 12 (Lionhearts).
Wisconsin — and a name you’ll recognise. At Silver Creek CX in Manitowoc (Sep 12), Rylan Zacharek, 18, was second and Finnley Sonnemann, 17, third in Men Cat 1/2/3 Elite — the two CXD Trek riders who would stand on the Rochester UCI junior podium a week later. Sonnemann was second in the same field at Greene Acres CX in St Francis the next day.
Also in Wisconsin: Brooklyn Becker, 15 (Gelbbrucke), won Women Cat 3/4 Elite at both Silver Creek and Greene Acres. Jonathan Wood, 17, won Men Cat 4 Elite at Silver Creek, where Asher McGinnis, 14 (Broken Spoke Devo), was second. At Alpine Valley Nocturnal Cross in East Troy (Aug 22), Anna Pearlman, 17, won Women Cat 1/2 Elite and Teddy Hoks, 18, won Men Cat 3/4 Elite; Henry Bobyk, 16 — later ninth in Rochester’s Cat 3 — was third in Men Cat 1/2/3 Elite.
Mountain West
Thinner, and thinly documented, but with a standout family. At P-Town #4 in Provo, Utah (Sep 15), the Abbott sisters of Rouleur swept the women’s open races — Crista Abbott, 17, won Women A from Melissa Abbott, 17, and Kaitlyn Abbott, 16, won Women B. Junior fields went to Sammy Ellis (Jr Men) and Codi Hoopes, 15 (Jr Women, Team Hoopes).
New England
Massachusetts has been racing since August, with junior fields that rival the Mid-Atlantic’s.
NCC Hydra Cross — Holyoke, MA (Sep 5, 256 racers) fielded 29 riders in Junior Boys 9-12 alone.
| Junior field | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Boys 15-18 (9) | Anderson Norris, 15 (Feral Kids Racing) | Thomas Oswald, 15 (Grey Ghost) | Flynn Molloy, 15 (Finkraft) |
| Junior Boys 13-14 (10) | Miles Abrams, 14 (NCC Trail Blasters) | Colton Sault, 14 (Green Mountain CX Groms) | Keagan Tryba, 14 |
| Junior Boys 9-12 (29) | Iver Maynard (NCC Trail Blasters) | Aaron Dinolfo, 12 (Capital BRC) | Liam Halevi, 9 (NCC Trail Blasters) |
| Junior Girls 9-12 (8) | Thea McElwaine, 9 (Blue Hills Racing) | Alice Leone, 11 (Capital BRC) | Rosalynn Baecher (NCC Trail Blasters) |
Open fields at Hydra: Kendal Craven, 15 (Vulcan Cycling), won Women Cat 4/5 with Willow Wozniak, 14, second. Penelope Moses, 18, won Women Cat 3/4 with Carla Huber, 16, second. Hannah Dinolfo, 15, was second and Naomi Ericson, 16, third in Women Cat 1/2/3 — three weeks before they’d finish 1-3 and 1-1 in Rochester’s Cat 2 and Cat 3 fields.
Blunt Park CX — Springfield, MA (Aug 30, 237 racers): Junior Boys 9-12 went to David Boryczewski, 11, from Eli Skulte, 11 — the Connecticut pair, out-of-state. Miles Abrams, 14, won 13-14; Breandan Cole, 18, won 15-18; Greta Purwin, 11, and Trista Purwin, 15, won the girls’ fields. In the open races, Alta Breismeister, 14, won Women Cat 4/5, Penelope Moses, 18, won Women Cat 3/4, and Hannah Dinolfo, 15, was second in Women Elite 1/2/3.
The riders crossing regions
The season’s most interesting thread is how much these scenes overlap already:
| Rider | Home scene | Also raced |
|---|---|---|
| Rylan Zacharek, 18 · Finnley Sonnemann, 17 | CXD Trek Bikes | 2nd/3rd in Wisconsin (Sep 12), then 1st/3rd and 2nd/5th at Rochester UCI |
| Jack Abel, 17 · Johnie Hogue, 16 · Morgan Filer, 17 | Team Booger, Portland OR | Portland Trophy Cup ×2, then Rochester |
| Ella Pryor, 17 · Juliette Dennedy, 16 · Hadley Thompson, 15 | Midwest Devo / Lionhearts | Devo Cross, Carter Park, then Rochester |
| Kendal Craven, 15 · Willow Wozniak, 14 | Vulcan / Capital BRC | NCC Hydra Cross (MA), Pineapple Crush (PA), GOAT CXing (NY) |
| Olive Benitez, 13 · Naomi Harcum, 13 | Baltimore Youth Cycling | Vanish Cross (VA), then Rochester |
A note on the data
Age coverage is wildly uneven by region, and that shapes what can be said. In the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, most finishers have a verifiable racing age. Elsewhere it thins out: MFG in Washington had ages for 131 of 381 finishers.
Where a region’s junior numbers look thin here, the honest reading is often that the data is thin, not the racing.
Category naming also varies more than you’d expect. The Mid-Atlantic uses age bands, the Pacific Northwest uses school grades, the Midwest uses lettered waves that mix juniors and adults. There is no single national junior category structure, which is a real obstacle to comparing regions — and a reason a junior can be invisible in one region’s results format and obvious in another’s.
Results verified against crossresults.com race exports and official timing where available. Ages are cyclocross racing ages for 2026–27 — age as of December 31, 2027.