Cusack and Sarkisov Claim Fifth and Seventh in Junior Women’s Race
LIEVIN, France (February 1, 2025) – Saturday marked the second day of the 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, where the Junior Women, U23 Men, and Elite Women took on the challenging course in northern France. The day brought both strong results and a bit of bad luck, but overall, Team USA carried the momentum from yesterday’s Team Relay and delivered some great racing in front of the French crowds.
Junior Women
Lidia Cusack (Chevy Chase, Md.; CXD / Trek Bikes) had a solid start and established herself in the top 10, riding around eighth position for the first lap. In the second lap, a group solidified where Cusack found herself fighting for bronze. It was eventually reduced to three riders with Cusack still in the fight and leading the pack. In the second-to-last lap, she had a tire puncture and was ultimately dropped from the group. She fell back to fifth place and made a strong push on the final lap but was unable to regain a medal position.
It was a bittersweet day for Cusack. She said, “I think perspective will come, but for right now it stings a little. I flatted with two laps to go, so it took me out of contention for the medal, but I think with time I will be happy with it.”
Alyssa Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; CXD / Trek Bikes) remained in the top 10 for most of the race, battling her way through the group. Her final two laps were incredibly fast. On the final lap, she powered into the long straightaway, pushing for a sprint finish to claim sixth place. However, a few mistakes cost her the position, and she was unable to overtake the Netherlands’ Mae Cabaca, ultimately crossing the line in seventh.
After the race, Sarkisov said, “The race started off pretty hard, and I wasn’t really feeling it at first. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster season with three ninth-place finishes, so I really wanted to break that curse. In the last two laps, I really turned up the gas, caught the group of four ahead of me, and made a bunch of passes, which I was really happy about. Overall, it was a great race for me. It stings a little to lose that sprint at the end, especially being so close, but I’m still really happy with my race.”
Lyllie Sonnemann (Madison, Wisc.; CXD / Trek Bikes) stayed mid pack for the majority of the race and rode into 28th place.
Results:
1. Lise Revol (FRA)
2. Barbora Bukovska (CZE)
3. Rafaelle Carrier (CAN)
5. Lidia Cusack (USA)
7. Alyssa Sarkisov (USA)
28. Lyllie Sonnemann (USA)
DNF. Ada Watson (USA)
U23 Men
The two riders lining up in the U23 men’s race were Henry Coote (Manchester, Mass.; Comp Edge Racing) and Dylan Zakrajsek (Grand Junction, Colo.; Comp Edge Racing). The muddy course froze overnight, but as the sun emerged in the middle of the day, the conditions became even more challenging. The thawing mud thickened, forcing riders to pit at least once per lap for fresh tires and better traction.
Coote started strong on the first lap, but on the big downhill before the second flyover, he hit a bad rut, crashed hard, and ultimately had to withdraw from the race. Zakrajsek was riding around 30th position and was able to make his way up to 24thin the end overtaking two riders in the final lap.
“It was a bit of a tough start for me,” said Zakrajsek. “I got caught in some chaos early on, but I managed to work my way through. Unfortunately, it took me a little while to get my legs going, but once I did, I was able to make up time and make some good passes. The last two laps were definitely a fight to stay in the top 25… It was a race of who had the most grit today.”
Results:
1. Tibor Del Grosso (NED)
2. Kay De Bruyckere (BEL)
3. Jente Michels (BEL)
24. Dylan Zakrajsek (USA)
DNF. Henry Coote (USA)
Elite Women
Katie Clouse (Park City, Utah; Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) delivered one of Team USA’s most exciting performances in the Elite Women’s race. As the day progressed, the course became increasingly challenging. The thickening mud dramatically slowed lap times and made the race even more grueling for the riders.
Clouse surged from a third-row start into the top 10 on the first lap but later slipped back to around 17th position. Battling within a large, competitive group, she fought hard to stay in contention and eventually broke away to chase 11th place. In the end, she held strong against an incredibly tough field, finishing 13th. Her final lap was particularly impressive, ranking as the fifth-fastest among her competitors.
When asked about the key to her performance, Clouse said, “I think it was just about keeping the fight going within our group. We were in a pretty big group battling for the top 10 or 11. Whenever I fell back, I would lose the wheels a little, but staying near the front of that group was key to keeping the momentum. There was one hill in the back that I was able to ride – at least most of the way – and that helped me move up a few spots each lap, which was super key for me.”
Coach Grant Holicky was more than impressed with Clouse’s ride. He said “It was the most fun race to watch. It feels like moving in the right direction in the elite field. You look at the riders she was with, and that’s some high-class company. That’s something we know Katie can do and it’s been really fun to see her kind of get back in the groove in the last few races and have her best one at the World Championships.”
Results:
1. Fem van Empel (NED)
2. Lucinda Brand (NED)
3. Puck Pieterse (NED)
13. Katie Clouse (USA)
