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Canadian Maghalie Rochette (Canyon Collective) and USA’s Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) won the 2023 elite titles in the US Cyclocross Series (USCX) with convincing victories on the final weekend in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The pair earned equal shares of the $15,000 prize purse, which was on offer for a second time in the third year of the series.
Rochette rocketed into the lead of the elite women’s division by winning the first two races at Virginia’s Blue Ridge Go Cross in mid September, and never let up, sweeping all eight events. Defending USCX champion Caroline Mani (Groove Off-road Racing) had a steady string of five runner-up finishes and a third place at Charm City Cross to secure second place overall. Sidney McGill (Cervélo Orange Living) also collected six podiums, four of them third places, and finished third overall, seven points short of overtaking Mani. Lauren Zoerner of Groove Off-road finished fourth and Raylyn Nuss (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) fifth.
With each weekend of racing, the USCX standings oscillated in the elite men’s division. Switzerland’s Loris Rouiller (Heizomat – Kloster Kitchen) was the opening leader with back-to-back victories in Roanoke at Go Cross and clung to a two-point lead after Vincent Baestaens won both races at Rochester Cyclocross. White was well behind in third place at the mid-way point.
With Rouiller missing from the second day of Charm City Cross in Baltimore, Baestaens took advantage with a fifth place and second place on the weekend to grab the series lead, the Swiss rider dropping to second and USA’s Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD Trek Bikes) using a win in the C2 race to move into third.
White used his two impressive solo victories at Really Rad Festival of Cyclocross to vault into the top spot of the USCX, as Baestaens, Rouiller and Strohmeyer were not in the field. Baestaens held on for a paycheck with second overall, 50 points off the total from White. Canadian Michael van den Ham (Giant x Easton), who had seven top 10s in the collection of races, grabbed third overall. Jules van Kempen (Cervélo Orange Living) finished fourth and Rouiller was fifth.
The USCX was comprised of eight races at four established events…
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