Olds recovers from fall at Nature Valley GP to take win in Crit championship

Shelley Olds (Diadora-Pasta Zara) won her second consecutive stars and stripes jersey in the criterium at the USA Cycling Elite Women National Championships held on Friday in Augusta, Georgia. She won the bunch sprint ahead of Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Colavita Forno D’Asolo) in second and Coryn Rivera (Peanut Butter & Co Twenty12) in third.

“I only got to wear my jersey at Nature Valley Grand Prix this year,” Olds told Cyclingnews. “I’m really proud to wear it and it’s an honour to be in the stars and stripes jersey for anything. I’m proud to ride for the US and wear the jersey when I can.”

Her win was some-what surprising after a serious crash sent her to the hospital with a bruised back and ribs last week at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. “I was still in a lot of pain from the crash and I wanted to make it easy on myself and stay at the front,” Olds said.

Rivera won the USA Cycling Women’s Under 23 criterium jersey by virtue of placing third and being the first under 23 rider to cross the line. It was her 33rd national title.

“I’ve always won a national championship every year and I’m really honoured and proud to continue this streak and represent the stars and stripes for another year,” Rivera said to Cyclingnews.

The Elite and Under 23 combined women’s field competed on a rectangle shaped circuit that was 1.2 kms in length for a total of 50 kms. However, race organizers were forced to shorten the event, part way through, due to the serious threat of lightening and thunderstorms in the area.

“I’m sure it affected the race because we only got about half way through it,” Cliff-Ryan told Cyclingnews. “You never know how the finish would have gone if we did a full race, maybe a break would have gone, you never know.”

The field was animated during the first 30 minutes of the race, however, small breakaways were short-lived and the field was in tact with roughly 30 laps to go. At that point, race organizers and team directeurs notified the field that they race was shortened and they had only five laps to go.

“A soon as they said we had five laps to go, the weather started getting really bad and as soon as the race ended we had torrential down pour,” Olds said.

Attacks were launched in a last ditch effort to form a late-race breakaway. The field rounded the final laps in tact, however, a crash on the last lap caused some interruption in the field.

“The race was shortened and we were supposed to do a full lead-out, but everything was jumbled and crazy,” Cliff-Ryan said. “We were not able to get our lead-out in.”

“Going into the last turn, I was getting squeezed and I tried to make room for myself otherwise I would have crashed. Our bars got squeezed and one girl ended up crashing, but I’m not sure what happened.”

“I hit my brakes, unclipped and didn’t have the best run in to the finish I tried to do what I could, went earlier than I wanted and caught back up,” she said. “I was happy to be on the podium.”

According to Olds, there was no time for a lead-out and every sprinter had to try and maneuver through the field to get into position for a bunch kick. She found herself on the top five positions during the final laps. She was behind Jennifer Purcell (Danbury Audi), in third position, out of the last corner.

“I saw Theresa jump and I knew that was the most dangerous rider of the sprinters,” Olds said. “I was able to squeeze through and it was pretty much a match sprint against Theresa to the line.”
 

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Cat 1 Women
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Shelley Olds (Diadora-Pasta Zara)0:34:29
2Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Colavita - Forno D)Row 1 - Cell 2
3Coryn Rivera (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12/Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12)Row 2 - Cell 2
4Jennifer Purcell (Team Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump)Row 3 - Cell 2
5Samantha Schneider (UCI: WPT TIBCO to The Top)Row 4 - Cell 2
6Tiffany Pezzulo (Team Primal Racing/Primal/MapMyRide Womens Racing)Row 5 - Cell 2
7Carmen SmallRow 6 - Cell 2
8Jacquelyn Crowell (US National Team)Row 7 - Cell 2
9Jennifer Wheeler (UCI: WPT TIBCO to The Top)Row 8 - Cell 2
10Emily Thurston (Touchstone Climbing)Row 9 - Cell 2
11Emily Kachorek (Team Primal Racing/Primal/MapMyRide Womens Racing)Row 10 - Cell 2
12Mary Elizabeth Maroon (Alto Velo Racing Club/Webcor/Alto Velo)0:34:36
13Devon Gorry (Now Cycling/NOW and Novartis for MS)0:34:38
14Maura Kinsella (Vanderkitten)Row 13 - Cell 2
15Cinthia LehnerRow 14 - Cell 2
16Erin Silliman (Virginia Beach Velo/East Coast Bicycles/Virginia Asset Group / Tradewinds Racing)Row 15 - Cell 2
17Jennifer McRae (787 Racing)Row 16 - Cell 2
18Elizabeth Morse Hill (ZMOTION Racing Team)Row 17 - Cell 2
19Kaitlin Antonneau (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12/Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12)Row 18 - Cell 2
20Whitney Schultz (Veloforma/CheckMark pb Veloforma)Row 19 - Cell 2
21Melissa Ross (Team Kenda presented by Geargrinder)Row 20 - Cell 2
22Erika Graves (Now Cycling/NOW and Novartis for MS)Row 21 - Cell 2
23Hilary Billington (Team Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump)0:34:45
24Kathleen Billington (Team Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump)Row 23 - Cell 2
25Alison Starnes (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12)0:34:47
26Shannon Koch (GG Events Management)Row 25 - Cell 2
27Tayler Wiles (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12)Row 26 - Cell 2
28Lauren Hall (Colavita / Forno D'Asolo)Row 27 - Cell 2
29Jessica Prinner (ABD Cycle Club/ABD Cycling Team)Row 28 - Cell 2
30Kirsten Fee 0Row 29 - Cell 2
31Meredith Miller (UCI: WPT TIBCO to The Top)Row 30 - Cell 2
32Andrea Dvorak (Colavita - Forno D'Asolo)0:34:51
33Shelby Reynolds (Sugar Cycles/Sugar Cycles Factory Racing)Row 32 - Cell 2
34Kristin Sanders (Colavita / Forna D'Asolo)0:35:16
35Amy McGuire (Wheelworks Racing)0:35:26
36Alisha Welsh (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12/Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12)Row 35 - Cell 2
37Kathryn Clark (Team Kenda presented by Geargrinder /Team Kenda)Row 36 - Cell 2
38Rebecca Wellons (Team Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump)Row 37 - Cell 2
39Lauren Robertson (FCS/ Metro Volkswagen/FCS Cycling Team)Row 38 - Cell 2
40Jacqueline Kurth (Team Kenda presented by Geargrinder)0:35:33
41Nichole Wangsgard (Team Primal Racing)0:35:36
42Marianne Holt (Carolina Masters /PainPathways Cycling Team)0:35:54
43Jamie Dinkins (Athens Velo Club)0:35:56
44Kasey Clark (Team Primal Racing/Primal/MapMyRide Womens Racing)0:35:58
DNSCheryl Fuller-Muller (Reality Bikes)Row 44 - Cell 2
DNSMara Abbott (Diadora-Pasta Zara)Row 45 - Cell 2
DNSKristin McGrath (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12)Row 46 - Cell 2
DNSRachel Warner (Missing Links Coaching & Training Systems/Missing Link Training Systems / Specia)Row 47 - Cell 2
DNSAmy Horstmeyer (352 Racing p/b Bikes and More)Row 48 - Cell 2
DNSKendall Ryan (UCI: WPT TIBCO to The Top)Row 49 - Cell 2
DNSDebbie Milne (Absolute Racing Team/MSMOC)Row 50 - Cell 2
DNSKimberley Turner (Seattle Super Squadra)Row 51 - Cell 2
DNFAnna McLoon (Missing Links Coaching & Training Systems/Missing Link Training Systems / Specia)Row 52 - Cell 2
DNFMegan Guarnier (UCI: WPT TIBCO to The Top)Row 53 - Cell 2
DNFJudy Jenkins (Missing Links Coaching & Training Systems/Missing Link Training Systems / Specia)Row 54 - Cell 2
DNFAmber PierceRow 55 - Cell 2
DNFJanel Holcomb (Colavita / Forno D'Asolo)Row 56 - Cell 2
DNFRobin Farina (Now Cycling/NOW and Novartis for MS)Row 57 - Cell 2
DNFJerika HutchinsonRow 58 - Cell 2
DNFMorgan Patton (Team Type 1)Row 59 - Cell 2
DNFSara Tussey (Hincapie Cycling/Hincapie/Green Creation Cycling Team)Row 60 - Cell 2
DNFCristina Lindsey (Greenville Spinners Bicycle Club/Headstrong)Row 61 - Cell 2
DNFKelly Benjamin (Colavita / Forno D'Asolo)Row 62 - Cell 2
DNFChristina Gokey-Smith (Now And Novartis For MS)Row 63 - Cell 2
DNFLauren Tamayo (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12)Row 64 - Cell 2
DNFKatie Reynolds (Reality Bikes)Row 65 - Cell 2
DNFJennifer Rasmusson (Team Kenda presented by Geargrinder)Row 66 - Cell 2

 

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Kirsten Frattini
Deputy Editor

Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.

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