Americans Ada Watson and Miles Mattern won the U23 women's and U23 men's titles, respectively, at the 2026 Pan-American Cyclo-cross Championships in Washington, DC, on Saturday.
In her first year racing in the U23 category, Watson soloed to victory, crossing the line 19 seconds ahead of compatriot Kaya Musgrave. Musgrave improved on her fourth-place finish last year to claim silver.
The win marked Watson’s first UCI victory. She had competed in the elite category at all six UCI events contested so far this season.
Canada’s Aislin Hallahan broke through the USA contingent to take third, 27 seconds later. USA’s Bridget Wilson and Anna Olesen finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Mattern outsprinted his compatriots to win the gold medal and lead a USA sweep of the podium.
Competing in the elite men's category this season, the 20-year-old has claimed three UCI victories, sweeping the Major Taylor Cross Cup before adding a win at USCX Rochester Cyclocross Day 1. He has also recorded three runner-up finishes.
Aidan Vollmuth took silver, and Dylan Haynes finished third for the bronze medal. Crossing the line, 5 seconds later, Calvin Conaway was fourth while Garrett Beshore finished fifth. American riders claimed the first seven places in the results.
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Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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