Stephenson wins US junior 'cross championship

Denzel Stephenson (Boulder Junior Cycling) overcame a mid-race mechanical to take the victory Sunday at the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships Junior race, suffering a broken crank on the third lap but eventually making his way past Lane Maher (Hands On Cycling) for the win. Stephenson's Boulder Junior teammate, Ross Ellwood, was third.

Runner-up in 2016, Stephenson took the hole shot on the snow-covered course in Hartford, Connecticut.

"I didn't want to be behind anyone, especially at the start, because of the conditions. I just wanted to ride my own race and not look back," Stephenson said.

He began soloing away in the second lap with Maher trying to keep the gap manageable, before a seat problem and then a broken crank in the third lap suddenly put Stephenson's title bid in doubt. Maher closed the distance and took the lead as Stephenson swapped bikes, but he was unable to hold on in the front, hit by a mechanical of his own.

"I had to run from the top of the Bonk Breaker Hill," Stephenson told Cyclingnews. "I was able to coast down the hill, but then I had to run to the second pit. That cost me a lot of time.

"I was pretty bummed at first," Stephenson said. "I was like, 'Oh, there goes the race,' because I was leading. But I just pitted back onto my other bike and rode my best from there. And then Lane ended up having a mistake too, so it came back together."

By the fourth lap, Stephenson was back in control, and he maintained his advantage all the way to the finish. He crossed the line 20 seconds ahead of Maher, with Ellwood besting Caleb Swartz (Trek Cyclocross Collective) in a tight battle for third.

Despite the mechanicals, Stephenson pointed to the difficult, iced-over course and the frigid conditions – morning temperatures hovered under 20 degrees fahrenheit – as contributing factors to his success.

"I like technical stuff," Stephenson said. "Today was pretty technical. In Colorado it gets like this a lot, so I've had some experience racing in snow and ice like this. I think it worked to my advantage today."

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