Kristen Faulkner successfully defended her US national championship road race title in style on Monday.
The EF Education-Oatly rider outsprinted Lauren Stephens (Aegis Cycling Foundation) to the line in Charleston following 79 miles of racing.
Katherine Sarkisov (CCB p/b Levine Law Group) was a further second back, securing bronze, while Galan Bolard (Competitive Edge Racing) was seven seconds behind, just ahead of Alia Shafi (Fount Cycling Guild), Emma Langley (Aegis Cycling Foundation) and Ashley Frye (Phase 1 Cycling).
It was Faulkner’s first victory of the year and proves she is getting back on track.
“It’s been a late start to my season,” she said. “I had a really busy off season after the Olympics and then I had a lot of media and the concussion. And so my racing in Europe has had a pretty slow start.
“This was a race that I really wanted to win. It was the first one where I felt really confident coming in. I love the stars and stripes jersey, especially with the gold bands, and so I really wanted to keep it. I’m glad that it worked out.”
Faulkner won last year’s race solo and also took the Olympic road race the same way. She did things differently this time, and it paid off.
“I’ve been working on my sprint all winter because I want to be a more unpredictable rider,” she said. “I think Lauren and Katherine probably expected me to attack on the last lap, so I actually decided to do the opposite and stay with them until the end.
“I actually felt pretty strong and I knew if I positioned well and got on Lauren’s wheel, then I could come around her. I think she started her sprint a little early and I was able to get on her wheel. So it worked out quite well.”
Langley’s sixth place was impressive, given that she was solo for a considerable amount of time in the race. She was caught by Jamie Chapman (Speedblock p/b Terun) with 21.6 miles to go, at which point the peloton was 35 seconds back.
Race favorites show strength
KRISTEN FAULKNER WINS US NATIONALS…AGAIN!
Back to back road national titles for the Olympic champion!
: Snowy Mountain Photography pic.twitter.com/xGumcDkD6a
— EF Education-Oatly (@EF_Oatly) May 26, 2025
The riders in the bunch looked to be in control of things at that point, biding their time as the finish drew closer and closer. Langley dropped Chapman, while Faulkner and Stephens showed their strength in the finale.
Faulkner surged on the Bridge Road ascent, followed by Stephens, while Sarkisov then got up to them. Together they bridged across to Langley and went past her.
The trio pushed onwards together. Sarkisov was dropped on the Wertz Avenue climb when Stephens went on the attack, with Faulkner initially pausing and then driving hard to rejoin.
Sarkisov kept chasing hard, though, and managed to get back to them before the finish. Their combined effort and cooperation helped ensure the trio stayed clear of the next riders.
“Thankfully Lauren and Katherine worked with me,” Faukner said. “It was a really strong ride by both of them. I knew going into the end it was going to be hard to attack because Lauren was covering a lot of my attacks all day.
“I’ve never won from a sprint before, and I said if there is a day to make it happen, we’ve got to make it today.”
Sarkisov was visibly nervous as the chasers drew closer and closer. She drove the pace inside the final mile and opened the sprint, with Stephens going past her and Faulkner waiting before putting in her own burst to the line.
It paid off perfectly, with another national title to her credit and another stint in the famous stars and stripes jersey.
She will next compete in the Tour of Britain, which begins on June 5. She’s hopeful that her win in the nationals road race and silver medal in the time trial will be the start of a stronger period of results.
“I finally felt like myself again in this race,” she said. “It has been really hard starting the season not on full form. Every race I keep thinking, ‘oh, my fitness is coming back,’ and it is still not fully back. So I had to play it smart today.
“But definitely this is a turning point for me and hopefully I will have a really strong second half of the season.”
