2026 USA Cycling Gravel National Champions Results: Paige Onweller and Cobe Freeburn Crowned
The 2026 USA Cycling Gravel National Championships delivered one of the most tightly contested elite battles in the event’s short history, with both titles decided on the final climbs of the Driftless Area’s brutal terrain. Riders faced more than 100 miles of constantly rolling gravel, steep bluffs, and narrow forested corridors — a course that rewarded patience, resilience, and perfectly timed attacks.
After years of near misses, Paige Onweller finally secured the national title she had been chasing. She rode with controlled aggression all day, staying composed through the punchy climbs and responding decisively to every acceleration. In the closing miles, Onweller held off a late surge from Sarah Lange, winning by just two seconds — the narrowest margin in the event’s history. Emma Langley completed the podium after riding her own steady, disciplined race, managing her efforts over the steepest sectors and limiting time losses on the final ridge-line climbs.
Onweller’s breakthrough victory sends her into the UCI Gravel World Championships with momentum and the Stars and Stripes jersey she has long been expected to earn.
The men’s elite race unfolded as a tactical chess match, with the front group shrinking each time the course pitched upward. Cobe Freeburn, already one of the season’s most consistent performers, measured his effort with precision. He waited until the final sequence of climbs to make his decisive move, opening a small but meaningful gap that he held to the line.
Cole Davis mounted a strong chase, finishing just 20 seconds behind, while Griffin Easter crossed one second later to secure third. The trio were separated by mere seconds after more than four and a half hours of racing — a testament to the intensity of the day.
Freeburn’s win caps a standout season and positions him as a major threat heading into October’s world championship showdown.
Both elite races were shaped by the Driftless Area’s signature terrain: steep bluffs, twisting descents, and exposed ridge roads that punished any lapse in pacing. With more than 6,750 feet of climbing and a gravel-to-pavement ratio of roughly 70/30, the course demanded equal parts power and finesse.
Organizers added fresh gravel sectors for 2026, creating more selective racing and rewarding riders who could adapt quickly to changing surfaces. The result was two fiercely contested national titles and podiums separated by mere seconds.
2026 USA Cycling Gravel National Champions Top 10 — Elite Men
1. Cobe Freeburn — Trek Driftless — 4:38:10 — Durango, CO
2. Cole Davis — SpeedStudio p/b Basso — 4:38:31 (+0:20) — Roseville, CA
3. Griffin Easter — OpiCure Gravel p/b Orbea & Castelli SOG — 4:38:31 (+0:21) — Park City, UT
4. Skyler Taylor — Team Pinarello — 4:38:32 (+0:21) — San Anselmo, CA
5. Zach Calton — Ventum / Precision Fuel & Hydration / Velocio — 4:38:35 (+0:24) — Ogden, UT
6. Ben Juracich — Meridian Racing p/b Del la Uz — 4:38:51 (+0:40) — Tomah, WI
7. Ian Boswell — Wahoo / Specialized — 4:39:13 (+1:02) — Barnet, VT
8. Andrew Dillman — LunchBox / FAIRDALE — 4:39:32 (+1:21) — Kentucky
9. Dylan Johnson — Felt UN1TD — 4:41:00 (+2:50) — Brevard, NC
10. Hayden Christian — TREK / MAAP PRO.FWD — 4:41:34 (+3:23) — San Antonio, TX
2026 USA Cycling Gravel National Champions Top 10 — Elite Women
1. Paige Onweller — Trek Driftless — 5:19:48 — Bella Vista, AR
2. Sarah Lange — — 5:19:50 (+0:02) — Lyme, NH
3. Emma Langley — Ventum / DT Swiss / Kenda / Rule28 / Monolith — 5:25:17 (+5:29) — Richmond, VA
4. Stella Hobbs — MAAP / ENVE / Tailwind — 5:25:20 (+5:32) — Whitefish, MT
5. Lauren Stephens — Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment — 5:25:36 (+5:48) — Dallas, TX
6. Morgan Aguirre — PAS Racing — 5:27:40 (+7:52) — Girona, UNK
7. Alia Shafi — MAAP Pro.Fwd — 5:29:00 (+9:12) — Seattle, WA
8. Emily Newsom — JAKROO — 5:30:41 (+10:53) — Fort Worth, TX
9. Lauren De Crescenzo — LDC LLC — 5:32:02 (+12:14) — Broomfield, CO
10. Samanth Johnson — Lunchbox Racing Devo — 5:32:59 (+13:11) — Johnson City, TN
2026 USA Cycling Gravel National Champions Top Category Winners
Men 11–12: Dash Prigge — RFRJ — 1:48:27 — Park City, UT
Women 11–12: Raven Kemp-Hudson — Molly Maid–Byron Health and Healing — 1:55:27 — Williams Bay, WI
Men 13–14: Max Thornton — OZ Racing — 1:38:09 — Spring Hill, TN
Women 13–14: Ellie Minner — Lionhearts Junior Racing — 1:46:27 — Lebanon, OH
Men 15–16: Greyson Wimberley — OZ Racing — 3:25:17 — Gravette, AR
Women 15–16: Anna Morozowich — Bear National Team — 3:53:49 — Scottsdale, AZ
Men 17–18: Carter Lembke — Lunchbox Racing — 3:09:09 — Columbia, MO
Women 17–18: Heidi Hansen — Fount Cycling Guild — 4:01:02 — Spearfish, SD
Men 19–34: Jacob Zimmerman — Z Boys Racing — 4:56:21 — Palm City, FL
Women 19–34: Maire Noonan — Bissell ABG Cycling — 5:55:26 — Grand Haven, MI
Men 35–29: Kevin-Druis Merenda — BPM — 4:56:24 — Golden, CO
Men 35–39: Courtney Sullivan — Mamis p/b Incycle — 5:52:00 — Carlsbad, CA
Men 40–44: Coulton Hartrich — Mias Miracles — 4:56:48 — Jupiter, FL
Women 40–44: Anna Bondow — HM Brown — 6:18:29 — Palm Coast, FL
Men 45–49: Tom Danielson — CINCH Cycling — 4:58:46 — Longmont, CO
Women 45–49: Beth Peterson — bikebarnracing.com — 5:55:11 — North Easton, MA
Men 50–54: Brian Buchholz — Pacos Masters Racing — 3:22:08 — San Carlos, CA
Women 50–54: Christina Gokey-Smith — Impact Racing Team — 4:17:35 — Denton, TX
Men 55–59: Butch Peterson — Hub of Aspen & Jenny — 3:27:52 — Carbondale, CO
Women 55–59: Kristina Gray — Dialed Cycling Team — 3:57:50 — Sherwood, OR
Men Para BVI: Michael Murphy — Veloflo Projekt — 3:30:53 — Rio Rancho, NM
Men Para C3: Noah Middlestaedt — GimpCyclist.com — 3:44:01 — Portland, ME
Men Para C4: CJ Howard — Pacos / Shriners Racing — 3:35:23 — Sacramento, CA
Men Para C1: Shane Walsh — — 4:32:49 — Pahrump, NV
Men 60–64: Dan Paulus — Smith’s Bike Shop — 3:42:18 — La Crosse, WI
Women 60–64: Stacey Barbossa — Team Solutions Cycling — 4:23:31 — Mountainside, NJ
Men 65–69: David Juarez — Team Skipper — 3:42:29 — Whittier, CA
Women 65–69: Lynn Sims — — 4:23:48 — Knoxville, TN
Men 70–74: Frank Winters — Clean Power Cycling — 1:47:29 — Susanville, CA
Men 75–79: Stuart Fealk — Arrivee — 1:59:36 — Spokane, WA
Men 80–84: Whitney Fanning — Geri Atrix — 2:35:13 — Waco, TX
Men 85–89: Ernest Borjon — — 3:24:22 — Anchorage, AK
Men 90–94: Frederic Schmid — Geri Atrix — 4:23:28 — Waco, TX
Women 70–74: Sherry Berde Townsend — NorthStar Development — 2:11:06 — Mendota Heights, MN
Women 75+: Martha Iverson — DNA Cycling Masters — 2:55:17 — Durango, CO
Men Singlespeed: Peter Olejniczak — Project Echelon Vanguard — 5:26:16 — Minneapolis, MN
Non-Binary: Katheryn Phillips — Artemis Racing — 7:11:53 — Silver Spring, MD
Intellectually Impaired: Jack Kuhlbars — — 0:01 — Ashland, VA
2026 USA Cycling Gravel National Champions Results: https://my.raceresult.com/421786
