Reigning US junior cyclocross national champion Matthew Crabbe wasted no time in winning his first-ever race in Europe, grabbing glory on the first day of a four-event swing with the Eurocross Academy (ECA).
The Buford, Georgia 16-year-old used a final lap sprint to outdistance Bas Vanden Eynde of Belgium for the victory in the men’s U17 race on Saturday at Parkcross in Belgium.
Of the nine US riders competing at the Belgian race, all placed 16th or better, including third place for Aida Linton, the reigning 15-16 junior women’s Pan-American champion. The following day the group raced in Almelo, Netherlands, Linton taking a silver and Crabbe finishing sixth.
The two-week ‘full-immersion’ block of racing for the junior athletes, ages 15-16, selected for the Eurocross Academy will conclude the trip November 23-24 in the Netherlands.
Between races, the academy provides training rides, networking and cultural experiences, which on Monday included a group video conference with Niels Vandeputte, winner of X2O Trofee series Flanderiencross in Hamme.
Crabbe has amassed seven US junior titles across track, road and cyclocross. Before he departed to Europe, he notched nine ‘cross victories out of 10 races including victories in the elite men’s open division at Major Taylor Cross Cup and Kings CX.
This year Crabbe is riding for FinKraft Junior Cycling for domestic cyclocross and will continue with Hot Tubes Cycling on the road in 2025.
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The Eurocross Academy trains aspiring, young student-athletes, ages 14-20, through summer domestic preparation camps and European competition opportunities, with a pathway for cyclocross development using international competition. An online application form is typically available each spring.
Donations can be made to help fund the by clicking here: Eurocross Academy.
Double take for junior men at US Madison Nationals
Juniors Ashlin Barry and Enzo Edmonds, both category 2-level riders, notched a pair of titles within 30 minutes at the USA Cycling Madison Track National Championships last Saturday.
At the Lexus Velodrome in Detroit, Michigan. The 17-year-olds first captured the men’s junior 15-18 Madison victory and then followed with the win in the men’s elite open category contest.
Defending champions Danny Summerhill and Brendan Rhim finished with the silver in the elite race, and the pairing of Kyle Perry and Aaron Beebe, who won silver last year, took the bronze.
In the men’s 15-18 Madison race, Barry and Edmonds broke away and lapped the field to seal the victory. In the 180-lap elite men’s race, the young duo battled against six teams and sealed an exciting victory with a sprint.
Barry, who races for EF Education-ONTO on the road, doubled his haul of national titles last weekend, having won a pair of gold medals in May at US Road National Championships, winning the men’s junior road and time trial events.
He also took silver in the junior criterium. Barry has Canadian-US dual citizenship and moved to a USA Cycling licence earlier this year. He resides in Toronto, Canada with his parents Michael Barry, a Canadian Olympian, and Deirdre “Dede” Demet-Barry, a US Olympian.
Edmonds, a New York resident who races for Hot Tubes Development on the road, won four medals in August at USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships, taking wins in Elimination and Scratch races.
Rhim (Project Echelon Racing) would go on to win the Scratch race for elite men that same weekend in Detroit, Summerhill taking the bronze. The 29-year-old Rhim won three medals – Omnium, Scratch Race and Elimination – at Elite Track Nationals in the summer.
Last year when he won the Madison title with Summerhill (REIGN Storm Racing), a veteran from the road, cyclocross and the track, it was Rhim’s first time racing the Madison, a crowd favourite with a hand-slinging motion for rider exchanges.