UCI Worlds: American Junior Women Dominate ITT

It's Monday night at UCI Worlds in Richmond and the fun continues, as does my pride for USA athletes. The plan is to blog every evening about our adventures. I'm also tweeting, so follow me @GiroJenny for real-time updates.

If you don't have time to read, here's a quick recap of Day 3.

Food: VIP Tent, The Urban Farmhouse, Penny Lane Pub
Bike: No ride for us today
Races: Junior Women and U23 Men Individual Time Trials
Picks for Tomorrow: Hate to pick only 1 Elite Woman, but I think Evie Stevens (USA) is hungry for the top step after missing it yesterday. On the Junior Men's side, have to go with Adrian Costa (USA).
Best Moment: USA women taking 1st and 2nd on home soil and by over a minute!
Not the Best Moment: Woke up late and iffy weather after the races, so missed our chance to ride.
Strangest Moment: Ran into the same couple we've "dined with" the past two nights in hotel lobby on the way to dinner as they were headed for dinner. It was strange to go separate ways.
Best Cycling Encounter: Hanging out at the hot seat and podium at the end of the Men's U23.

We slept in, did a little stretching, then headed out for the day. We are fortunate to have VIP tickets all week thanks to USA Cycling, but today we went straight for the Women's Start. The riders warmed up along 5th street and then took off on the other side of the Convention Center (Fan Fest) on 4th street. We spent most of the day in this area, but did walk up and down the Governor climb, and visited the VIP tent a few times. If you replay my tweets, you'll see how we navigated the two races.

The ITT Start House is a fantastic place to watch a race. There is so much going on we could barely pull ourselves away. My only regret is missing the women's hot seat and podium after experiencing it for the men. The American women dominated and ended up with Gold and Silver! Chloe Dygert won the World Championships and Rainbow Jersey by over a minute. Teammate Emma White was over 20 seconds ahead of 3rd place Anna-Leeza Hull from Australia. Results here.

We watched all the women start and then headed to the VIP tent for breakfast and to watch the last riders finish. I was so excited when it was confirmed that we had taken the top two steps of the podium, I couldn't focus. Terry made me sit down and eat before we went back on course to watch the men. The future of women's cycling is bright and America has major contenders. Many thanks to the former and current pro women leading the way for this next generation!

Chloe Dygert on course and on her way to best time 

Team Germany cheering on their teammate and posing for photos

Future of Women's Cycling representing the World

Emma White final preparation

Emma White entering Start House

Emma White on course

The U23 Men raced two laps compared to only one for the Women, so they went in groups with breaks. We watched Group 2 start, including American Greg Daniel. Then back to the VIP for snacks and a view of the Finish. There aren't many vegan options at the VIP tent, so we walked the course backward down Governor watching and cowbelling for the men, but on a lunch mission.

Greg Daniel in Start House

During the next break in action, we returned to The Urban Farmhouse for lunch and to meet the staff about our Worlds Social event. I've mentioned it before, but Chris Rivera and I are hosting an event on Thursday to get people that are passionate about women's cycling together to connect and have a little fun. We've stopped by every day and each time, have seen a pro rider enjoying a drink or snack. We've seen Hannah Barnes (here to cheer on her sister), Tom Skujinš, and a couple others.

Urban Farmhouse - just another group of pro riders having lunch

Once we were rested and refueled, we went back up Governor, down the finishing stretch, and to the Start House for Group 5. We've been to ITT starts before, but today was eerily quiet. The crowd was like a golf crowd, whispering and almost holding their breath as Brad Sohner counted down the clock. Once the rider rolled down the ramp, there would be a short burst of cheers, then back to quiet. I didn't dare ring the cowbell like I do everywhere else.

After Group 5 went, we went into the Convention Center to watch the podium. The riders on the hot seat (the current top 3) were also there so we watched them fidget and the live race feed until we had an official winner. Unfortunately, the US men didn't podium like the women, but they did well against tough competition. Daniel Eaton was 10th and Greg Daniel 19th, full results here. The podium ceremony was entertaining and the German woman next to me was very satisfied with a silver and bronze behind Denmark's Mads Wurtz Schmidt. She flew to Richmond for Worlds and was having a ball.

Nervous early on

Watching the live feed and trying to stay cool

Official Winner!

Announcers - On Course and On Podium - Getting it done!

Men's U23 Podium - Denmark and Germany

Signing a rainbow jersey, still shaking with nerves and excitement

We cruised around the Fan Fest before going back to the hotel. We ran into friends from DNA Cycling, bought USA shirts, and got our free Virginia Is For Lovers tote. We also tried out the hot seat, which isn't hot at all and very uncomfortable. Maybe the fidgeting wasn't nerves, just pain. Although the rain had stopped, the weather was still iffy and we decided to skip our post-race ride. We ran into more fun in the lobby, then rested up before walking to dinner. I mentioned it in a tweet, but Worlds feels like Summer Camp, especially today with all the younger athletes. The activities are non-stop, everyone is friendly and happy, we are all here for our passion, and you meet old and new friends constantly. Plus you know you have to sleep but you are afraid you'll miss something.

Trying out the Hot Seat

Love these fans!