Sprinting Mavericks in Texas
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Bridget Ciambotti trains for the road cycling season on the Blue Ridge Parkway with teammates.
On a lonely stretch of road in Lago Vista, Texas, MSA junior Bridget Ciambotti blazed to victory in one of the most prestigious USA Cycling road races of the season. She finished ahead of a the lead group of riders in the 17-18 Junior women’s category after a grueling fifty-mile race in the sweltering Texas heat.
Her victory, combined with her results in the time trial and first road race, earned her the overall victory and the leaders jersey. The win secured Bridget an automatic nomination for a 2024 USA National Team trip to race in Europe.
La Primavera Lago Vista is a three-stage omnium featuring two road races and a time trial. It is part of the Junior National Cycling Series. USA Cycling uses select races in this series to recruit top talent for National Team programs.
In the Junior Men’s 17-18 race, Miller School had three riders—Nolan Church, Presley Evans, and Chandler Evans—racing against the best junior cyclists in the country. Like in the Junior Women’s races, the top finisher earned an automatic spot to race in Europe with the USA National Team.
A few hours after Bridget stormed to victory in the Junior Women’s race, Chandler Evans and Presley Evans escaped in a three-person breakaway. Chandler outsprinted his older brother and the other rider to take the biggest win of his cycling career. Nolan Church sprinted to tenth place in the lead pack.
In the Men’s 15-16 race, Clark LaVoie and Jack Klau put on a show. Both had outstanding weekends. Clark finished on the podium both in the opening time trial and the second road race. Jack rode consistently in the top five in all stages and finished the weekend in 3rd place overall.
The Mavericks benefited from having coach Nolan LaVoie supporting them throughout the 3-day event.
