Gilbert and Frederick Win Singlespeed National Titles

DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. - After a busy morning of junior racing the Singlespeed Women and Men saw massive fields and tacky course conditions. With great battles between Sarah Sturm and Sunny Gilbert in the Women's race and a fantastic day for Ben Frederick, this year's Singlespeed racers were bringing the heat to DuPage County.

Women's Singlespeed

The Women's Singlespeed race was hot from the start, after a small incident in the starting grid, racers were rushing to catch back onto the field early on. Sarah Sturm took a prominent lead after Sunny Gilbert crashed in the sandpit. It wasn't until a little over halfway into the race that Gilbert put the pressure on Sturm and then passed her just before the last lap. Gilbert managed to hold her position until the finish line where she was greeted with the sound of cheering fans. Sturm followed in second and Melissa Barker rounded out the top 3.

1- Sunny Gilbert (Niwot, Colo.; Blue Competition Cycles p/b Build)

2- Sarah Sturm (Durango, Colo.; Specialized/Rapha/SRAM)

3- Melissa Barker (Longmont, Colo.; Feedback Sports Racing)

Men's Singlespeed

The Men's Singlespeed race had a full start grid that was made up of 90 starters. After an upset in 2019 that resulted in a missing shoe and a third-place finish, Ben Frederick was on the hunt from the beginning of the race. Frederick managed to solidify his lead early on and held it until the finish... this year with both shoes on. Frederick was extremely grateful to have a picture-perfect race, especially after not even knowing if he could ride a bike again after suffering from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) several years ago. Now, his mission is to spread awareness of TBI and reduce the stigma around mental health through his team, The Small Monsters Project.

Max Judelson grabbed second in the event and 2019 Singlespeed National Champion and 2021 Masters 40-44 National Champion Jake Wells took bronze.

1- Ben Frederick (Boulder, Colo.; ORNOT/TheSmallMonstersProject/Ritchey)

2- Max Judelson (San Diego, Calif.; Voler/Clif/HRS/Rock Lobster)

3- Jake Wells (Avon, Colo.; FORM p/b IRC Tires)

Up Next

Racing continues tomorrow at Cantigny Park with the Junior Men and Women 17-18, the U23 Men and Women, and the Elite Men and Women. Congratulations to all of the athletes that raced today. We look forward to more racing tomorrow. You can find the full list of results here.