The 2024 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships are all about a fresh start this summer - from earlier dates and a broader range of racing categories to a new host city with compact routes. Charleston, West Virginia will begin a five-year span to host the championships, this year from May 14-19, and 18 stars-and-stripes jerseys will be earned across Junior 17-18, U23 and elite divisions for men and women in the three road disciplines - time trial, criterium and road race.
Organisers, which include the Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau with support from the City of Charleston, have made logistics easy for spectators and competitors, with all start/finish lines and awards ceremonies located at Haddad Riverfront Park in downtown Charleston adjacent to the Kanawha River.
Individual time trials
The individual time trial events open six days of racing on a flat 16.9km (10.4-mile) course that hugs the Kanawha River next to the city centre. The route start ramp and finish line are in close proximity next to Haddad Riverfront Park, with just two turns on an out-and-back course.
Junior 17-18 women take the course first on Tuesday, May 14 at 1 p.m. EDT, followed by the Junior 17-18 men, both races covering one lap of the course.
On Wednesday, the U23 women, followed by the elite women, will make two laps of the same course for a total of 33.7km. After the awards ceremony for the women, the U23 men, followed by the elite men, will also make two passes on the course for ITT champions to be crowned.
Criteriums
Criterium events will be held on a six-corner circuit, using the same start-finish area as the ITT along Kanawha Boulevard at Haddad Riverfront Park. All races will proceed in a clockwise direction, making turns onto Court, Lee, Summers, Quarrier and Hale streets to complete the circuit back on Kanawha Boulevard.
On Thursday racing begins at 6:30 p.m. local time with the Junior 17-18 women riding 45 minutes. The Junior 17-18 men follow for a 60-minute contest and the evening concludes with the U23 men who race for 75 minutes.
The Friday criterium events begin at 6:30 p.m. local time with a combined field of U23 and elite women, who will race across 75 minutes, and winners will be crowned for each category. The elite men’s race is expected to start at 8 p.m. and cover 90 minutes.
Road races
The road races will be contested on the weekend, with an early start at 7 a.m. EDT for the U23 men on Saturday, followed by the junior road races. The juniors will compete on a 14km (8.8-mile) loop with one major climb on Wertz Avenue, which averages 5.5% over 2.3km. Junior 17-18 men will make six laps of the course, a total of 87km, while the Junior 17-18 women will complete five laps for 72km.
A longer 20.7km (13-mile) circuit with a loop across the Kanawha River and two climbs will be used for U23 and elite races. In addition to the Wertz Avenue climb, the longer loop features the Bridge Road climb, which presents a stiff 20.4% gradient at the bottom and then averages 5.5% for the full 2.1km.
U23 men will complete seven laps of the course on Saturday for a total of 146.7km (91.2 miles). On Sunday at 8 a.m. EDT, a combined field of U23 and elite women will take the start for six laps of the long route and cover 125.8km (78.2 miles). The elite men take the start at 1 p.m. and will make 10 laps for a total of 209.7km (130.3 miles).
