Ellen Noble (JAM/NCC/Vittoria) added another championship to her repertoire on Sunday, winning the U23 Pan Am Continental Championships in Covington, Kentucky. Noble took the lead from the gun but worried she would be passed after crashing on a short, steep off-camber climb in the first lap.
"That section had been closed for pre-ride, so when we made it to it, every rider crashed including myself," Noble said. "That crash terrified me because I was leading and didn't know whether other girls had gone down. I thought my race was done. But I got up and started running as hard as I could and was first out of that brutal section. By the end of the first lap, I had nearly a minute. I knew if I could stay upright and not have a mechanical I could do it because I felt very confident on every part of the course."
Noble held that gap the entire 45-minute race, which took place on a wet course at Devou Park.
"All of the technical features were so rad and it was good to finally have a muddy, technical race in the US!" she said. "Crossing the line in first felt so amazing and I am so thankful for all the support from JAM to help me win today."
In addition to her newly won Pan Am Championship title, Noble is the reigning U23 U.S. National Cyclocross Champion.