Marquardt Wins Four National Titles at U.S Track National Championships

Team Novo Nordisk’s Mandy Marquardt won four national titles, in the Sprint, Keirin, 500m Time Trial and Team Time Trial, at the 2021 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships from July 15-18, 2021. Marquardt, now a 22-time U.S. National Champion, also set two new track records in the 500m Time Trial and Team Sprint.

Marquardt set the fastest time in all her qualification rounds and won all her heats in the four events she competed in at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown, Penn.

“Competing in four Sprint events (500m Time Trial, Sprint, Keirin and Team Sprint) over four long days was an absolute blast, but I definitely need to catch up on some sleep now before 3 weeks of exciting UCI racing coming up. It’s great to be back out there competing, defending my U.S. National Sprint titles and showing the world what’s possible with diabetes. Grateful for the support from Team Novo Nordisk and my sponsors for being there every step of the way. It truly takes a village!” said Marquardt.

In the Elite Women 500m Time Trial final, Marquardt set a new track record as she sprinted her way into a Stars and Stripes jersey. Her time of 35.082 bested the previous record held by Canadian Olympia Lauriane Genest by 10 hundreds of a second.

“I wasn’t expecting the track record since I maxed out in the gym earlier that week and I am currently in a heavy training block, but it feels really good to accomplish that result,” said Marquardt who had just watched her fiancé James Alvord (Edge Cycling) win the Elite Men 1000m Time Trial. “To see Jamie win his first individual national title, along with winning the Sprints and Team Sprint was incredibly inspiring. I couldn’t help but tear up and it was always right before my races. So many emotions! Jamie has worked so hard and he earned it.”

Marquardt has won the gold in the 500m Time Trial for the last five years, starting in 2016. (The 2020 U.S. Track Nationals were canceled due to the pandemic.)

Marquardt then successfully defended her title in the Elite Women’s Keirin on Friday, July 16.

“That one hurt,” said Marquardt following her winning ride. “I knew what I wanted to execute while being safe, aggressive and trying to ride tactically to my strengths.”

• 

• 

• 

With temperatures nearing 90 degrees on the third day of competition, Marquardt won the qualifying and her heats in the Elite Women’s Sprint event. The final was postponed to Sunday morning due to inclement weather.

The fourth and final day of competition on Sunday, July 18 started off with Marquardt winning the gold in the Elite Women Sprint. Later on that day, Marquardt teamed up with Team Novo Nordisk Ambassador, McKenna McKee and Allyson Wasielewski of Edge Cycling to win the Elite Women Team Sprint. The trio set a new track record with a time of 1:09.302, averaging a speed of 51.947 km/h in the 1000m distance.

“McKenna is still a junior and her performance in the Elite Women’s Team Sprint together was impressive. We were sitting together all week and she radiates so much positivity. It was special racing together for the first time and winning for all the girls and women living with diabetes worldwide,” concluded Marquardt. “We are absolutely stronger together!”

Next on Marquardt’s racing schedule are three weeks of UCI Track Racing starting with the T-Town Summer Games Tandemonium, a UCI Class-1 event, on July 23-24, 2021.  She is building up towards the UCI Nations Cup in September and UCI Track Cycling World Championships presented by Tissot.

Courtesy of Vishrut Garg (@vishrut_fa  on Instagram) and Gabe Lloyd