Lasse and Nico Konecny are no strangers to the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships. Both Breckenridge residents have been attending the meet over the past several years, and this year both Konecny brothers had standout performances with the duo recording top-10 finishes in multiple races.

While representing the Bear National Team — a development mountain bike group — both brothers competed in the cross-country and short track cross-country races at the 2023 national meet from July 5-9 at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania.

With three national titles under his belt in the 15- to 16-year-old division, Nico returned to the national championship start line eager to add another national title to his name in a new age division.

Before starting his cross-country race on Saturday, July 8, the 17-year-old Nico said he had minimal fears and doubts about jumping up to a new age division, but was focused on performing to the highest level.

“I never really took it as younger or older in the age division,” Nico Konecny said. “Every year there are different guys and there are strong boys every year. I didn’t look at it that I was younger and at a disadvantage. I just looked at it that we had a strong group of boys and that we needed to do everything we can to bring about the best result we can.”

Nico’s mindset heading into the first race of the championship meet may have helped him to led at the end of the first of three laps. He finished the first lap in 18 minutes, 57 seconds, sporting a one-second lead over Magnus White of Boulder Junior Cycling. 

Nico attempted to widen his lead on White during the second lap, but White stuck just behind Nico’s rear tire, with both athletes completing the second lap in 18:57.

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Nico was followed by White for the majority of the last lap before White put in an effort and briefly gapped Konecny. White continued to lead through the most technical section of the course into the long straightaway to the finish. With a fury of pumping legs, the two battled down the homestretch until Nico pedaled past White in the final push to the finish — winning the race and securing his fourth national title with a time of 56:28.

“I just followed him and once we got to the sprint straightaway he launched his attack,” Nico Konecny said. “He went from really far out, so I just sat on the wheel and used the draft. Halfway down the full straightaway I launched my attack, and I think it was the right timing. I was really excited to pull it off, it came down to the last five seconds of the race.”

Much like last year at the national meet, Nico was not satisfied with just one podium at the national meet. He put himself in contention for another national title in the short track cross-country race on Sunday.

With fatigue set into his legs from the day before, Nico challenged the main pack of riders through the short, fast race, with Ezra Caudell and Noah Streif setting a quick pace up front.

Amid rain and thick mud, Nico stayed within striking distance as the finish line approached, but Caudell and Streif proved too much for him to match. Nico crossed the finish line in third place (13:13.8) for his second podium finish of the weekend.

Caudell placed first (13:09.0) and Streif earned second (13:09.4) in a tight battle for the top of the podium.

Nico has now won two national titles in the cross-country mountain bike race and placed first and third in the short track cross-country race over the last two seasons. The accomplishment means a lot to the burgeoning rider, especially since he is currently in his first year in the 17- to 18-year-old age group.

“It is a huge honor,” Nico said. “Being able to pull it off in consecutive years takes a lot of luck and preparation. It all comes down to one race in the season. It takes a lot of factors coming together at once. I am honored to be able to do it.”

Outside of Nico’s success at the national meet, Lasse, 19, also recorded top-10 finishes in the competitive U23 national races. 

Lasse had his best performance of the meet in the U23 cross-country mountain bike race, where he was able to stick with his Bear National Team teammates in the main pack. Lasse recorded consistent lap splits over the four-lap course, recording his fastest lap of 19:17 on his first lap before dropping a handful of seconds in the succeeding laps.

After a few lap times in the mid-19:30s, Lasse solidified his fifth-place finish with an impressive final lap time of 19:24. He crossed the finish line in 1:17:47, 3:52 behind Bear National Team teammate Brayden Johnson, who took first (1:13:54).

“It was a race to be proud of for sure,” Lasse Konecny said. “I put a lot of work in this year and had a lot of obstacles to overcome.”

Lasse bounced back for the short track cross-country race on Sunday and battled through the mudfest of a course to place ninth overall (21:42.3). Carson Beard took first in 20:10.9 while Johnson placed second (20:11.0).

With two podium finishes at nationals, Nico will now prepare for the 2023 Mountain Bike World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, from Aug. 3-13 while Lasse will conclude his season at two Union Cycliste Internationale races in Snowshoe, West Virginia, and Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.

“We are kind of nearing the end here,” Lasse Konecny said. “We will be looking around for the local races and some bike events around. It is closing in quickly.”

While reflecting on the meet, both Konecny brothers also took a moment to thank Ben Ferante of Rocky Mountain Wheelworks in Frisco for his support and help throughout the mountain bike season.

Summit County’s Siri Krum also competed at the national meet in the female 11- to 14-year-old and 13- to 14-year-old races. Krum earned an eighth-place finish in the short track race on Thursday and finished sixth in the cross-country race on Friday.