Emma Langley was not surprised that an EF Education-TIBCO-SVB athlete took the stars and stripes jersey in the women's road race on the final day of the US Cycling Pro Road National Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee. However, it was not her teammate Lauren Stevens who made it to the podium for the second time, but she was shoulder to shoulder with bronze medalist Stevens.

"We wanted to keep the jersey as a team. 'She's an up-and-comer, and she can wear this jersey again next year. I'm honored to be on the podium next to her."

"She's a great athlete and I'm proud to be on the podium next to her.

On the other side of Langley, Lauren De Crescenzo (Cincilize) was part of a decisive breakaway, finishing second, just four seconds behind after being part of a long-distance attack, as she was last year. This time, however, it was not a solo breakaway, and de Crescenzo was part of a three-man group with Langley and Skyler Schneider (L39LION of Los Angeles) that finally went head-to-head with the new champion in the final two laps.

"We expected Lauren de Crescenzo to be in it for the long haul. We were keeping an eye on Emma," EF Education-TIBCO-SVB team director Catherine Curri told Cycling News excitedly of what happened in Knoxville.

"Having Skylar in there added a little bit [of concern]. Skyler has a really good finishing kick. At one point I went to Emma and asked her if she could win out of those three, and she was like, 'eh,' so I told her to be patient."

Curri said that when the L39ON rider dropped out of the lead pack, the odds tilted toward Langley, who moved up to the World Tour level this year with EF Education-TIBCO-SVB. She won the GC this year in the Jo Martin stage race.

"I went back to Emma on the second to last lap and said, 'If you attack with 500 meters to go, you can win. Eat and drink.' Then I yelled out the window, 'We believe in you.'"

Langley said that when her team director ran alongside and shouted words of encouragement, "it meant the world to me."

"I knew the team could win and I knew if I ran hard I could play a big part. Getting into the break is always good. But when I realized that there was a good chance that breaking would not come back, all of a sudden I knew that it was on my shoulders to end my contract. I was honest with Catherine. I was hesitant, but the fact that she said she believed in me and the team believed in me made all the difference," said Langley, dressed in his new star-spangled jersey. [Lauren is so strong. Lauren is very strong. She can go from a long distance, but I knew I couldn't, so my goal was to go over the climb with her, see if she would keep working a little bit, and give her a punch at the finish."

Curie said that at the team meeting, the entire team talked about the finish, how hard the last three turns to the line on Gay Street would be, and that if there was a break, the corner with 500 meters to go would be the key to victory. Langley was watching his Pro Criterium teammates closely in that section, and for good reason.

Langley confirmed that he took notes from both the men's and women's finishes in Friday night's criterium. This is the first year that a road race will run the same final kilometers as a professional criterium.

"It helped just to know that the last corner was the one to beat. It gets pretty tight, twists and turns, and after the last corner it's downhill, so it's pretty hard to recover.

"It's very special. It's a great honor because it's me [who got the jersey]," Langley added.

Curie could not help but admire the work of all five riders in the top 12, along with the two medalists (Veronica Ewers in 6th, Clara Honsinger in 9th, and Emily Newsom in 12th).

"I think we came into this race with five cards to play. Clara [Honsinger] and Emily [Newsome] were amazing. And Lauren, she knows the bike and was strong. Being the defending champion, you could see it as extra pressure, but she said, 'Yes, I won the jersey, but I have four other teammates.

"Here in the U.S. and in Europe, Veronica ran right off the line. The course isn't necessarily for climbers, but that climb [Sherrod Road] is her strength. It might take some energy away from the other racers, but I think that's her playground. So by putting her on that climb, Veronica can use the climb as a place to set the other racers back and take energy away from their legs.

"I am so proud of everyone's race. It was truly a team effort."