Katie Compton (Trek Factory Racing) on her way to back-to-back wins(Image credit: Mark Vareschi)
USA Cyclo-cross Champion Katie Compton (Trek Cyclocross Collective)(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Katherine Compton (United States Of America) fell to 9th(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
US cyclo-cross champion Katie Compton (Trek Factory Racing) heads into the 2014-15 season with a primary goal of defending her UCI World Cup series title and winning the rainbow jersey at the World Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic on January 31 to February 1, 2015.
She also won a second consecutive World Cup title and plans on defending it during this year’s six-round series. “I mainly want to focus on the World Cup overall and World Championships,” Compton said. “The UCI overall usually follows if you do well in lots of races.”
Over the years, Compton has secured three silver medals (2007, 2011 and 2013) and bronze (2009), but has not won the world title. Last year, she had breathing issues partway through the World Championship race and ended up finishing in ninth place.
Compton started the season with a third-place performance at CrossVegas and moved into the top spot in the USA Professional Cyclo-cross (Pro CX) standings after taking double wins at the US Open of Cyclo-cross and the Boulder Cup, both in Boulder. She went on to secure two more wins at the Trek CXC Cup double header C1 and C2 events.
Compton will travel to Europe for the first World Cup in Valkenburg on October 19. “I did some early domestic races, and I head over to Holland for the first World Cup, then back to the US for some races before I head back to Europe to spend more time there. I just love the early season cyclo-cross racing in the US, I really don't want to miss it.”
A new ambition on her calendar this year is the Pan-American Continental Cyclo-Cross Championships held in conjunction with the Cincy3’s third round on November 2 in Covington, Kentucky.
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“I'm going to do the full World Cup again and of course nationals and Worlds,” Compton said. “Pan-Am Continental Championships is a new big event for us so that one is also an important one for me.”
Compton captured a 10th straight US cyclo-cross title at the start of this year and hopes to add an 11th in Austin, Texas in January. The 2015 championships will be held in Zilker Park, located near the downtown.
“I love wearing the national champs jersey and it's always a race I want to win.” she said.
“I haven't seen the course and don't know much about it. I'm sure it'll be good and hopefully there will be rain or mud. I'll be OK if we don't see snow in Texas in January. Austin is a great city so I'm pretty happy bike racing is bringing us there.”
