After taking 15 consecutive US National Cyclo-cross Championships and five medals in the UCI World Cyclo-cross Championships, Katie Compton is beginning to wind down her professional career, according to her partner Mark Legg.
Legg posted on social media this weekend that Compton is racing her penultimate season. She will ride cyclo-cross in the winter of 2021/2022, with the World Championships in Arkansas her last race if selected for the USA.
"It's been a lot of years of ups and downs. As much as we love what we do it's time we hang the race bike on the hook next season. We'll miss all the amazing people and everyday is Saturday," Legg wrote.
Compton, who turned 42 earlier this month, first came into the spotlight in the 2004 Paralympic Games when she piloted the tandem for blind athlete Karissa Whitsell to two gold medals - one in the road race/time trial and on on the track in the pursuit. 2004 was also the first year that Compton won the national title in cyclo-cross, which would become her profession and passion.
In 2007, Compton became a pioneer for US women in cyclo-cross, finding success while racing in Belgium. She won her first victories in the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, taking out wins in Pijnacker and Koksijde before claiming the silver medal at Worlds behind Maryline Salvetat.
She has been a consistent contender at Worlds, finishing fourth in her last outing last February and landing on the podium five times.
Throughout her career, Compton has won 25 World Cup rounds - her last one in Nommay in 2018 - and four Pan American championships. She won the World Cup overall two times - in 2013 and 2014.
Over the past few years she has turned her focus to the DVV Trophy (now X20 Badkamers Trophy), taking out the overall series win in 2018. She finally conceded the US title to Clara Honsinger in 2019.
