'Five years ago I didn't even know what Unbound Gravel was' - Former US ski team racer now a formidable force at The Traka and Unbound

Cecily Decker's (PAS Racing) return to The Traka 200 this Saturday was in question last weekend, when a crash on a wet dirt section of The Growler course at Levi's GranFondo road race had her seek medical attention for an injured right elbow.

The cloud of doubt was replaced with disappointment when after a long delay to have the wounds on her arm and elbow cleaned, she continued to ride, but missed a chance at improving from seventh place from a year ago.

"Happy to report no broken bones and I was able to make it onto my flight to Spain the next day," Decker posted to Instagram on Tuesday.

For an athlete who moved to gravel racing just two years because of a knee injury from alpine ski racing, and started 2025 on crutches last spring, soreness and a missed result can be quickly overcome.

"Ten years ago, even five years ago, I didn't even know what Unbound Gravel was. I was not thinking about racing Leadville. So as early as I started actually racing, the Life Time Grand Prix was something on my radar. Now I think [Unbound] is the race that is most exciting to me," Decker told Cyclingnews prior to the start of her 2026 season, and a third time in the Grand Prix.

"I am doing the Traka 200 [again]. Last year I did it because it was a more competitive race, it was a stacked field. I definitely want to race a competitive race, if I'm going all the way to Europe. I actually enjoy the repetition of going back to the same places."

Two years ago Decker began her cycling career with top 10s at a string of Belgian Waffle Rides in the US - Arizona, Utah and California. She made the selection in the Life Time Grand Prix, consistent results placing her sixth overall. But it was a victory at The Rift, a former stop on the Gravel World Series, where she made her first statement.

Then Decker ignited her gravel career last season when she strung together several key performances - third at Sea Otter Gravel, fourth at The Traka 200 and then survived from a breakaway to go second at Unbound Gravel 200. The 27-year-old added third overall at Leadville and would finish second overall in the Life Time Grand Prix. Though record books reflect no wins, these races were 'wins' for a rider who had to leave the US ski team behind.

"I've always had expectations of myself, but now other people also have those expectations of me," she said.

"I was on the US Ski Team for a few years, and then had a really bad knee injury, and that's kind of what got me into riding more. It was more of a chronic thing, the knee. My meniscus was torn, but in such a way that the fluid from the inside of my knee was kind of building up. On the bike, it was actually not that bad. But I pretty much could barely walk towards the end of 2023."

She had surgery before her 2025 season began, off the bike and on crutches for six weeks, and then surprised herself with solid form for spring races.

"Honestly, going to Sea Otter [last year] my expectation was to have a rough start. I surprised myself. I came into that with expectations far below what I was able to do. And then Leadville would be my second [best memory] because it's not really a race that suits me. I put a lot of work into it and I was just super, super happy with how that turned out."

Decker grew up in Saranac Lake, New York, went to college at Montana State University and now lives at elevation in New Mexico. The travel for gravel is similar to her previous passion for powder. Once she sizes up competition at The Traka, she'll return to the US for Grand Prix events.

"I think I want to target Leadville a little bit more this year," she said. "I view the race itself as the ultimate challenge: the course profile, the elevation, and the distance make it one of the hardest races out there."

Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our gravel cycling coverage in 2026. We'll be on the ground at the biggest races of the season, bringing you breaking news, expert analysis, in-depth features, and much more. Find out more.