January 14, 2018 (Reno, NV) — On the 14th day of the year, Katie Compton secured her 14th consecutive US Cyclocross National Championship. In what was one of her closest victories at the prestigious event in recent history, Ellen Noble held onto a nail-biting margin and ended up crossing the finish line just seven seconds behind. The third place finisher, Kaitlin Keough, finished almost two minutes back.
After taking the hole shot to start the race, Noble knew she had a good shot at putting on a good show for the event. But after about 15 minutes of racing, Compton had surged into the lead and would remain there, despite a late mishap that had the crowd in uproar at the thought of witnessing what would have been one of the biggest upsets in American cyclocross history. But it wasn’t to be. “I had to work really hard for that one,” the 39 year-old admitted in a post-race interview, later copping to some difficulty breathing due to a chronic case of asthma. No matter the cause, she likes it that way. Compton, the paradigm of a fighter, is always up for a good battle. Soon she’ll get one more for the season.
We’re excited to watch Katie run our wheels across the international circuit for another year in the Stars and Stripes. But if she has her way, that hope may be short lived. On February 3, 2018, Katie will line up against her stiffest competition of the year at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Valkenburg, Netherlands, in pursuit of the coveted rainbow jersey. Ranked 4th in the world by the UCI (international cycling’s governing body) going into the US Championships, Katie will undoubtedly be one of the favorites for the race win at Valkenburg. And in what has been one of her most successful seasons to-date, rightly so.
In any case, it’s been an amazing run and we’re honored to support Katie in her journey both next month and through her upcoming 2018 racing season.