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Sterling performance: A conversation with Katie Compton
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Even though she is a three-time U.S. national champion, it’s worth remembering that the 2006-07 ‘cross season is Katie Compton’s first full season in the sport. It’s especially worth remembering because on Sunday Compton did what no other American woman ever has, she earned a medal at a UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships. Compton’s stellar silver in Hooglede-Gits, Belgium marked a historical high point for U.S. women’s ‘cross on the same weekend Danny Summerhill achieved the same mark in the junior men’s race and Jonathan Page took second in the elite men’s race. All told, it’s been a remarkable weekend for Americans.
Compton rode a nearly perfect race on a slippery course in Hooglede-Gits. While two early race leaders, Hanka Kupfernagel and Daphny Van Den Brandt, succumbed to the treacherous mud, Compton remained cool, making up time where she could and minimizing losses where she wasn’t as fast.
For someone taking place in only her second race in the last six weeks, Compton showed no rust. And should she commit to a World Cup schedule for 2007-08, her next trip to the world’s podium may be a step higher.
VeloNews caught up to Compton as she enjoyed a well deserved post-race brew.
VeloNews: Your race was one in which the strongest rider that didn’t make a mistake was going to do well. How did you stay out of trouble?
Katie Compton: Yeah, I think that’s how it worked. I didn’t have any crashes just a few dabs here and there. I tried to keep it smooth and keep it fast. I think Hanka was 30 seconds ahead at one point and then she crashed and crashed again and lost her focus. It was demoralizing for her to fall back so far I guess.
VN: Is this what you thought the world’s would be like today?
KC: I knew the course was going to be like this. And I was expecting to be maybe top five, I wasn’t expecting second. Once I was in medal contention it was a huge motivator to keep pushing.
VN: You didn’t really race after nationals.
KC: Yeah, that was hard.
VN: Everyone you’re racing against has been racing non-stop, how did you get that racing edge without actually racing?
KC: I think it hurt me a little bit. Last week I didn’t have good legs, I could tell I hadn’t raced in a month. We’ve had snow and cold in Colorado so I’ve been on trainer a lot and that didn’t help. But you make the most of what you have. I worked hard on the trainer though. The fitness was there and I was lucky it was a technical course because skills played an important role too. I was able to make up times on the technical parts and they’d gap me on the power sections but I knew I could close the gap.
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VN: Did it get tactical when you got in with the two French women?
KC: It’s hard to say. Laurence got in front of me with a half lap to go and I could see she was tying to hold me back. So I passed her on a downhill section and stayed on the gas.
VN: When you started this year, your first full year in ‘cross, could you have ever imagined it would turn out like this?
KC: Not at all. I wasn’t even expecting to go to ‘cross world's. I was unsure about finishing Paralympic racing and I made the decision about halfway through ‘cross season to not do that any more. So I originally thought my season would be over in December, but then I qualified for world's. I feel better know than I have all season.
VN: Did you know going into today that no American woman had ever medaled at world’s?
KC: I hadn’t really thought about it. I knew we’d gotten a bunch of fourths and fifths. I was told about it afterwards, it’s pretty exciting.
