Katie Compton rides for Planet Bike and is currently the world’s number one ranked cyclo-cross racer today and the first American to do so. Katie is also the current World Cup leader and no stranger to the top step of the podium. Katie also took third place at last season’s World Championships and is aiming to become World Champion this season.
Katie, who is also an avid Bike Pure supporter, carries our wristband logo on her Planet Bike jersey and Bike Pure headset spacers fitted to her Stevens Cyclo-Cross bikes to show her commitment to anti-doping. Katie took time to answer a few questions from her base in Belgium.
BP: Firstly, congratulations on your season so far – you’ve had excellent form and with two World Cup successes already, you must be overjoyed. What’s the secret to your early season form?
KC: There’s no secret really. I think I came in a little more rested than I did the last couple of seasons in order to avoid my leg cramping issue. I figure it’s better to race at 95% and be able to race than to keep pushing to get stronger and then have to sit out because my legs are cramping. I also had to back off the high-end work due to my asthma issues this season so I wasn’t able to do the intensity I wished I could do. Now I think that was a good thing. This way I can continue to build slowly through the season and hopefully have better form by world championships.
It’s well known you were left without a major sponsor during the summer. Luckily Planet Bike stepped in and all your sponsors are now being rewarded with some great coverage. How is the new team suiting you and have you made any major changes to your regime?
Planet Bike has been awesome, we couldn’t ask for better support from them and in particular Bob Downs. Planet Bike has allowed me to keep racing, and I love the fact that I can earn some good results for the team this season. It makes all the stress and sleepless nights this summer not seem so bad. Bringing on Stevens bikes, Zipp wheels and SRAM components has been wonderful too, we have great equipment and support now and aren’t missing anything. We also have an amazing family in Belgium to help us at the races and make everything easier for us. So far it’s been a great season.
You have raced several major mountain bike events this season. Do you intend to do more of these as we reach Olympic year or do you use them more for conditioning for the winter cyclo-cross season?
I use mtb racing to train for cx and to keep my race fitness fairly high in the summer. If you are away from racing for 9 months out of the year, it’s hard to get the ability to suffer back quickly. I’m also adding more mtb races to the schedule to see how I fair on the international level and to see if making the 2012 Games on the mtb is a realistic goal. I think I had a fairly good season for getting my feet wet with the races, I learned a ton, and now that I have the right meds for my asthma that will no longer be an issue in the long races.
Cyclo-Cross is a national sport in Belgium and other parts of mainland Europe, although rise in popularity of cyclo-cross in the USA has been phononemal over the last few seasons. Give us your thoughts on the differences in racing on both sides of the Atlantic.
They are both very different but also both fun. CX is much more serious in Europe and everything seems to be more difficult here, from getting to the race, finding inscription, getting the right parking pass so you can park close to the course, course pre-riding, dealing with all the mud and clean-up as well as just finding a place to go to the bathroom. Since everyone has RV’s there are never Port-O-Lets close by and I never have 25 cents in my pocket to pay for the toilet. Everything in Europe is just more challenging and more of a hassle, so when we go back to the States and everything is so simple it almost feels like we are cheating. I guess the challenge of figuring out each race venue is part of the fun in Europe, but man, it’s nice to come home, drive to a race with only one spare bike (or none if it’s a dry course in CO), park, register and pre-ride all within a half hour of arriving. Some of the courses in Europe are harder technically and require more skill and I like that part but the courses in the US are getting more difficult too and then you have some great hecklers there which we don’t really see here. I think I miss the hecklers the most when racing in Belgium.
With your recent successes, you will clearly be a favorite for the rainbow jersey in February’s World Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic. Word is that the course is more suited to you than last years. What are your views on the course and your prospects there?
I’ve only seen the computer graphics of the course and read the description so I don;t know for sure what it will be like but I do think it will be better than last year’s. There is more elevation change and it sounds like it is more technical than last years. Also the weather in Tabor could really cold and snowy or cold and wet so the conditions could be tough. I want to have strong legs and be able to race well on any course, I just hope it is a hard one regardless of the weather. I think I have a good chance to win in Tabor but its going to be tough, everyone steps up their game for a world championship and I don’t expect that to be different this year. I have to come in feeling strong and riding well and have everything come together.
The Cyclo-Cross World’s are quite a way off. How do you hope to maintain good form through the season. Do you intend taking a break at any point?
No breaks for me, cross season doesn’t seem long enough to need a break. I love riding my bike and cross is my favorite time of year, I look forward to every race I do simply because I have so much fun with them. And I always have to worry about my legs cramps so I can’t take a day off the bike anyway. As long as I can stay healthy and continue to train consistently, I plan to build on this form and make a slow progression up to world champs.
Will you be based mainly in the USA or Europe as the season progresses?
We’ll be flying back and forth again this year. I find it easier to do it this way, we like being home and I can get some solid training in in CO. I love the mtns and the winter there and really feel recharged after being back. I wish I could do more US races, especially the USGP’s because the prize money is now really good for women but it’s just hard to do both well and I really want to win the WC overall this season and I need to do all the races in order to accomplish this.
It’s an honor for us that you carry our Bike Pure logo on your team kit and use our headset spacers on your Steven’s Cyclo Cross bikes, showing your commitment to anti-doping. Tell us more about why being involved with Bike Pure means so much to you.
I think clean racing and promoting that is such an important part of racing. Competing clean needs to be promoted by the athletes in order to make a change in the cycling world and any sport really. Athletes need to decide for themselves that they will compete clean and fair and stand behind that. Doping is cheating and it’s criminal too, people who dope take valuable sponsorship and prize money away from clean athletes and it needs to have more severe penalties. I think one of biggest things that bothers me, is not only the lost money, but also the athletes who finish 2nd, 3rd, and 4th don’t get to experience the podium or enjoy their win like they should. Receiving a medal in the mail 6 months or a year after the event doesn’t quite feel as good as receiving it on the podium with everyone watching and taking photos. You and your sponsors also miss out on all the publicity that surrounds the end of the race. It seems that riders who get caught are only sorry they got caught and not that they doped. That mentality has to change in order for doping to stop and it needs to come from the athletes.
When training for a major event what does a normal training week involve?
It all depends on where I am in my training period. I ride anywhere from 12-19hrs/week and do a variety of interval sessions and long rides. I spend most of my time on my cross bike because it’s my favorite bike but one I can also ride on the road, bike paths and trails so that is convenient.
Do you ride any road races or criteriums during the Summer as many cross riders fare well on small fast road circuits?
No, I don’t do any road racing, I don’t enjoy it like I do mtb, cross and track. I grew up racing on the road and competing in crits and just kind of got over the need to keep doing that. During the summer, I race on the track as much as I can and also compete on the mtb.
How did you get into cyclo-cross racing?
My friends got me started with it when I was in college. After being adamantly against it for awhile (I was over bike racing and didn’t want to do a race where I had to run with my bike), they helped me get just drunk enough to make poor decisions so I committed to racing the next morning. I don’t like to back out of my commitments, so I got up still drunk, drove to the race with them (passenger, not driver), was hungover by the time the race started and I ended up finishing 2nd. I raced on my single speed mtb and loved it even though I felt horrible. I figured if I could enjoy something that much while feeling so bad then I should keep doing it.
Cyclo-cross has increased in popularity over recent years with more and more riders taking up the sport. It’s well known that you put a lot back into the sport with coaching courses etc. What advice would you give to any new riders wishing to take up cyclo-cross and the benefits it can bring?
The best advice I can give, is have fun and find a good group of people to share that with. Go to as many races as you can to get experience and always pay attention to what others are doing. There is so much to learn in cross and a lot of that can be learned by watching others and being observative of how the good racers do it.
Some years back you would have found many successful road riders dabbling in cyclo-cross over the winter months to keep in shape and improve bike handling skills. This has since diminished in recent years, can you give any reasons for that?
It’s probably because the road season is so long now, it’s hard to keep racing cross when you need a break from such a long hard race season. Also, I think the level of racing has come up a lot so the racing is faster and if you are lacking good bike handling skills, no matter how much power you have, you’re still getting lapped by the leaders. This doesn’t happen as much in local races but I think the bigger ones are getting tougher.
What’s your favorite meal?
Breakfast. I love waking up early and having that first cup of coffee, it’s my favorite part of the day. Food-wise, pretty much all of it. I like to eat.
How do you relax when not training and racing?
I like to spend time with our dogs, cook, read, watch tv, ski in the winter, drive our BMW M3 in the summer.
Favorite country and course to race in?
That’s a tough one, Belgium has some of the best cross courses in the world but I also love racing in the US. It’s just so much easier logistically to race there and the courses are getting harder and are generally pretty fun. I think Portland, OR probably has the best cross scene of anywhere in the world though. My favorite cross race all year is Asper-Gavere since it is a power course but also a technically difficult course.
How would you like to be remembered when you retire? (which hopefully will be a good few years away!)
I’m hoping to race as long as I can, I plan to race as long as I am still getting good results and support. I’d like to be remembered as a great cross racer but also a great competitor and person.
Is it true that Mark does all the cooking at home?!
No, not lately! I’ve been doing pretty much all the cooking the last few months simply because he’s too busy doing bike work. I can’t have him spend the whole day in the garage and then ask him to make dinner after he comes inside. I don’t think that would go over very well! He does like to cook and is a good cook, but I’ve been enjoying it lately. I’ve been making a lot of curry since that is our favorite thing to eat at the moment and mine is better than his so he likes me to make that for him.
Many thanks Katie for taking the time to do this interview. We wish to thank you for your involvement with Bike Pure and your commitment to clean cycling. We wish you a safe and successful season ahead. Thanks!
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