Zachary Schuster is quickly becoming a regular CXM contributor. Schuster, a graduate student and key volunteer at the 2016 Trek CXC Cup, recently brought you this thoughtful course preview and video and this Wisconsin cyclocross series report from Milwaukee. After this weekend’s racing, he also sent in some insightful interviews with some of the key racers after this weekend’s races at the Trek Bicycles headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin.
First up is Schuster’s interview with 12-time U.S. Cyclocross National Champion Katie Compton after her win on Saturday to kick off a heavy week of racing.
“There’s five races in eight days, and with a couple big flights, so you gotta be rested for it, given the intensity of the racing, so we’ll see. Hopefully I’m gonna have some gas in the tank for Iowa.” -Compton
Compton has changed programs for the 2016/2017 season, launching her own “KFC Racing p/b Trek / Panache” one-woman team, but retaining Trek as a sponsor, returning to some past sponsors with KMC Chain and WickWerks, and signing with Panache and Knight Composites.
After Schuster joked with Compton about her winning Nationals “a handful of times,” Compton explained how she stays motivated after her 12 straight wins:
“I just love racing my bike, I love riding my bike. I enjoy it when I feel well. I’ve had a couple few years where I’ve been struggling quite a bit with health issues and not being super fit. That’s hard. Like I’m always motivated, but you know it’s hard when you have adversity over and over and over again. So you just kind of keep picking yourself up…but eventually, you’re just like, C’mon. You just want to stay on the ground and lie down and be like, I’m done!”
See the full interview below. (Warning there’s a little wind noise late.)
See more of our ever-growing 2016 Trek CXC Cup coverage here.
