Stephen Hyde, the newest force in US racing to contend with. © Cyclocross Magazine
With a win last week on Day 2 of Charm City and now a fifth place in the seriously stacked field at Gloucester, Stephen Hyde has come from relative obscurity and small-time cyclocross racing to being a serious force to be reckoned with, even when throwing down with the nation’s best racers. We caught up with the JAM Fund rider after Day 2 at Gloucester to see how he got so fast so fast, and to see what his plans for the rest of the season are.
On Gloucester… I got fifth! At Gloucester! This is my first year at Gloucester. I’ve never done any of these big early season races.
On his secrets to success… Alec Donahue and Cycle-Smart. The JAM Fund. A lot of training, a good diet, lots of sleep. And I worked hard.
On winning Charm City Day 2… My first UCI win was against Page! It was awesome. The first day I had some mechanicals, but I got third so I was stoked with that. Other than this weekend, I’ve had a podium every race! I knew it was me and him at the end of race on Day 2. Just close doors, closed my eyes and sprinted as hard as I could.
On Day 2 of Gloucester… I’m proving to myself that Sundays are always better. Sunday is the day. I made the front group in the start and that helped. And then I just thought, do what Powers does. But it turns out Powers pedals hard. Harder than I . Last lap was Ben [Berden] on my wheel and I was like, I’m toast but I’ll do what I can.
On if he expected to come out this strong… We didn’t know. We didn’t do much power testing, just to keep the nerves down and try to make it a surprise. We’ve all been surprised. Me the most.
On travel this season… Initial plans were to stick close. We didn’t know it would be going as good as it is. But it looks like we’ll be traveling a little bit, to Louisville and JingleCross.
Watch the full interview here:
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