Cyclocross Magazine Racing Team rider Kathryn Cumming had a big year. © Andrew Reimann / Cyclocross Magazine
We were all, at some point, new cyclocross racers. And some of us get to be, at some point, new racers in Europe. For Cyclocross Magazine rider Kathryn Cumming, that time was the 2015-2016 season. Cumming had what by most any racer’s standard would be considered a remarkable year.
She stood on the podium of UCI races, raced World Cup races in Koksijde, Belgium, and Liginieres-en-Berry, France, not to mention racing in China. And she had a front-row call up at the 2016 USA Cycling National Championships. All of this grew her experiences and made her a more informed and seasoned racer, qualities that will help her as she readies for next season.
Below, Cumming shares her thoughts on Belgium compared to France as well as some of her specific race experiences after her first season.
by Kathryn Cumming
Perhaps it was the sunshine, maybe the familiar American faces or the lack of high security alerts, but French cyclocross won me over in a way Belgian cyclocross did not. I am definitely not the first to say this, but the people are what make cyclocross so special and this was proven true in Lignieres, France.
The enthusiasm surrounding the French World Cup was contagious, creating a feeling of camaraderie that I found to be lacking in Belgium. Granted my Belgian experience is limited to the 2015 Koksijde World Cup which features an amazing course that I will hopefully be back to with improved technical skills. The Belgian atmosphere, however, was one of business. Racers seemed like they were focused on another day at the office and cigarette smoking fans critiqued form and speed around every corner.
The French World Cup at Lignieres-en-Berry started with friendly faces as Amanda Nauman and David Sheek parked next to us to prepare for course inspection. Amanda and David were traveling in a similar fashion, with a few bike bags and a rental car, so it was great to share travel tips, equipment and laughs.
As we built our bikes, the rest of the American vans rolled in and I felt at home as a group of American racers, mechanics and staff hung out by our cars discussing how to bring a bike into a European hotel without getting yelled at and how to drive a manual transmission rental car through the streets of Paris. The community feeling was alive and well as the Rapha-Focus team offered to share tools, Cannondale was kind enough to help me with some brake pads and Mark Legg shared his power washer with us.
The positive energy continued on race day as excited French fans came by our rental car requesting pictures, rider cards and even just wanting to chat. Fans cheered as I cleared a tricky section on my pre-ride, children shouted “Allez” from every corner of the course and race volunteers and staff offered assistance to everyone in a skinsuit.
As for my actual race, it had its ups and downs as many do. After feeling like my legs were sub-par at Nationals, I was worried how they would respond in France. But I went to Europe this year with the simple goal of experiencing the racing and learning what skills I would need to succeed in the future. I knew it had been my longest season to date and I would need to focus on enjoying the experience. Getting to check out a new country with my husband, who is also kind enough to be my mechanic, was an added bonus!
The Lignieres-en-Berry course was tight and I had a feeling those of us in the back of the field would be running by the first corner or two as fifty women tried to narrow into a single-file line within thirty seconds of the start. Unfortunately we came to a standstill pretty quickly. Racers were frantically picking up their bikes trying to lift them over fencing, stakes and fellow competitors in hopes of picking up a spot or two.
I did not manage to find the proper balance between aggressive passing and patience here and found myself near the back of the field as the race finally opened up several minutes later near a straightaway on the backside of the course. At this point I focused on limiting my losses and moving up where I could. My speed through the off-cambers and 180s improved with each lap, but I still found the Europeans to be technically superior. I was able to make passes on the two straightaways thanks to the strengths we develop from fast, American courses.
My small victory came in reducing the time I lost on each lap. Although I was only moving up one or two spots per lap, I stayed motivated as I rolled through the finish line and could see my gap to the leaders was growing by less each lap.
At both of my European races in the 2015-16 season, I could not ignore the places, seconds and even minutes I was losing through corners, descents and off-cambers. We all know cyclocross is about a lot more than just power-to-weight ratio and this was made very obvious to me in Europe. It looks like I will be hitting the trails a lot more this offseason after some much needed rest.
While the atmosphere at the French World Cup was tough to beat, the best part of finishing my season in France may have been the opportunity to enjoy the French food and wine before the flight back to New Jersey.
