Hitting the run up in the Elite Junior World Championships of Cyclocross 2013 © Meg McMahon
Maxx Chance had the chance most kids only could dream about: to represent the US in the World Championships of Cyclocross, held for the first time in the US. He took home 25th place in the 17-18 race, and here, he tells us all about how the race week played out for him.
by Maxx Chance
Worlds. The word has so many connotations for cyclists. I was lucky enough to participate in the first cyclocross World Championships outside of Europe – ever. And if you don’t already know … it was awesome!
I flew from Denver to Louisville, and it was bumpy. Very bumpy. But everything went well and we landed all in one piece. The best part was being welcomed by the flight crew after landing. That is when it started to sink it: I am at the World Championships.
The changes to the course were awesome, and it made for a super sweet pre-ride with team USA. The Louisville USGP was an awesome event and I couldn’t wait to race the course again. The rest of the week went well and the legs started to feel good, and I was confident for the race.
On race day, the morning walk was at 6:15, due to the schedule change that pushed our junior race up to 9:45. We walked out of the hotel to a super crisp snowy Louisville morning, and I couldn’t help but smile as the snow lightly fell, thinking, “This is going to be so much fun!”
The pre-ride went well, and the course felt fast and icy. Then it was time to hop on the trainer. I jammed to Taylor Swift as people took photos and mechanics cleaned up and prepped the bikes.
Skipping ahead to the start … The lights flashed green and we went, but of course the start of a ’cross race can’t always go off with out a hitch. A British rider ahead of me overlapped his wheel and slammed on the brakes right in front of me. I was lucky not to have flipped over and finished my race right there.
My race was going well until multiple crashes moved me back a few and I did all I could to move up on an icy course against the best in the world. The crowd was a huge motivation. Everyone chanting, “USA! USA! USA!” It was amazing and I doubt anything will ever come close to the enthusiasm the crowd had at 10:00 in the morning. Thank you so much to everyone that was there or watched it online.
That said, coming in a close second on the scale of awesome life experiences was cheering on Sven Nys as he rode into the rainbow stripes. I left the venue happy to be an American that day and will always treasure that experience!
Thank you everyone that cheered me on, believed in me, and helped me get to this point! I can’t thank you enough.
Follow me on twitter @maxx_chance to keep up with my latest shenanigans!
Read other World Championships rider diaries from:
And keep up with all of our Worlds coverage on our Cyclocross World Championships Home Page.
