Alison Dunlap brings it home, winning the national championships for a third time out of an eventual six. © Cyclocross Magazine
In our interview last year with Rachel Lloyd, just before the 2014 National Championships in Boulder, she recounted memories of her biggest challenges in her fight to claim the stars and stripes jersey.
These days, the biggest hurdle would amount to dethroning Katie Compton, winner of ten national championships. Yet before KFC started her long winning streak, a different queen of American cyclocross reigned. Alison Dunlap, eventual winner of six national cyclocross championships between 1997 through 2003, dashed the hopes of other contenders looking to stand atop the podium.
1999 marked the year where Dunlap won her third championship of six. The event took place in San Francisco’s Presidio, which would play host to the famous Super Cup finals soon after. Our chief cowbell ringer remembers that after a last minute property dispute, the course had to be consolidated into a tighter space.
The crowd packed together and cheered behind the redesigned race tape. In a rare cyclocross event that showed Alison Dunlap wearing her standard GT kit (for you Cyclocross 101 readers, the national championship jerseys are relinquished before the following nationals begin), she navigated through the tight corners and over multiple sets of barriers to reclaim the stars and stripes.
For a in-depth look at Alison Dunlap’s achievements over her career, including her World Cup wins and successes on and off the road, be sure to pick up a back-copy of Issue 25 today!
