The 2020 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, taking place in Dübendorf, Switzerland, will begin tomorrow with the first edition of the Junior Women’s World Championship race. Americans among the favorites are Pan-American and National Champion, Madigan Munro as well as Lizzy Gunsalus, who recently picked up her first European win at the Helen100 Trophy Junior Women’s race at the 2019 Azencross in Loenhout while racing with USA Cycling’s MudFund. Munro also won the Helen100 Trophy Junior Women’s race at GP Sven Nys a week later on the same trip.
When asked what it meant for her to compete in the first-ever UCI Cyclocross Junior Women’s World Championship, Munroe said, “For me, it means that the sport is moving in a positive direction and that cyclocross is continuing to grow and provide equal opportunities to all. We finally have the chance to race against such strong girls on an equal playing field. It’s exciting to be a part of history and to begin to pave the path for juniors to come and to have the chance to inspire future generations.”
“This weekend will be the culmination of an extremely rewarding season,” added Jesse Anthony, Cyclocross Manager for USA Cycling, “With the help of the USA Cycling Foundation’s MudFund, we were able to give riders valuable development opportunities all season as well as support all athletes attending the World Championships better than in previous years. I am looking forward to watching all of our athletes perform and put into use the experience they have gained this year. I am already proud of what they have accomplished so far this season and strong performances at the World Championships would be the icing on the cake.”
Racing begins at 11am local time, with the Junior Women’s Race followed by the U23 Men’s Race at 1pm local time. Riders include Elite Men’s National Champion, Gage Hecht (Parker, Colo.; Aevolo / Donnelly) as well as U23 National Champion, Eric Brunner (Boulder, Colo.; Blue Stages Cycling). The final race of the day will be the Elite Women’s race, where newly crowned National Champion, Clara Honsinger (Portland, Ore.; Team S&M) will compete in her first Elite World Championship alongside 15-time National Champion Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo.; KFC Racing/Trek/Knight Composites) and 2019 ProCX winner, Rebecca Fahringer (Concord, N.H.; Kona/Maxxis/Shimano).
The Team USA roster is as follows:
Junior Women:
Madigan Munro (Boulder, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling)
Lizzy Gunsalus (Dudley, Mass; Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld
Michaela Thompson (Longmont, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling)
Cassidy Hickey – (Parker, Colo.)
Bridget Tooley – (Frisco, Tex.; Giant-Easton p/b Transitions)
Tea Wright – (Boulder, Colo.; Boulder Junior Cycling)
U23 Men:
Gage Hecht (Parker, Colo.; Aevolo / Donnelly)
Eric Brunner (Boulder, Colo.; Blue Stages Cycling)
Lane Maher (Harwinton, Conn.; Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld)
Alex Morton (Saint Clair, Mich..; Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld)
Caleb Swartz (Madison, Wisc.; Linear Sport Racing Team)
Sam Noel – (Shelburne, Vt.; Competitive Edge Racing)
Elite Women:
Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo.; KFC Racing/Trek/Knight Composites)
Clara Honsinger (Portland, Ore.; Team S&M)
Rebecca Fahringer (Concord, N.H.; Kona/Maxxis/Shimano)
*Note: Kaitie Keough and Lauren Zoerner also qualified to compete but declined their spots.
To cheer for Team USA at the 2020 World Championships, please follow @UCI_Cycling and @USACyclingLIVE on Twitter. Racing can will be streamed on NBC Sports Gold beginning at 5am EST/3am PSTFor more about the 2020 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, please visit the event website at: https://dubendorf2020.ch/en/
The additional support for the 2020 UCI Cyclocross World Championships team was made possible by the generous donations of our community to the MudFund. To donate, please click here: www.usacycling.org/foundation/mudfund
Please contact Kelly Fox with questions at apalermo@usacycling.org
