A Day I’ll Never Forget.

A Reflection on Worlds - By Raylyn Nuss

Image by Bruce Buckely

Ah - the pinnacle of the cyclocross season. The moment I had quite literally dreamed about for almost 2 years. I worked/trained/rested every single day with the thought on my mind to qualify for my first World Championships in Fayetteville, AR. That was one of the main objectives for the inaugural season for the team; presence on the Worlds start grid. Toeing the start line against the best women in the world. That goal had been achieved, and now it was time for me to give it absolutely everything.

I had touched down in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Jan 17th - MLK Jr Day - to finish out the final prep leading up to the big day. Although only a few hours from Lawrence, Fayetteville was south enough that the temperatures were set to be warmer than in Kansas. It seemed like the best place to be with great road riding out the door and access to the course for running drills. I was able to isolate there and also really get in the mindset with minimal distractions. It was cool being in Fayetteville prior to the race as I spent several days running the track and got to see the evolution of the venue throughout the weeks.

Junior and U23 women greeted by a warm and energetic, Allen Lim (founder of Skratch Labs), who would be our team chef.

Team USA finally convened at the Hilton on the Wednesday before the race. We settled in for our first team dinner, and I got to formally meet all of the staff, and some of the Junior/U23 women that had arrived as well. We picked up our National team kit and apparel and officially started to look like family. The buzz was starting to kick in.

Getting to spend time with some of the other U.S. athletes was one of the highlights of the weekend for me. When we’re on the road racing I don’t get to interact as much with the younger women as most of them have drastically different race day schedules. It was a lot of fun for me to get to know them and share the experience of our first World Championships together.

Thursday and Friday were pre-ride days. I used Thursday to really get a good feel for the course. Riding pretty easy, and starting to memorize each turn and break the course into sections where I knew I would be hitting different efforts. Friday I put the pieces together and hit the climb at pace to open the body up, and settle in for race day. It was great to have a few days on the course as the course conditions were also changing and tire selection was changing from day to day as the course continued to dry up.

It was really special to have Stephen there with me that weekend. I owe so much of my success to him and his mentorship he gave me throughout the year.

On Friday night before dinner I sat down with Stephen in a quiet conference room in the Hilton where we really talked through my race strategy and dial in my game day plan. Stephen helped give me the confidence that I needed. We talked about having a ‘Plan A’ and a ‘Plan B’ for every single turn on the course. I used that plan to break the race up into sections and manage my efforts so I could still attack and punch at the right moments during the race.

Race morning had finally arrived. I love cyclocross for many reasons, but I absolutely love that I can still have a proper morning to get into the right headspace as our start times are in the afternoon. After coffee and breakfast I spun on the trainer to begin to open up the body. We rolled over to the venue and the Junior women’s race had just started as we arrived. That’s when it hit me - the emotions flooded in seeing the track and fans start to pour in. A feeling of pride rocking up in the Team USA van and zipping up my USA warmup jacket. The energy was different from any other race from the season.

After downing my eggs and rice I hit the course for the official pre-ride. Perfecting my mental plan and having a strategy for every single turn on the course.

Finally, it was race time. This was the moment I had spent all season trying to attain. My main goal leading into the season was to qualify for the World Championships, and there I was - soaking in that moment on the start corral. As the riders spun their legs up and down the start/finish straight - I kept hearing little cheers and shoutouts of my name and noticing familiar faces from my friends out of St. Louis, an an energetic Sarah Sturm with a massive yell, and shouts from my family.

One of my favorite moments from the day was the start call-ups. Experience Fayetteville (promotors of the race) did a phenomenal job of making us feel special. After the National Anthem a plane twisted and flew right over us. Clara and I had a moment where we looked at each other and smiled so huge knowing that this day was for us.

The lights flicked green - we were off. Everything else seemed to shut out, and went quiet. I was so focused and trying to stay calm through the start. I was not the most concerned over the start. I had a third row call-up and knew I just needed to keep my positioning and start to make moves on the first climb.

I was sticking to my plan - focusing on each section of the course as it came. “This corner, okay next corner, okay now this corner.” It was the same mindset that I had for PanAms. It forced me to stay calm and stay in the zone and not get overwhelmed if I made a mistake or by what place I was in. I was staying confident and talking to myself, “you got this just breathe.”

Image by Kai Caddy

We had gone through the start/finish several times but the pavement section was a spot on the course that was a full gas effort and was mostly chasing or sticking a wheel there so I had not even looked at the lap count yet. Three laps in - I finally look up and see we have 4 laps to go (a bit shocked by this, but also pumped as I had 4 laps to continue to move up) I also notice that I am right on the top 20 bubble, and could see a group for top 15 just in front of me.

Each lap went by, and Chris McGovern (my coach and team mechanic) yelled at me from the pits and I would pass a few riders at Pit 1 which was also the very tippy top of the long climb.

Let’s talk about this climb for just a second - A climb that started back in the woods after a long and windy descent. With a moderate yet sneaky incline that would turn right at an electrical pole and get STEEP (and continue to roll and get steeper) as you pushed forward. You’d get a slight reprieve as you went underneath a bridge rounding over to the pit, but would kick up again just after pit 1. In total, it was almost a full gas 2 minute effort that if you did not manage properly would pop you. The goal was to keep enough snap in the legs to save for the top of the hill and make passes through pit one. This was also an electric part of the course as fans screamed and gave energy for the final few pushes up that hill.

As laps began to count down I would look up at the board and notice I was almost in 16th, and sitting in a group that I knew I could work with and be able to pick off. I spent most of the last few laps battling it out and swapping positions with Eva Lechner of Italy (an Italian National champion in multi disciplines). Katarina Nash was the carrot dangling just ahead that I would focus on to see if I could catch. Ultimately, we rode much of the same pace and was unable to catch her and the group for 13th.

From working my way from 26th place up to a 15th finishing spot; I am proud. I had no expectations other than knowing I wanted to be in the top 20. The conditions and course suited me, and gave me the confidence I needed after not having the best finishing World Cup block in Europe. Ending on a high note, and something strong to build off of.

My mom, dad and uncle - my Uncle flew all the way from San Diego to watch the race!

I had finished 15th at my first World Championships in front of a home crowd against the BEST women in the world. My family and friends were there in support. It was a day I will never forget.

A huge thank you to Chris McGovern, who slotted in with USA Cycling team staff, so he could be there for me. A huge thank you to Matt Gilhousen (co-founder & President of the Steve Tilford Foundation); if weren’t for him, I would not have had the support and infrastructure that I had all season to get me to my goal of being in that race. Also a massive thank you to USA Cycling for being extremely thoughtful of the rockstar staff they put together to give us the absolute best possible hands on deck to make sure we were ready for race day.

And a thank you to all of the team’s partners that combined provide the gear possible for me to race at the highest level: Muc-off, Specialized, MAAP Apparel, Roval Components, MINI USA, Garmin, Retul, Thule. A rockstar lineup of team partners.

I’m so happy to have ended the season on such a high note, and to have Steve Tilford Foundation representation at the pinnacle race of an athlete’s career was the cherry on top.

Below are some images I snapped on film throughout the race weekend, and on Sunday when I was able to take my first official day of off-season to watch the Men’s race. Some of the best moments of an event happen beyond the race track.