Party Time!
The team set off from Baltimore on Sunday night after the race to wiggle through 5 states on a road trip that would land the team in Waterloo, WI. On route Curtis and Raylyn stopped off in Chicago for a night for a short city buzz, and to hang out with our good friends at the SRAM HQ for a tour and an Italian deli lunch stop. After a slow and steady few days on the road the team finally landed in Wisconsin on Wednesday to kick off the double header World Cup Block.
The Madison area already seemed to be in a buzz. As Raylyn, Curtis and Kenza devoured a plate of fried cheese curds they discovered there was also a ‘dairy expo’ taking place in the land of dairy the same weekend as the Trek Cup festivities.
Just a 30 minute jaunt from Madison is Waterloo. A small town with a population under 3500 people, surrounded by rolling pastures filled with a mixture of corn and cattle. Nestled in the heart of Waterloo is the Trek HQ. The venue for the first World Cup on the calendar. Frites, chicken nuggets, cheese curds, cupcakes, coffee, beer, face painting… Cyclocross races are much like a fall Oktoberfest festival with a bike race going on in the midst. Only at the Trek Cup event do you have the ability to get your haircut next to the “secret bar” in the woods underneath a disco ball hanging from the trees as your favorite professional cyclists whirl by quickly. This environment is why we all adore ‘cross.
On Friday, the team lined up to race the C1 event to get a good shakeout before the World Cup on Sunday. Raylyn and Curtis both nabbed a couple of quality top 10s, and the team was happy to get a fast race in the legs after 3 muddy races. On Friday evening as all the races came to closure, Lizzy and Raylyn helped out with a Junior Women’s pre-ride with fellow Trek family member and Irish National Champion, Maria Larkin. It’s always fun to see the spark in the young up and coming riders in the sport.
Sunny skies, and warmer temps from the Friday race graced our presence as we got tucked into the venue to get ready for the big show. The past two years here have been hot and muddy so it was a nice change of pace to have a ripping course that was something similar to a F1 track. As fans cheered, the athletes would go up and down sections of the course descending down off camber hills, climbing trails in the woods, and over a total of 3 flyovers while going across “Factory Hill” into the finish.
Raylyn had a really nice ride getting her best world cup result to date finishing in 12th after a rough start to the race. Curtis also had a strong ride finishing the day in 15th! Lizzy really dug deep after battling a cold all week, and still put together a good ride. We were pleased to have solid days on the bike, and get to spend the weekend with Trek. We can’t thank Trek and all of the volunteers enough for the love they pour into the sport. We can’t wait to come back next year!
“I’m really proud of how the team came together for the first World Cup of the season. My performance on Sunday has me salivating over what I know I’m capable of. The entire team is motivated more than ever, and it fuels me to work harder being around this team each weekend. ”
