Photo from usoc.org
The world of cycling was rocked by Katherine Compton, 29 years old, who won her first Cyclocross World Cup victory in Pijnacker (Netherlands).
This was Compton’s second World Cup CX podium appearance. The first came last month in Kalmthout (Belgium). Compton was also second at the Cyclocross World Championships 2007 at the beginning of the year.
Katie is from where? Her first appearance was in 2003 when she finished 7th in the Sea Otter Gravity Omnium downhill race. Her cycling career began one year earlier, when she started piloting a tandem with Karissa Whitsell, a blind cyclist, in Paralympic events. As they prepared for the 2004 XII Paralympic Games, Athens (Greece), the team won many national titles. They returned home with four medals, two gold, one silver, and one bronze.
With her Paralympic obligations over, Katie can now start her professional career and enter UCI sanctioned events. With no racing experience and seemingly out of nowhere, she switched her focus to cyclocross and blew the doors open for the U.S. women’s division. Since then, she has been a domestic cyclocross champion and is the current U.S. National Champion.
Katie has not lost touch with her mountain biking roots. Compton is home to 12 mountain bike victories this year. The 2007 Southridge Norba National Super D win was the largest. Katie won the short track and cross-country events at this year’s Chile Challenge in Angel Fire (NM).
Katie is originally from Colorado Springs, CO. She rides for Spike Shooter.
