2024 North American Cyclocross Rider Survey

Insights on who's racing and what's on their mind coming into the 2024-2025 UCI season

Andrew Strohmeyer, Eric Brunner, Scott Funston and Curtis White at the front of the 2023 Men’s Elite US Cyclocross National Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. © 2023 Bill Schieken

Last week, I sent out two surveys to the top North American riders who raced domestically last season. The first survey was straightforward: Who are you? What team are you racing for this year? Are you racing cyclocross? What’s your mindset? What are some words of wisdom? What’s your go-to pre-race song?

The second survey was anonymous. Riders were asked to rank their top eight riders in their field and then asked some other questions, such as what is the one thing that needs to improve in the U.S. regarding UCI races. I will publish the answers to this second survey in a separate post.

I sent out around 50 surveys and received 21 responses. According to my quick and dirty research, a typical response rate for email surveys is between 15 and 25 percent, so I guess we did okay here¹.

Who Are You and What Do You Do?

Let’s start with who everyone is, how much cyclocross they are racing and what events².

• Luke Valenti (Israel PremierTech): Just racing wherever and whenever

• Kaya Musgrave (Cervelo/OrangeLiving): USCX, Pan-Ams, Nationals, Kerstperiode, Worlds is a goal

• Lance Haidet (Specialized/SRAM/Velocio/FatTire): Pan-Ams, Nationals

• Lauren Zoerner (Competitive Edge): USCX, Pan-Ams, Nationals, Kerstperiode, Other Europe Trip, Worlds is a goal, Just racing wherever and whenever

• Jules van Kempen (Cervelo-Orange Living): USCX, Pan-Ams, Nationals, Kerstperiode, Worlds is a goal)

• Marcis Shelton (Bear CX): USCX, Pan-Ams, Nationals, Kerstperiode

• Ethan DelGrosso (Competitive Edge): USCX, Nationals, Kerstperiode, Other Europe Trip, Worlds is a goal

• Scott Funston (Cervelo-Orange Living): USCX, Pan-Ams, Nationals, Kerstperiode, Worlds is a goal

• Casey Hildebrandt (Homegrown Athletics): Just racing wherever and whenever

• Adam Mote (Northpeak Racing): USCX, Pan-Ams, Nationals, Other Europe Trip, Worlds is a goal

• Maghalie Rochette (Canyon): USCX, Nationals, Other Europe Trip, Worlds is a goal

• Tyler Clark (Hockley Valley Resort Armada): Pan-Ams, Nationals, Worlds is a goal

• Sam Brown (Mountain Pedaler of Vail - Dusty Boot Saloon): USCX, Pan-Ams, Nationals

• Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD Trek Bikes): USCX, Pan-Ams, Nationals, Kerstperiode, Other Europe Trip, Worlds is a goal

• Sidney Mcgill (Cervelo-Orange Living): USCX, Pan-Ams, Nationals, Kerstperiode, Other Europe Trip, Worlds is a goal

• Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing): USCX, Pan-Ams, Nationals, Kerstperiode, Other Europe Trip, Worlds is a goal

• Ben Frederick (The Small Monsters Project): USCX, Kerstperiode, Worlds is a goal

• Jen Malik (Smanie pb Paradise Garage): USCX, Pan-Ams, Nationals

• Caroline Mani (Groove Off Road Racing): USCX, Nationals

• Ian Ackert (Trek Future Racing): Pan-Ams, Nationals, Kerstperiode, Worlds is a goal

Vibe Check

After getting the basic info out of the way, I wanted to know how everyone was feeling coming into the cyclocross season, what everyone’s mindset was, and how the “offseason” went for everyone.

Valenti: “Hoping I get to race, I want to win something this year and not finish second😂.”

Musgrave: “LFG”

Haidet: “I’m definitely looking forward to jumping into some cross races this fall. It’s been a long summer so I’m not going to try and do much of the USCX and early season UCI racing. My first race will most likely be Pan-Ams and then will build to hopefully give Nationals a solid go.”

Zoerner: “I’m feeling pumped going into the season! Stoked to be on a new team for the first time in my cyclocross career and be able to coexist with others near my age. I usually try to come in hot but don’t want to jinx myself. My offseason was alright; I moved to North Carolina after worlds in March and have been living here since. The biggest race of the summer for me was ToAD; I used it to help train and build up but then got COVID on my drive back home. Post recovering, just have been training back to form for the season, and I can’t wait!”

Van Kempen: “Feeling pretty good coming into the season. Excited to get it kicked off and see where everyone stacks up. Haven’t done a lot of racing over the summer but have been able to put in pretty good training consistently and ready to take another step forward to more consistently be in the front group.”

Shelton: “Feeling more confident and much stronger than last year. Mindset is to be more competitive and fight for podiums at the USCX races. Off-season was all road racing, different than any year before.”

DelGrosso: “Last year was exploratory and lots was learned. I’ve put my nose to the grindstone this summer and am looking to become a more confident and professional racer.”

Funston: “I feel prepared for the season. My spring/ summer had its peaks and valleys but August has been very consistent and feel like I’ve been checking the boxes to be ready for GO Cross. Mindset is I want to win, I’m always in the mix but it’s time to put some wins on the board.”

Hildebrandt: “Sometime during the middle of the domestic season last fall I could feel this sensation building that it would be my last full season traveling like I was. Once I got the email with the World Cup selections, it was a huge sense of relief to finally have made the list and in a weird way feel validated. I also knew while I had achieved a lot, as a full time high school teacher, I also was aware of the next level(s) that I would 99% likely never reach no matter how hard I worked. So, on my own terms, I stepped away from the pro racing and have really been enjoying life on the other side of the tape.

I don’t plan on racing, but I know once the temps drop, the leaves start changing colors, and the daylight shortens I’ll have a hard time staying away from the races.

Maybe I’ll make a run at one of the Wisconsin UCI weekends or just stick to a handful of the state series races. Maybe I’ll even take a stab at the baby masters title if I’m feeling like I can compete at that level.

Otherwise, I’ll be enjoying the amazing coverage you all provide, watching all the races domestically and internationally, and telling the kids how I was fast once upon a time.”

Mote: “Good, had a lot of fun.”

Rochette: “Very excited for some cyclocross racing! Best time of the year!”

Clark: “Ready to give it the beans! Had a more chill MTB season and a good break from racing over the last month. Build up to cross has been going well and fells like could be my best prep going into the fall yet. It’ll still probably take me a few races to get into it as it always does but there will be a much better base to build off of.”

Brown: “I am feeling more fit and have a better mindset compared to last year. I had a very good base season, riding in Spain and CA. This summer I raced some more gravel races and felt good in many of those and wrapped up my summer with Breck Epic.”

Strohmeyer: “Feeling really good! Road and mountain bike season was a bit disappointing so I decided to do a proper build coming into the cyclocross season. I took 3 weeks off the bike in June and skipped MTB nationals in order to do a full 12 week build. The training has been super consistent and I'm seeing the benefits of doing big hours on the bike! Really looking forward to getting back on a start line after a 15 week hiatus!!”

White: “I've been happy with shifting my focus away from gravel races to a more regional road calendar. Travel was limited, and the battery is charged going into the season.”

Frederick: “I'm feeling nervous yet excited. I train as hard as I can to still keep up with the kids. It's a pretty interesting place to be as the older (oldest?) rider fighting for and into the points. I am definitely entering the season with motivation to share the stoke of cx. Also!! The Small Monsters Project is sponsoring the Little Belgians Races for the USCX Series! It's a small way that I can give back and hopefully share the love of bikes.

Offseason was great! Dabbled in enough local gravel to be VERY excited about short racing. I helped run a summer CX series (OBF415 Summer Series) in San Francisco with some buds, and we have seen awesome turnout and beginner riders doing their first race in a fun supportive atmosphere.

Mindset: Do my best for my sponsors, partners, fiancé and myself. The years of doing this are numbered and I want to squeeze every last opportunity.”

Malik: “Excited and pumped to play some bikes. Off-season went well with a handful of mountain bike events and adventures. I was riding strong and would love to continue with that momentum.”

Mani: “Adulting and real job sucks. No time to train to win 😂🙈”

Ackert: “Ready to have fun and smash”

Words of Wisdom

The next question asked for any deep thoughts or words of wisdom about cyclocross in general or for the upcoming season.

Valenti: “Jenaya Francis is slow³.”

Musgrave: “It is absolutely time to shred.”

Zoerner: “You know me I’m only full of jokes. But for real I would say something about how living this life has taught me so much off the bike about connecting with people and communication, respect, trust etc. that I wouldn’t trade even if they were hard lessons.”

Van Kempen: “Race entry fees might kill the field depth.”

Shelton: “2030 CX Olympics confirmed?!?”

DelGrosso: “Americans need to get our heads out of our asses and start contending in Europe. We have the talent, we have the skill, but putting it all together with technique, confidence, and call-ups needs to happen. Hopefully, someone can lead the way and breakthrough for us.”

Funston: “No deep thoughts. Glad Trek saved the USCX, hope there is still good coverage of the races without a livestream. Interested to see how World Cup schedule works out. Not a fan of how US Nats plays with the WC schedule, but for all other nationals, it seems like an improvement.”

Hildebrandt: “The Canadians are coming!”

Mote: “Keep going.”

Rochette: “Unfortunately I won't be doing the full USCX series this year. I'm going to Gravel World Championships and it conflicts with the last round, plus I'm doing Chequamegon which conflicts with Roanoke. But I'll be at Rochester, Charm City, Really Rad, Canadian Nats, and a bunch of World Cups (TBD which ones exactly).”

Clark: “Cross will make a comeback, gravel will die.”

Brown: “I feel this year cross in the US is a separate season from cross in Europe to even more of an extreme and I am not stoked about that. I do not think it is ideal for the discipline for cross in the US.”

Strohmeyer: “Something I have been thinking about a lot lately is how Americans can achieve better results in Europe. I started to crack the code at the end of last year, and it comes down to the fact that we need to race harder in the US. We race too nicely, so we show up in Europe unprepared to be really aggressive, and it shows. Tactics only seem to come into play on the last couple of laps over there; the first part of the race is all about pushing as hard as possible everywhere and making that group as small as it can be. Only then do they worry about saving energy and racing for the win. It doesn't matter if you blow up because you have to be in the group if you want to fight for the win. It would be nice if we raced harder in the US so that we are better prepared for Europe.”

McGill: “Just happy to be here.”

White: “Watch out for Henry Coote.”

Frederick: “Everyone who lines up is keeping CX alive until people remember or learn how much fun it is.”

Malik: “Cherish the pain!”

Mani: “The kids better finally be fast ! 😉 Let’s keep cx kind of alive”

Ackert: “Cyclocross is the best thing on the planet, and everyone should try it.”

Go To Pre-Race Song

Finally I asked for each rider’s favorite song on their pre-race playlist. I put together the full playlist here.

Valenti:

Musgrave:

Haidet:

Zoerner:

Van Kempen:

Shelton:

DelGrosso:

Funston: “No music. Focus on the course, potential tactics etc.”

Hildebrandt:

Mote:

Rochette:

Brown:

Strohmeyer:

White:

Frederick: “CX tire on Feedback Trainer sounds”

Malik:

Mani: “You don’t want to know.”

Ackert:

That’s it for survey number one. If you missed it, the latest Cyclocross Radio episode is posted discussing the upcoming North American UCI season. It’s available everywhere you consume podcasts including Spotify and Apple Music.

1. In a nutshell, if there’s someone that you think should be on this list but isn’t, they most likely were included but did not respond to emails or DMs.

2. Riders were given a list of options to check if they applied. These were: USCX, Pan-Ams, Nationals, Kerstperiode, Other Europe Trip, Worlds is a goal, Just racing wherever and whenever

3. I’m just the messenger here. I will say that I sent the survey to Jenaya, but she did not respond. And from what she did on course last season, I’m not sure I agree with Valenti on this deep thought.