Boulder High is known for its reigning state champion mountain bike team, and recently a few of its riders have taken their competitions from the state level to a global one. Seniors Maddie Munro, Michaela Thompson and Jared Scott make up three of the eleven junior riders on the USA Cycling National Team that competed in the Cyclocross World Championships in Dübendorf, Switzerland in February. Cyclocross is a form of bike racing characterized by its short laps and various obstacles such as steep hills, barriers and staircases that often require the rider to dismount their bike to get over the obstacle. At the world championship, all three riders from Boulder High competed in the junior age group against other cyclocross riders from around the world. Each rider had a different perspective, but all of them left feeling grateful for the experience and excited for the future.

Reigning National Champion Maddie Munro Holds Her Own on the Big Stage Expectations were high for Maddie Munro who qualified for Worlds after dominating the National Cyclocross competition in December, winning first place in the junior women category. This win not only earned her a spot on Team USA for Worlds but also earned her a trip over winter break to ride in Denmark with team USA as well as a fully-funded trip to Worlds in Switzerland. Speaking to her humble character, Munro did not waste any time basking in the glory of being a national champion and started training for Worlds right when she returned. She explained that her preparation was similar to nationals and she would attend club practice for Boulder Junior Cycling (BJC). At practice, she did “skills work like practicing going over barriers or running up hills carrying your bike, because that’s all stuff you do in cross races.” She went on to elaborate that she also did lots of training outside of BJC practice, including her trip to Denmark where she participated in multiple smaller races to get ready for the competitive environment of Worlds. The mental training was also a large part of Maddie’s preparation. “I get really nervous for races, especially this one because it was such a big race but I have a lot of really good coaches who are always helping [me] stay calm. I really try to think about all the positive things about the race like why I like the course and what my strengths are.” 

Clearly, Munro’s preparation, alongside her determination and inherent talent paid off as she was extremely successful on the day of the race. Maddie was one of 45 junior girls competing in the junior women category, made up of riders under the age of 18. “The race was about 45 minutes long. We did 4 laps on a course that had some very steep flyovers and barriers that we had to carry our bike over and some hills that we had to run up because they were too steep to ride.” 45 minutes to showcase her skills, which ended in her crossing the finish line in 3rd place, behind two Dutch riders who were also seventeen. 

Now, two months later, Maddie is back home and once again preparing for another World Championship, but this time for mountain biking, which has rougher and rockier terrain, but does not require the rider to get on and off of their bike or going over barriers. As for further down the road, Munro proclaims, “I’m not sure if I’m gonna ride for a collegiate team or just go to a school that doesn’t have a team but I’ll definitely keep riding. I want to go as far as I can.” Wherever Munro’s future in cycling leads, she definitely has a strong foundation of experience and accomplishments.

Cyclocross Newcomer Michaela Thompson Proves her Worth

Having only joined the Boulder High mountain bike team at the beginning of her junior year, and only starting cyclocross that next spring, Michaela Thompson is still relatively new to the sport. Yet this lack of experience makes her qualification and accomplishments at World Champions even more impressive. After mountain biking for Boulder High in the fall of 2018, Michaela was advised to join the BJC team by her coaches. She took the advice and competed for the team for the following year and qualified for Worlds after “the ride of her life” at Nationals where she placed 2nd right behind Maddie Munro.  

Michaela explained that the training leading up to Worlds was extremely intense. “The whole year, starting last spring really led up to it. [To prepare mentally] I actually tried meditating and did a lot of yoga and physically it was just training with the team and then tapering on intervals.” She then traveled to Germany a couple days before Worlds to meet up with the rest of Team USA and pre-ride the course. As it was her first time at Worlds, she “wasn’t really expecting any results [from the race] and was more just doing it for the experience.” However, looking back she felt that she did not perform as well as she wanted to as a result of her nerves getting the best of her — an understandable side effect of competing at such a high level. Despite her disappointment in her performance, Michaela still finished 37th overall in the race, and impressive feat for any newcomer.

Michaela is now taking a short break to spend time with friends and ski, but is planning to start mountain biking in March and compete again in the summer.  She is also planning to ride for Fort Lewis college next year, which has one of the best cycling programs in the country. There she will be competing in mountain biking, cyclocross and road biking. Be sure to watch for Michaela as she takes her already majorly successful start in cycling to the collegiate level!

Preparation is everything, until it’s not: How Jared Scott made the most of his unexpected circumstances  

As a veteran Worlds Competitor Jared Scott knew what to expect going into this year’s competition. He knew to expect a completely different form of racing than what he was used to back in the U.S., one that is much faster paced and more competitive. He also knew how crucial preparation is for a race like this. “You need to train which is obvious, but so much more goes into it. Everything you do from what you eat to getting enough sleep are small factors that will add up and eventually allow you to be completely ready and perform your best when the time comes,” Jared explained. Unfortunately, a bout of food poisoning before his race completely derailed all of the extensive preparation and training that Jared had put in over the past year. The night before his big race, Jared came down with a stomach bug that left him unsure if he was going to even be able to ride, let alone have the outcome he desired. Even still, the morning of the race, with strong support from his coaches and team, he decided to still give the race his all. He ended up pushing through and competing, and he was the last rider to finish before they started pulling people off the course. Despite the outcome, Jared maintains a positive attitude regarding the experience. “I was super disappointed with what happened but still proud that I went out there and finished. It’s just how life goes and we have to just take it in stride.” Jared crossed the finish line in 60th place with 5 racers still behind him.

Even with his talent and promising career in cyclocross, Jared is looking to focus more on road biking in the future. “There is more opportunity and the racing suits me better,” he explains. With the flexibility and opportunity of pursuing a completely different type of racing, Jared is extremely excited for what is to come.