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Katie Compton has new sponsors and a new plan for her ‘cross season. But first: it’s off to MTB worlds in Australia.

by Steve Frothingham

• August 24, 2009
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Katie Compton, with a new ‘cross team, will focus on the World Cup overall and the World Championships

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By Steve Frothingham

Daphne van den Brand, Kupfernagel and Compton battle at the 2008 Koksijde World Cup.

Photo: Frank Bodenmüller/CBGPhoto.com

Cyclocross star Katie Compton has a new ‘cross team and bike sponsor for the 2009-2010 season, and a new competitive focus for the season. But first, Compton has a little something else to focus on: the mountain bike world championships in Canberra, Australia, in two weeks.

Compton will ride for the Planet Bike team for this season, joining old friend and fellow cyclocross world medalist Jonathan Page on the squad sponsored by the Wisconsin bike accessories maker.

Compton brings her own bike supplier, however: Stevens, a German brand rarely seen in the U.S. Stevens also sponsors German racer Hanka Kupfernagel, one of Compton’s top rivals.

Compton won a bronze medal at the world ‘cross championships in February, behind Kupfernagel, who won silver, and winner Marianne Vos. The year prior, Compton won a silver medal behind Kupfernagel.

Last year Compton built her whole season around winning at ‘cross worlds, but along the way, almost by accident, she wound up third overall in the World Cup standings. “I only raced four events (out of nine): I won three and was second in the other,” she told VeloNews on Monday.

Kupfernagel — there’s that name again — won the World Cup overall last year.

This year, Compton said she’s aiming to win the World Cup and the world championships.

“I’m doing a full World Cup schedule — I’m going to be at all the events this year,” she said. She’s hoping that the world championships in Tabor, Czech Republic, will be held in muddy, wet conditions, which seem to suit her.

On U.S. soil, Compton will race CrossVegas, the Wisconsin USGP event (which is title-sponsored by Planet Bike), the Cincinnati Cyclocross Festival, and the national championships.

Compton took a huge early lead at U.S. Mountain Bike Nationals in July, but has problems with her asthma in the closing lap.

Photo: Brad Kaminski

Her other cyclocross sponsors include Sinclair Imports (the U.S. importer of Stevens bikes) and Zipp (which suppliers her handlebars, wheels and cranks). She will set up her Stevens bikes with SRAM Red components.

But first, the mountain bike

Compton stepped up her mountain bike schedule this summer, attending the Mont Ste-Anne and Bromont, Quebec, World Cups with the U.S. National Team, and racing the Alabama U.S. Cup and Colorado’s Teva Games.

Compton’s sixth at the Bromont World Cup — which came despite a poor start — convinced her and USA Cycling officials that it would be worth going to the world championships in Australia. Compton earned a coach’s discretionary selection to the world’s team.

“Somehow we came up with the money; we sold some stuff from the garage,” she said.

When Compton’s long-time sponsorship arrangement with Spike Shooter ended this summer, she found a new mountain bike sponsor with Massachusetts bike-maker Independent Fabrications and she will race an Independent bike at worlds.

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