FEATURES

She’s not just the best in North America; she’s the best in the world. As of mid-November, Katie Compton had raced in three European cyclocross World Cups. Her worst result? Tenth, in her first appearance last year. This year, after taking the silver medal at the worlds, Compton grabbed second in the World Cup opener before taking the win in the second round. by ben delaney

Jonathan Page’s career hit a landmark when he became the first American to earn a coveted position on a top European cyclocross team, Sunweb-Pro Job. But the journey wasn’t an easy one. Tearing a rotator cuff at last year’s World Cup season opener and recovering from surgery had him selling bike parts and sacrificing household heat to make ends meet — but not anymore. by jason sumner

Rabobank’s team leader and Belgian cyclocross champ Sven Nys has clipped into the final spot for the three-man Olympic cross-country team, staying true to his opinion that he’s “the best of his generation.” by jason sumner

Cyclocross phenoms Ryan Trebon and Katie Compton face off to find out what makes a national champion, including past insights and choice of adult beverage.

15,000 feet of climbing. Fields of mud, broken chains, stomach bugs and missing bikes. And that was just on the first stage.

Tour of Lombardy fans expected big names to dominate the course that wrapped around Italy’s renown
Lake Como, but what they didn’t anticipate was the emergence of young riders from the peloton who beat out pros such as Paolo Bettini and Cadel Evans.

No time bonuses. No prologue. Fewer, shorter transfers. But plenty of big mountains. “It looks like a climber’s Tour to me,” said Cadel Evans.

Ultra-endurance athlete Mike Curiak set his sights on becoming the first rider to finish Alaska’s Iditabike race solo. He talks about life on the bike in the ultimate western frontier battling blizzards, wolves and drunken snowmobilers.

What could have been a fatal crash in this year’s stage 8 of the Tour de France took out Stuart O’Grady, but the Aussie is back in the saddle.

TECH & TRAINING

29er lovers unite! Redesigned suspension forks from Manitou and Fox cater to those with big-wheel obsessions, and the new Mavic C29ssmax wheelset is the first of its kind, with tubeless-specific, 29-inch wheels.

ROL provides ’cross-specific wheels with carbon rims, but its hubs reveal there could be a better deal, while SIDI’s new off-road shoe performs beautifully when running or clipped in.

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