For those that follow the pointy end of gravel racing, Lauren de Crescenzo was the most accomplished — and controversial — female rider of 2021.

The 31-year-old didn’t emerge out of obscurity to win Unbound Gravel in June but she did win the race after retiring from road cycling and moving on into the “real world.” In fact, she was passing through Kansas after getting married in Colorado when she won the prestigious race. Not that it was a lark — the former domestic pro is very serious about bike racing — but she’d fully shifted gears to working for the CDC after completing her master’s degree in Public Health in Epidemiology in May of 2019. In fact, she worked an eight-hour day before the race.

After she won Unbound, everything changed. A dream came true. Her coach Tom Danielson offered to match her salary at the CDC. She quit her day job. Then in August, she won SBT GRVL where the celebration quickly gave way to criticism. De Crescenzo was accused of working with teammates to bypass aid stations and jump ahead of the other lead women. Danielson posted a rant on Instagram after the fact, which made matters much worse.

Nevertheless, De Crescenzo forged ahead, focusing on what she loves most, which is training and winning bike races. She did that, commandingly, at Gravel Worlds, in August, and The ‘Rad in October. All the while, she remained mostly quiet on social media and participated in behind-the-scenes conference calls with other female racers to discuss women’s racing. Not much came of the calls, she told VeloNews, yet she was happy to join the conversations.

Looking ahead, De Crescenzo is steady and focused, reflective on both the successes and challenges of last year.  She would love a set — or two — of rainbow stripes, and she doesn’t think that social media is the setting to help her achieve her goals. She’s training to race and will race to win. She’s also excited to share what she’s learned with other women.

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