“I’m so proud to be a part of Canadian cyclocross right now”: U23 national women’s champion Ruby West

Ruby West, the young ‘cross specialist from Dundas, Ontario, shone in Canada’s colours this weekend at the world championships in Heusden-Zolder—and to many observers, she’s also a powerful sign of things to come in Canadian cyclocross. Competing in the U23 division, with a finish 7:05 behind Evie Richards of Great Britain, West turned in the top result for a Canadian in the women’s category, ranking 33rd among a decidedly tough field.

Considering how little she had experienced a Belgian course in competitions preceding Zolder, she told Canadian Cycling Magazine before competition kicked off, such a steady performance against such odds says a lot.

“My experience with European ‘cross courses is very minimal,” West said. “Since I’ve only done one race over here so far, I don’t know the ins and outs of the courses and the way of racing, like some other riders do. So far from what I’ve seen, though, everything is just on a much bigger scale: more mud, steeper climbs, deeper ruts, more stairs, etc.”

“I think being from Canada, it’s tough to simulate this sort of terrain for training, so I think the best way to train for this stuff is simply to do it in races,” West remarked.

Thanks for the support all season to get me here!!! So excited for the upcoming season with CNW ?? https://t.co/C3UdEEZquK

— Ruby West (@ruby3773) January 31, 2016

The Ontario-based U23 rider certainly speaks with a good deal of authority, considering the season that led her to Heusden-Zolder’s start line. One moment in particular, of course, stands out more than others. “The highest point of my 2015-16 cyclocross season had to be winning the national championships back in October,” the 17-year-old cyclist told Canadian Cycling Magazine, reflecting on the competitions behind. “That is what I’d been training towards all season, plus that qualified me for this trip to the world championships!” Even leading up to those invaluable opportunities, her season, West recalled, had been a fairly steady string of green lights. Above all, that afforded her the chance to absorb as much as possible in the saddle, experience-wise, building the competitive edge that guided her through Zolder’s terrain.

“I can lucky say I’ve had some pretty smooth sailing through my training and racing this cyclocross season,” she noted, “with no huge injuries or illnesses to battle. I have been able to train and race hard and maybe some races haven’t gone exactly how I’d hoped, but those always make for learning experiences.”

Being at the vanguard of Canada’s U23 crop of riders, the young champion has a particular view of Canada’s cyclocross scene, whose official growth has notably bloomed over the last season. Under the guidance of the cyclocross working group, the progress the discipline has made on Canadian soil and among Canadian athletes, west said, have been “huge.” “We’re seeing huge improvements from even last year with this awesome working group, headed up by Scott Kelly,” she effused. “Just on this year’s world championship project alone, the cost to athletes [out of pocket] has significantly decreased, making it more accessible for riders to get to.”

“It’s amazing to see how far this discipline has come in our country and to see all the dedicated individuals who are increasingly trying to push it to that next level for us,” West added.

“I’m so proud to be a part of Canadian cyclocross right now.”