Maghalie Rochette impresses on elite cyclocross circuit
Canada’s Maghalie Rochette is the newest mudder to hit the elite cyclocross circuit and she has big goals. She is a podium finisher in the under-23 road race and cross country championships, and is proving to be a top contender on the elite cyclocross circuit racing with the American team Cyclocrossworld.com.
Rochette, 20, is a former triathlete who recently switched to cyclocross and mountain biking. She secured strong under-23 performances during the cross country season with a bronze medal at the national championships and ninth place at the world championships. She also took third place in the road race championships.
“I only wanted to mountain bike because I thought it could help improve my cyclocross skills, but I completely fell in love with the sport,” Rochette said. “Now I will try to combine both disciplines and do as best as I can in each of them.
“One of my goals is to earn a podium in one of the big UCI C1 cyclocross races,” Rochette said. “Another objective is to be on the podium at Canadian championships in road, mountain bike and cyclocross. I’m missing the cyclocross podium at the moment. Finally, I would like to qualify to represent Canada at the cyclocross world championships.”
She joined the Cyclocrossworld.com squad this fall after receiving the Mud Fund’s financial assistance for up and coming young riders, set up by former U.S. cyclocross champion Tim Johnson and team manager Chandler Delinks. “They contacted me this spring to see if I had any plans for the 2013 season and said that they wanted to help me out. I jumped on this great opportunity,” Rochette said.
She kicked off the season with a top-10 performance at UCI C1 CrossVegas in Las Vegas, double second-place rides at the UCI C2 Green Mountain Cyclocross and a sixth place at the UCI C2 Trek CXC Cup in Wisconsin. She continued with top-10 performances at the UCI C2 Gran Prix of Gloucester and Providence Cyclo-cross Festival, both in New England.
“Next, I’ll probably do all the races of the Verge NECX series, the provincial championships in November, Jingle Cross, Canadian championships and a race in Oregon in early December. After that, it will depend on if I qualify for worlds or not.”
Rochette is also a student in the Athletic Therapy program at Concordia University, juggling three courses and a part-time racing schedule. “It’s doable,” she said. “I prefer taking less courses and having more time to train and recover properly. I know that it’s going to take longer to finish my degree. This is the best way for me to succeed better in both cycling and in school.”
