Ruby West’s first UCI victories give her confidence ahead of Canadian nationals
At 18-years-old, West's development with Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com is paying dividends
Ruby West in action at the Silver Goose in Midland, Ont.. Photo: Lenore Dickson
Photo: Lenore Dickson
Photo: Lenore Dickson
Photo: Lenore Dickson
Photo: Lenore Dickson
Ruby West has had a successful cyclocross season up to date. The 18-year-old from Dundas, Ont. has already taken two UCI cyclocross World Cup under-23 podiums at the rounds in Iowa and Waterloo. She followed that up this past weekend with two UCI victories at The Silver Goose. The next race on the menu is going after the Canadian U23 women’s cyclocross title in Sherbrooke, Que. on Saturday.
Racing her second season with Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com, the two wins at the Silver Goose in Midland, Ont. were West’s first UCI victories. They came at Canada’s only UCI cyclocross race weekend this year.
“I was really happy about the wins. I knew going into the weekend it would be a good one but I didn’t expect that,” West explained. “Because it was a smaller race, the wins were attainable.”
Going into the weekend, West knew she had the opportunity to be in contention for the wins on the technical course. “It was such a phenomenal weekend. The course was outstanding, it felt like a real UCI race and across the board everyone who I spoke to had positive things to say about it.”
As a young racer herself, West feels she continues to learn competing alongside more experienced professionals on the North American circuit. At the Silver Goose, the roles were reversed with young competitors approaching her. “They are all just sponges at that age. There is no limit to how much you can learn when you are young. They are so excited and receptive to feedback,” she said.
“Here in Ontario, there are so many young girls and boys in the sport racing in the under-13, under-15 and under-17 races. It’s great to see and the cyclocross World Cup series allows the kids to race every weekend or every second weekend,” West explained about the state of the sport in her home province.
West emphasized how important the full calendar is to developing the sport in Canada. “It’s empowering kids to have those experiences to race. They are all super excited and enthusiastic, they love riding their bike,” West said. “There is youth on Canada’s side, I think there will be more UCI racing in Canada in the future.”
West is one of very few Canadians who races on a professional cyclocross team. It allows her to tackle a full race schedule which included three weeks on the road earlier in the season and another big block after nationals.
Racing without her usual set-up at the Silver Goose, West had to make some adjustments. “You have to get creative with how you manage things. I don’t have a gauge to check tire pressure. That’s normally something I don’t need to think about,” she said with a chuckle. Times like that make her grateful for the opportunity to race with Cannondale-Cyclecrossworld.com. It’s an opportunity she hopes more Canadians will get in the future.
That support has paid off in her results at the Silver Goose. “I have a little bit more convince going into nationals this year,” West explained. “Last year I had raced well and I lost my head when I got to nationals, I mentally shut down.”
Now with two recent wins under her belt, West is looking forward to seeing how she stacks up against Canada’s best. Though her ambitions are tempered in the elite category where she tips Maghalie Rochette and Christel Ferrier-Bruneau, West is aiming to take back the U23 title which she won in 2015 but lost to Sydney McGill last year.
“I’m getting a little tired of dry, dusty and hot races so hopefully we get some more typical cyclocross conditions,” West said about the type of conditions she hopes they get on the weekend. It probably won’t be the last time West races in Sherbrooke either, she has plans to attend Bishop’s University in 2018.
Follow the 2017 Canadian cyclocross championships on Oct. 28 at 1:20 pm live with Canadian Cycling Magazine.
