October 06, 2014 – Young Ontario Cyclocross star Ruby West (Kallisto-FCV) won the Cat 3/4 Women’s race on Day 2 of the KMC CX Festival in Providence, Rhode Island on Sunday after placing second on the previous day. Pedal caught up with the junior speedster to get West’s own take on her big double-header podium weekend – results here.
How did you like the race course ?
Ruby West: The course was super tough, I heard from many riders that this year was the toughest it’s been, since they completely changed it from years past. There were four flyovers, a jump and a pretty big hill with some tough technical turns, so it was a very selective course, but it was so much fun and I loved it.
Was it intimidating with so many riders (140) on the start line ?
RW: Yes, for sure, I have never been in a field that large, I’m used to racing only three or four junior girls so it was so different. I think the first day I was more overwhelmed than anything by the number of girls and my position in the starting grid which was eighth row back. I knew it was going to be a big challenge to try and get up to the front with that many riders ahead of me.
After riding the course many times with my friend Emma White we knew getting to the front for that the first turn off the pavement would be important as things pinch there, that became an instant bottle neck in every other race down the back of the pack. Emma’s advice helped so much. It also helped having the Whites to support me at the race – these guys have a cyclocross dynasty in New England with Curtis (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com), Emma and Harrison (Cyclocrossworld) all racing so successfully. That gave me huge confidence.
On the start line I just kept thinking about the race plan Emma and I had discussed, and all the advice I’d received from Curtis and my coach Kevin Simms back home, and just tried to execute it all. I tried not to focus on the number of people in the race and more just focus on sticking with the lead girls, no matter how many of them there were.
After finishing second on Day 1 what was your strategy on Day 2 ?
RW: I think my strategy was mostly just to do what I did on Day 1, which meant moving up as quickly as possible and getting to that lead group. I knew it would likely be the same group of girls in that top split on both days, so I knew who to look out for. It was tricky to do this as I was hoping I would be on the front of the start line, but as it worked I was back in the ninth row again.
Did the race go as planned ?
RW: Not really… I knew going into the second day that I could do well and my goal was to win, I definitely did not have the start I wanted to, being even further back than I was on Day 1 (they seeded us again by bib number) and being behind some of the more cautious riders, meant once I finally got moving I had to put a lot of energy into chasing the leaders for the first while. I think that, and the race on Day 1 (which involved a lot of chasing as well) were the reasons I was so exhausted during the race and was struggling to keep up with the pace. A few times I almost slipped from that lead group but each time I was able to get back with them. I made my move on the final flyover when one of the girls in our lead group went down and took all the other girls with her, letting myself and one other girl from the group get a gap on them, which in turn is how the race was won.
Is this your biggest victory to date – how does feel to win such a big race ?
RW: It’s up there for sure! I’m only 15, so this is pretty wild for me to win the Cat 3/4 outright! This year I did quite a bit of road and had some good success with that. But this is definitely my biggest cyclocross result, as I’ve only ever done junior or U17 races in Canada where the fields are never this big or competitive. To me it felt totally surreal. The whole race I could hear the announcers saying: “The-fifteen-year-old from Canada,” and that I was with that lead group, and which I could believe since I’d done that on Day 1 as well. But as soon as I got that gap on Natasja Brooijmans, it finally set in that I could win the race, and as soon as we turned onto the pavement finishing straight and I saw the finish line it all sunk in and I realized what was going on. I was in disbelief that I’d just won. I knew that’s what I wanted to do and what my goal going in was, but I hadn’t really thought about it actually happening!
How long have you been racing cross?
RW: I’ve been racing road for three years, but this is only my second season doing cross. Last year Mandy Dreyer gave me some pointers and I just starting racing, really never training for cross per se. Last year I was as a first year U17 and did the Ontario Cup series and then went out to Surrey, BC for Nationals. This year I’ve been getting some cross-specific training from Kevin Simms and on top of my road and track training with my team Kallisto-FCV and my coach Rob Good, it’s making a big difference I think. I watched Emma compete at the World Road Championships in Spain two weeks ago (Emma came 5th in the ITT) and I heard the announcers say that cross riders have a huge advantage in the rain and bad conditions, because their bike handling is so good, so I will always want to do cross. Plus the fact it’s just so much fun, and different than any other discipline.
What are your plans for the rest of the season and next year ?
RW: Well [Cyclocross] Nationals are coming up soon, so I’ll be heading out to Winnipeg for that (Oct. 24-26). As well I will do the rest of the O-Cups and Ontario CX Provincial Championships. I am in the States right now and will be staying with the Whites through until next week, so I’m going to get to do two more races down here, next weekend is Rochester — another one of the races in the UCI series, and I’m really excited for that! I also have track Nationals coming up pretty soon near the end of November in Burnaby, B.C. Next year I plan to start the season with Paris to Ancaster, race road through the summer and do the Tour de la Releve de Rimouski (stage race) again. The rest is up in the air and we don’t know all the dates yet, but I hope to get to come back to the States for some racing, it has just been such an amazing experience.
Congrats again on your double-podium weekend and all the best.
RW: Thanks