The top under-23 rider in the UCI women's cyclo-cross rankings as of the final week of 2016, 21-year-old Ellen Noble (Aspire Racing), is living up to expectations and then some as one of the most promising riders in the American women's field.
The defending US under-23 champion has made consistent progress in her development up to this point since she began focusing more squarely on cyclo-cross after getting her start on the mountain bike. In the middle of a solid (and busy) 'cross season, and with a road contract signed for next year, Noble is trying to balance her wide-ranging aspirations and with staying productive in her efforts to grow into a successful elite racer.
"I'm trying to make the most of it, really focusing on having a good result at nationals and Worlds, but what's super hard to balance is that yes, I want to have the best possible season that I can as an under-23, but I don't want it to take away from what I'm trying to do as an elite rider in the future," Noble told Cyclingnews.
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"I want to be able to see the forest through the trees. Right now I'm just so focused on under-23, but more importantly I'm really trying to lay the foundation for a successful elite career for a very, very long time going forward. So if this season if I could repeat at nationals, if I could have an improved result – I was sixth last year – at Worlds, if I could improve on that by a place or two, that would be really, really exciting."
Noble heads into 2017 coming off a promising – if frustrating – showing at the Heusden-Zolder World Cup round, where she spent the first two laps near the front of the race before a mechanical set her back, leading to a 19th-place finish. She has raced every World Cup event so far this season, with top 10s at Cross Vegas, Jingle Cross and Zeven, making her the series' top-ranked under-23 racer. Before long, however, she'll drop the U23 designation and score results purely as an elite rider, while also figuring to expand her portfolio onto the road.
It's never easy to manage expectations in a sport that has seen riders dominate at a young age. Sanne Cant (IKO Enertherm-Beobank) was scoring big wins at age 21, and current world champ Thalita de Jong (Rabo-Liv) is just 23 years old after all – but Noble is careful not to lose sight of the long term.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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