LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 2024 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships returned to Louisville at Joe Creason Park, with Sunday marking the end of its four-day run.
The final day in Louisville featured champion and junior races.
“I pushed myself to my limits, and I tried very hard at the end," said Evie Alvarado, 13, cyclist on the Midwest Devo team. "I wasn't doing too great toward the center, but I really dug deep toward the end to have a good finish."
It was Alvarado’s seventh time competing in nationals, but this course had something she has rarely ridden in before: mud.
“You had to run it because it was unrideable, and I was slipping and sliding everywhere because it's just crazy muddy,” she said.
But it was all worth it for Alvarado, who said she loves the atmosphere of cyclocross. It was her 90th start of the season, she said.
“It (has) run in my family, and I wanted to keep the tradition going," she said. "It's just a lot of fun because I get to come to races and see all my friends and just hang out with them."
Kyle Knott, national events director for USA Cycling, applauded Louisville Metro Parks' ability to host.
"They are great because we have a full run of the land," Knott said. "We can do different courses, so it's never the same thing. You've got a really good topography here to make different challenging courses."
After battling the hills and slick mud, Alvarado and her team are going to prepare for next year’s competitions.
“I'm going to clean up, probably have some chocolate milk and definitely go get donuts,” she said.
Winners will get the coveted stars-and-stripes jersey to wear in next year’s cyclocross.
Knott said there were about 1,000 participants from at least 44 states. He said he would love to bring the event back to Louisville in the coming years.