My name is Chloe Fraser and I am a 17-18 Junior Women’s racer out of Boulder, Colorado. I race mountain bikes and cyclocross with Boulder Junior Cycling. I got into cyclocross two years ago when my coach encouraged me to pick up an offseason activity while I was taking a break from the mountain bike season. For my first two years of cross, including a somewhat nonexistent 2020 season due to the pandemic, I always viewed cross with a sense of secondary importance. However, coming into this season as a second-year junior, I felt like I could make a breakthrough in the sport. After a pretty solid season with podiums at all American UCI races that I went to and a 2nd place at the Pan American Championships, I was invited to Europe and everything changed. To be able to race my bike, my biggest passion, on top of spending time in Europe (one of my longest and greatest dreams) makes me feel like the luckiest person alive.
In my time over here, I’ve had some top 10 results, some great race moments and lots of bad ones. I no longer see the negative moments as places I failed, like I would in the states, but rather as the most incredible learning opportunities one could have. The phrase, “you either win or you learn” has never resonated so deeply within me. And beyond learning more in one race than I have all season, it's been so eye opening to spend time with the best cyclists in the country and be able to be in an environment that encourages growth as a team. From little things like learning nutrition or stretching tips from other athletes, I feel like I have become a more well-rounded athlete.
As to the future, this trip has given me immense amounts of hope for what my future could look like. Before coming over, all I ever heard about was how different and hard the Euro races and racers are. But after one or two races I was pretty settled in, and though it was a level up, it wasn't a chasm I would never be able to cross. I've been able to pin-point the areas I need to improve on and am coming away from this trip with much more purpose and inspiration for my future. This trip has been the final push I've needed and have been looking endlessly for as to where I want to attend college, and I have come to the conclusion that I want to try to pursue cyclocross as my primary focus. If someone had asked about those two subjects one month ago, my answer would have been radically different. I genuinely want to thank you and the support I've received for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime and for being a key part in a very important transitional period for me.
- Chloe
USA Cycling relies on thousands of individual annual contributions from cyclists and other supporters of our mission to champion the sport of cycling in America. These contributions fund programs like this European racing development camp as well as many other elite-level development so the Stars and Stripes shine on world-class podiums. Let's grow the sport of cycling together.
