Clara Honsinger was focused on defending her elite women's stars and stripes jersey this week at the 2020 US Cyclocross Championships in Iowa City, Iowa. Instead, with the cancellation of the championships due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic by USA Cycling, Honsinger will retain the title and jersey for another season and will be in Europe this season with her new team, Cannon She is proud to be carrying high expectations with Dale Cyclocross World Pro Cycling.

"Overall, I'm focused on just racing beyond the jersey," Honsinger said of her first European campaign as American champion.

"The jersey feels like pressure in a way, carrying the expectation of the results achieved by other American women like Katie Compton and Katie Keogh. Then again, I represent the top class of cyclocross athletes, which gives me more confidence."

This is the 23-year-old's fourth season competing on the European cyclocross circuit. She finished 10th in the X2O Trophy Kortrijk and 6th in the Superprestige Boom. In only four appearances, she has already achieved her goal of placing high.

"I'm happy to be in the results and it confirms that I'm in good shape. But this is only two races, and it's important to keep going consistently throughout the rest of the season," Honsinger said, noting that the races were more aggressive than those in the U.S.

"I'm happy that I'm in the top half of the results," she said.

"The starts here are faster and more aggressive. You can be 20-30 seconds behind the leader in the first quarter lap, and then the rest of the race is spent chasing riders. Sometimes I don't feel like I am really racing. I need to get more racy and aggressive starts so I can race."

"Kaiti gives me advice on how to set up on the grid and where I should keep pushing in the pack. Curtis [White], Kaity, and I practice our crosses every week in the woods nearby. It's great to have wheels to chase ruts and push around on the shoulder on narrow roads. I'm only three, but I'm more comfortable moving in a group."

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This weekend, he will compete in two C1s, the X²0 badkamers Trofee-Scheldecross in Antwerp and the Telenet Superprestige in Gavère, as well as seven in 10 days in Belgium between Christmas and New Year's, including the C1 is new territory for her.

"Scheldecross is usually a dry course with a lot of sand, so I would probably opt for the Challenge Dune at first. But looking at the forecast for this weekend, it looks like it's going to rain, so maybe there will be some mud. I'll make my final decision when I get there and pre-ride a few laps," she said of her tire choice for the upcoming event. 'The garble tires are going to be slicks regardless of the weather, so depending on how muddy it gets, I'll probably go with the Challenge Baby Rims or the Rims.

"Going into such a busy race block, I think rest and recovery will be the most important factors. I'm fortunate to have a team that is willing to take on the tough logistics, so ultimately it's up to me to make the most of this opportunity to perform."

So far this season, she says she has enjoyed the well-designed race course and adds, "Regardless of the size of the venue, the race director can pull off an elaborate and challenging course. All barriers are sturdy fences or stakes, no vinyl tape or cones. It takes a lot of infrastructure to build a European race course."

The biggest revelation this year was the absence of spectators, which makes cyclocross so special.

"The Belgian races are always cluttered with fans and spectators, but this year there were no people at all. I can park my car right next to the starting point and not have to wade through hundreds of people. It's much more convenient, but I miss the vibrant atmosphere."

For the time being, the crowd has been dispersed to online spectating, with more emphasis on social media posts and website reports showcasing teams and sponsors. From these snippets, fans may see glimpses of mountains painted on Cannondale's new custom frames, painted in the Henri Matisse style she preferred to the traditional stars and stripes as a national champion.

"Riding bikes has always been tied to my idea of landscape and environment because it takes me into the woods and on the trails. At Cannondale, I was fortunate to work with a talented design team that was able to translate my ideas into images. The cutout style of "Matisse" immediately caught my eye because it resembles a work of art, and the idea of three peaks is imbued with the sentiment of the landscape and the environment I grew up in.

The three peaks she mentions are in the Pacific Northwest, which has had special significance in her career to date: Mount Shasta in northern California, where she has run; Mount Rainier in Washington, which overlooks the course where she won the national title last December; and Mount Hood in Oregon, near her home. near her home in Oregon, is Mt. Hood.

She is now happily on the trails in Belgium and the Netherlands, with a new bike, a new team, and a fresh focus. She is not homesick and hopes to resume racing in the US.

"I love that anyone can race cyclocross in the US. Literally three generations of riders can race in one weekend. It's a much different style than in Europe, where it's just developers and pros, but the inclusiveness and friendliness of American racing is really special and makes for a good party."

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