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The Making of a National Champion

Number 72: Becoming a National Champion, Again

with CORYN RIVERA

On Sunday, June 24, 2018 Coryn Rivera put on her 72nd Stars and Stripes jersey – her second as a professional, but her first in the pro road race. For the 25-year-old, it has been a long time coming. For the past three years, she finished as the runner up. Being so close to the National Championship title, standing on the podium but not wearing the jersey is heartbreaking for a racer. Each of those years, tears fell at the finish line. As Coryn says, “You lose more than you win.” So, it is important to take lessons away from each one of those near-misses. This year, the Team Sunweb sprinter came into Nationals with a teammate, a plan, and determination. We caught up with Coryn after she arrived back home in California for a short break from her European race schedule. Read below to learn about how she won so many National Championship titles, what this one means to her, and how a huge support crew came through to help her achieve this monumental victory.

All photos by PinnedGrit Photo.

Liv: Your National Championship win on Sunday brings your title count to 72! After three second-place finishes three years in a row, what does this National Title mean to you?

Coryn: It means a lot of different things to me. From getting second place three years in a row, learning from each one and being prepared for this year. It means all the hard work I’ve put into training and being away from home racing paying off. All the sacrifices the people around me did, like Ruth’s own race, her boyfriend helping us as our mechanic, old race friends coming to Knoxville to help us, my parents driving straight across the country to watch and all the support they have given me over the years, my boyfriend and college friends coming out to support us in the feed zone. I’m just so happy that I was able to do my part to make the race a success and worth everyone’s time.

Liv: Speaking of, explain to us how you achieved so many National Championship victories at such a young age.

Coryn: I have been racing since 2004. My first National Championship race was the Junior road championships in Park City, UT where I won the TT and the road race. When I finished my junior career I had accumulated about 32 National Championships from racing road, track, and cyclocross events. I more than doubled that with collegiate racing with Marian University in the road, track, cyclocross, and mountain bike events. My last collegiate title was my 71st title when I won the MTB short track race my senior year of racing. I also won my first professional title in 2014 when I won the criterium.

Liv: When you arrived in Knoxville, TN, you were coming off another big win at the OVO Women’s Tour in the UK. After pushing it for five days and winning the GC, were you nervous about how you would recover ahead of Nationals?

Coryn: Not at all. I had planned to travel direct to Knoxville after the OVO Women’s Tour to get acclimated to the weather and jet lag. I had plenty of time to relax, recover, focus on the next goal, and keep the form rolling into the next weekend.

Liv: What was it like to have your parents surprise you by driving across the country to watch you race? What are some of the things that your parents do to support you during a race?

Coryn: It was really incredible! That actually made me more nervous as they were driving straight through and sleeping in the car to make it to Knoxville. They weren’t able to make it in time for the criterium, but they were able to have a day to recover from their long drive and be ready to cheer me on and support me and Ruth on Sunday. My parents used to do everything for me when I was a junior. We used to drive the motorhome to all the different Junior National Championships and my dad would help make sure my bike and gear were ready to go and my mom would be feeding me well, luckily she is a nutritionist! But now that I’m older and I’m pretty self-sufficient they were able to just enjoy watching me race and cheer me on without any responsibilities. It means the world to me that they made it to Knoxville safely and they were able to see me win and give me big hugs after the race.

Liv: Your teammate Ruth Winder was instrumental to your win. How important is it to have a teammate in the fight for a National Championship win?

Coryn: It was huge and made the difference. Last year was my first year racing nationals alone and I had to learn how to race differently and gamble being alone. She placed 3rd last year, so on paper, we were the strongest team going into the race getting 2nd and 3rd last year respectively, so to both be able to improve on our results together as a team was a beautiful thing. We trusted each other fully and had great communication and teamwork towards our goal of winning the race, whether she was in a position to win or if I was in a position to win.

Liv: In the final kilometers of the race, what were some of the thoughts going through your head? How do you stay confident, positive and ready to react as everything unfolds heading into the finish?

Coryn: I am always focused and in the moment. I am not thinking about the 2nd places I’ve gotten the last 3 years. Ruth and I were vigilant of late race attacks once the breakaway was reeled in by other teams. And Ruth was amazing in covering the last few attacks going into the final kilometers. We were always in control and knew what needed to be done to be in a position to win. We were prepared with a race plan the day before the race and went over different race scenarios and how to react. And we had a great team in the caravan car and in the feed zone. I was glad to race the criterium a couple days before the road race since it had a similar finish to the road race, so I learned from that knew how I wanted to approach the last kilometer for the win. It helps to be prepared with a plan to stay confident and positive, and then it just comes down to executing.

Liv: What’s next on the schedule? What goals do you have left to check off this season?  

Coryn: I am at home in California for the next few weeks to relax, recover, and soak everything in before the last long part of the season. I am excited to celebrate this last month with all my family and friends at home. You lose more than you win, so it is important to take a moment to share it with the people who care about you. There is still a lot of racing left in the season, so I’ll be refocusing on the big end of season racing including Ride London, Tour of Norway, Plouay, and of course World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria.

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