Worlds Watch - Sophie Sutton
Welcome to Worlds Watch! The 2024 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships are fast approaching, and Australia will be sending its biggest ever team to the Czech city of Tábor to compete.
To help you get to know the members of the team who’ll be racing for the rainbow bands, we’ll be profiling each of the riders competing over the next week.
Our third rider profile is current women’s U23 national champion Sophie Sutton, who’ll be racing in the Women’s U23 world championship on Sunday February 4th.
Rider name
Sophie Sutton
Instagram handle
Club & State
Blackburn CC / Gold Coast CC - Currently living in QLD!
Team/Sponsors
Giant Hampton
Have you raced at Worlds before?
First time!
How are you feeling heading into worlds?
I am feeling really pumped and super keen to pull on the Aussie skinsuit next week. After a successful National Championships and being lucky enough to be selected to represent Australia at Worlds, I have put my focus and commitment towards this trip and have done what I can to best prepare myself for the event.
Not going to lie it has been a challenge to adapt to the winter weather and conditions in Europe after coming from the peak of Australian summer, but I am keen for the challenges we face leading up to, and at the World Championships itself. Spending some time with the other Aussie representatives in Belgium has also been a positive experience and a good opportunity to learn from one another. I am also really looking forward to watching and cheering them on in Tabor.
Tell us about your prep for worlds!
When I was back at home in Australia, and after our trip to Japan for a UCI C2 race, I had a hard block of training during December. I then arrived in Belgium at the beginning of January and have been staying for three weeks. During these three weeks I have been exposed to many new experiences and found myself in situations where I have been pushed outside of my comfort zone, but I have relished the opportunities and used my strengths and positive mentality to grow.
Additionally, this time in Belgium has been used to acclimatise, train and race in these new conditions that the European CX scene has to offer. I have already been able to gain a wealth of experience and knowledge in such a short amount of time.
My race schedule while in Belgium included one local race, 2 UCI C2 events and one World Cup race just over the border at Hoogerheide, NL. This will give me the best possible lead up to the Championships in early Feb in the Czech Republic.
What are you hoping to get out of your worlds experience?
I am keen to proudly wear the Aussie colours and give it my best shot at my first World Championships. Representing my country is something I have always dreamed of, so to make this a reality at 19 years old means a lot to me. It is not something you get to do often, hence I am super grateful for the experiences and learnings that come with it.
It is expected that the speed and talent of the girls I will be racing against at Worlds is going to be a harder and faster field than I have ever competed against. I am not particularly aiming for a certain placing in the competition but rather knowing that I have proudly given it everything I had on the day, and having fun on the world stage is the only expectation I put on myself.
How do we spot you on course?
I will be wearing a white helmet and riding a Liv.
Attending the world championships is expensive, so if you’d like to help Sophie cover her costs, you can donate to her fundraiser here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sophie-sutton-represent-aus-at-cx-worlds
Photos for this article by @shotbyleealexander and @sophieesuttonn.
