Zipp News

Petite Blairelle shows potential in Louisville

Just hours before she was to race, Kaitie Antonneau revealed her ambition for Saturday’s Elite Women’s World Cyclocross Championship.

Top 15, she said. It was a good goal for a young athlete who’s balancing racing with her studies at Indianapolis’ Marian University. But what Kaitie was really hoping for in Louisville, Ky., was more ambitious. “In the back of my head I really wanted to be top 10,” she said.

And Kaitie would do just that, placing 10th against top talent that included eventual champion Marianne Vos of the Netherlands and runner up Katie Compton of the United States over a slick and muddy course.

“I had a really good start and then toward the end of that first lap I hit a wall and I knew that I just had to settle into my own race,” said Kaitie, whose nickname is Petite Blairelle, or Little Badger. “There was a group of three or four right in front of me, so I worked hard to catch up to them. Once I saw that top 10 was within reach I was like, ‘OK, I can do this.’ I just fought really hard. I was on my limit the whole time.”

Kaitie – part of the Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com Team – relied on Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels for their durability, stability and superior handling throughout the 2012-2013 cyclocross season. Katie and her teammates also ride Zipp Service Course SL bars, stems and seatposts.

Zipp athletes at UCI Cyclocross World Championships,
Feb. 2 in Louisville, Ky. 

Elite men
19. Tim Johnson – USA (Trade team: Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld)
27. Jamey Driscoll – USA (Trade team: Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld)

Elite women
10. Kaitie Antonneau -- USA (Trade team: Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld)

Under 23 men
16. Yannick Eckmann – Germany (Trade team: California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)
29. Josh Johnson – USA (Trade team: Bissell-ABG-
3 laps. Tobin Ortenblad – USA (Trade team: California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)