Just three years into a program that had high aspirations of providing the best equipment and support to an aspiring racer, Raleigh-Clement Cyclocross Team’s Allen Krughoff has been selected to the group of riders representing the United States at the 2014 UCI Cyclocross World Championships. Krughoff, who earned his spot with the Raleigh-Clement team by finishing as the top non-contracted rider in the 2011 Raleigh Midsummer Nights Cyclocross Race in Park City, will be one of six Elite Men from the U.S. in Hoogerheide, Netherlands from Feb. 1-2.
Krughoff first began racing road and mountain in 1998 but switched his focus to cyclocross just three years ago. This season saw Krughoff consistently progress, with twelve top ten finishes in UCI races and a 5th place finish at Nationals. Krughoff is currently ranked 118th in the world.
“Getting selected to the U.S. Worlds Team was always something I thought of as a career goal,” said Krughoff. “The kind of thing I thought of as a peak accomplishment where I could look back at my racing, all of it – including road, MTB and cross – and think to myself that I had really worked my way to the top level. So after having a great ride at Nationals in my hometown of Boulder, I sealed the bid to the Worlds team much earlier than I ever anticipated. I’m thrilled and cannot wait to be putting on a skinsuit with ‘USA’ across the chest…that’s probably when it’ll feel very real.”
22 riders were named to USA Cycling’s world championship roster, including six in the Elite Men category: Jeremy Powers (Rapha-Focus), Ryan Trebon (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com), Tim Johnson (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com), Zach McDonald (Rapha-Focus), Jonathan Page (Fuji/Spy Optics) and Krughoff. Powers, Trebon, and Johnson automatically qualified as the first, second, and third-ranked riders in the UCI rankings, respectively. Those three riders will be joined at Worlds by McDonald, Page, and Krughoff.
“The support I’ve received from the Raleigh-Clement team over the past two seasons has been incredible,” said Krughoff. “It has enabled me to get the experience I needed to couple with hard work in order to find my way towards the front of the races. Despite the Worlds team selection coming a bit earlier than anticipated, there’s plenty of racing in my plans for the future and I can’t wait.”