Katie Compton racing in Colorado in June (Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
American Katie Compton has had to cancel most of her short term racing plans after losing her Spike Shooter sponsorship. The mountain bike and cyclo-cross star plans to continue training while she looks for new sponsorship, but nearly all of her racing intentions are on hold for the time being.
"We got cut off sooner than we'd like. [Former sponsor] Spike Shooter wanted to change direction. The only problem is that there wasn't a lot of warning. We've been searching since March, and there's not a lot of money out there," said Compton to Cyclingnews. The 30-year-old is the reigning US National Mountain Bike short track champion and has won the US cyclo-cross national championships every year from 2004 to 2008. "It's July and it's really hard to find contract in the middle of the season. We've talked to a lot of people."
"It's poor timing," said Compton, who's heard often from potential sponsors that their budgets are fully allocated by this time of year. "We were hoping to make it through until December, but we don't have the money to race any more. Right now we're just trying to make ends meet by coaching. With coaching, we can make enough to pay the mortgage."
Nonetheless, Compton is committed to training and maintaining her fitness. Although she had increased her plans for mountain bike racing this season, she'll have to scale them back. Compton recently finished second to Catherine Pendrel (Luna) at the US ProXCT round in Colorado Springs. She also won the Teva Mountain Games cross country this month.
Compton replied to rumors that she was going to be riding for the Sho-Air / Specialized mountain bike team. "It's a possibility. The guys at Sho-Air are working hard to find a place for me, but their budget is pretty tapped with sponsoring the mountain bike series and backing a World Cup for next year."
"I was planning to race the Canadian World Cups and the rest of the US ProXCT series," said Compton. "Right now, 'cross season is up in the air."
One race she will still do is the US Mountain Bike Nationals in Granby, Colorado, in mid-July. The resident of Colorado Springs has already committed to the trip and is looking for good results to bolster her sponsorship search.
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Compton won a UCI cyclo-cross World Cup in Koksijde, Belgium, earlier this year and finished third at the UCI World Cyclo-cross Championships.
Potential sponsors may contact Compton and her husband Mark Legg-Compton at kiwivelo@mac.com.
Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.
