KILLINGTON — Killington Mountain School cyclist Noah Barrows has been selected as one of six athletes named to the Australian Cyclocross team for the 2015 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, which will be held in the Czech Republic. Barrows is a full-term, 11th-grade cycling athlete who comes to KMS from the Queanbeyan region in Australia.
The Australian team will be in Europe from Jan. 19 to Feb. 2 for training. They will be based in Belgium for warm-up events prior to the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup at Hoogerheide, Netherlands, on Jan. 25. The team will then move on to the Czech Republic, where they will compete in the UCI Cyclocross World Championships from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1.
Barrows started mountain biking in Australia when he was 13 but had never had tried cyclocross until he came to KMS two years ago. Cyclocross is quite a different animal than road biking, with riders tackling courses from two to five kilometers and riding on various terrains while negotiating obstacles, often getting off their bikes to carry them up steep hills and over barriers.
“My first cross race was two years ago at Green Mountain CX,” Barrows recalled, “which was exciting as I had a brand-new cross bike and the course was very fun.” He added, “Cross is fun; you get covered in mud and when the races are at farms, you might also get covered in cow manure!”
Barrows started racing cyclocross as a 14-year-old, which meant he raced in the Under 19 category, often racing his teammate (and now coach) Ansel Dickey, Brendan Rhim, and the other top New England riders. “Everyone encouraged me to just enjoy the race and keep improving my skills,” Barrows said. “After the races there are great food vans, wood-fired pizzas and the scene is very relaxed and family-style.”
Barrows says the sport of cyclocross is just starting to emerge on the Australian cycling scene and that he is excited to part of the Australian team. It is a great honor, and KMS is very proud of Barrows for the dedication and hard work he put in that helped him achieve this goal.
