Curtis White (Cannondale-Cyclocross World) admitted that he has come close many times to taking home the trophy and accolades at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships. In nine consecutive cross nationals appearances in junior, under-23, and elite races, he has never finished lower than sixth place.

In the elite men's race, White has finished second the past two years: in 2019 in Tacoma, Washington, and in 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky, both December mud races, and never more than 27 seconds off the winning pace.

The New York native is now a 30-year-old veteran with a new outlook for his 10th championship appearance, saying he has nothing to lose.

"I feel more confident and relaxed going into the national championships than I have in any year," White told Cycling News on Thursday as he packed his suitcase and made the short drive from home to Chicago and then to Wheaton a few hours later.

"It's a very special race and a once-a-year day. A lot of things have to go right for that to happen. I feel like I have nothing to lose."

"I've prepared as much as I can, so I feel comfortable going into it, and I feel comfortable that I've prepared as well as I can. I'm just looking forward to it."

A favorite to win in any condition and any race, White has four wins this season, two of them in Northampton. His silver medal at this event was his third win and third silver medal since his last title in 2018.

With 17 race appearances this year, almost half of the 2019 season when racing was in full swing before the pandemic, a compact season is the same for everyone.

"This year, in reaction to the pandemic, there were fewer races available. It's the same situation for everyone," he insisted.

"There were no overlapping weekends, so more or less everyone got together for all the race weekends, with a few exceptions. So it was exciting to get everybody together almost every weekend, and the level of racing went up every week.

"I like the way this season is going. We decided to stay in the country to reduce travel and spend more time at home, especially throughout November to be able to train. I am very happy with that training, preparation, and time at home. I think it will help me this weekend and in the upcoming European campaign."

White, who stayed in Europe with Cannondale Cyclocross World teammates Clara Honsinger and Katie Crews and left home immediately after the All-Japan Championships to pack up for over a month, said that it was "a little chaotic," but his assessment of the competition was was completely organised.

He was joined by defending elite champion Gage Hecht (Aevolo) and the top 14 ranked American in the UCI cyclo-cross rankings, Kerry Werner (Kona Maxxis Shimano), and Pan Am champion Eric Brunner (Blue Competition Cycles p/b Build) as expected riders in the lead pack.

"Looking at the men's side, four of them, including myself, have the potential to perform at a high level and win this race. It will be a high level and exciting race this year. It is not to be underestimated. I think it will be a very dynamic race," he told Cycling News.

"Eric Brunner has been in good form over the last month and a half. Eric Brunner has been showing good form over the last month and a half. I'm happy with how I raced. Obviously, it's frustrating not to win a race like that, but considering the circumstances, he had a good day and there wasn't much I could do about it.

"Then Stephen Hyde has been very quiet the last few months. He's a three-time winner, a very driven and calculating athlete, and I think he knows what it takes to make it for the day.

The only unknown at this point was a new course in Wheaton, Illinois, which crosses several holes on the golf course and rolls near a display of US Army tanks.

"I think there were a lot of question marks [on the course]. I've seen pre-run videos of the course, and I've been getting information from people on the ground for the last month or so. Now that the competition is here (non-championship this week) and I've seen the pre-ride video, I can see that it's bumpy, undulating, with a lot of hard pedaling sections," White assessed. [I know how to ride cyclocross courses and have done it a few times. [The great thing about cross is that it can be done in any conditions. That's how we train, how we view running, how we view strength and conditioning, how we view stability, how we view the different zones we train in on the bike, and how we view sharpness and explosiveness to handle any situation That's what it's all about. I believe I can handle the bike well, be in top form, and have a technically good race."

The men's elite championship race is the final race of the week at Cantigny Park in Wheaton on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. (CST). All races Friday through Sunday will be broadcast by FloSports.

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