Katie Compton's 15-year run of winning National Cyclocross Championships came to an end on Sunday at Fort Steilacoom outside Tacoma, Washington, but the 41-year-old 'cross legend crossed the finish line and cheerfully media as if she had just added a 16th win to her resume He kept things in perspective as he spoke with.

Compton quickly fell off the pace of the leaders in the 50-minute race as winner Clara Honsinger (Team S&M CX) and runner-up Rebecca Farlinger (Kona Maxxis-Shimano) broke away on the opening lap. Honsinger then crossed the finish line alone to take her first elite stars and stripes jersey, ending Compton's winning streak. [After winning the bronze medal, Compton told Cycling News. "I definitely didn't have the legs today, and it was a very hard course with all the running up and down and the technical parts. Clara and Becca rode really well and it was great to see Clara win.

"Yeah, I'm disappointed. But mostly I didn't have a good feeling. I'm glad Clara and Becca ran so well."

Compton, 41, has won every year since he was 25. Although he narrowly missed out on the win on Sunday, Compton is proud of his accomplishment.

"It's so great and I'm so happy to have won from the age of 25 to 40," he said. 'It had to end at some point. But I did what I could and Clara and Becca were faster.

"The competition is getting better every year and I'm starting to feel the effort and the age," she admitted.

"It's been a while. I ran pretty good, but just not good enough. I just didn't have enough speed."

Compton hopes to regain the speed and positive feeling she lacks when she returns to Europe to finish the UCI World Cup series and then head back to the world championships in early February. She said she did not feel demoralized on Sunday and remains highly motivated to perform well in the remaining seven weeks of the cross season.

"The motivation is always there," she said. Honestly, I'm pretty proud of 15th place." 'Honestly, I'm pretty proud of 15th place. I'm disappointed that I didn't have the legs. It's always disappointing, but some days are better than others."

The Colorado rider reiterated repeatedly that she believes Honsinger is a worthy successor to her decade-and-a-half reign atop the American women's cyclocross scene, and offered sage advice to the 22-year-old usurper to her crown.

"One year at a time; one year at a time, and don't let the media pressure get to you," she said, sharing a laugh with the reporters gathered just beyond the finish.

"There's always pressure. There's pressure on myself, but I also feel pressure from everyone telling me I'm going to win again. That's the hard part," she said.

"So I think it's about winning races and learning how to deal with the pressure that comes with that. She has enough time to figure it out. She's already had great results.