LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – Antonia Leale (Planet Bike) led the race from the holeshot to take the win ahead of Shannon Gibson (Stans No Tubes) and Geraldine Schultze (Bio Wheels).
Leale took second in the 45-49 race at Nationals, and after she finished hugging her fiance, 55-59 National Champion Bob Downs, she told us that her goal all season was to take the Worlds win. “I’m a teacher,” she told us, “And one of my students told me it would be cool if I won. So I knew I had to.” And with that in mind, she flew off of the front of the group early on in the race, never looking back.
She was followed by Gibson and Schultze, who battled fiercely for the silver medal, but in the end, it was Gibson who emerged victorious in a close sprint. Behind them, New England native Kirsten Begg-Swider fought her way around the course to take fourth spot.
Antonia Leale Interview:
2013 Masters Cyclocross World Championships Women 45-49 Photo Gallery