INSIDE THE PROS’ BIKES: GWENDALYN GIBSON COULD BE AMERICA’S NEXT BIG WORLD CUP CROSS-COUNTRY STAR

Photos by Andy Vathis

Gwendalyn Gibson is one of the newest World Cup stars to come from the USA. Readers who pay close attention to cross-country racing know that Europeans have been dominating the podiums at the World Cup level for the last 30 years, with only a few exceptions.

This year a new American face started showing up on the World Cup podiums—Gwendalyn Gibson, who won the Elite Women’s Short Track at the World Cup race in Snowshoe, West Virginia, last summer.

Gwendalyn has signed with Trek for the 2023 race season. (Photo courtesy of Trek)

After leaving the U23 ranks last year, Gibson is coming to be seen as one of the best cross-country racers in the world, and she is only starting her second year in the Elite Women’s ranks. Read on to learn more about her and the bike she was racing in 2022 at the toughest mountain bike events in the world.

 

RIDER PROFILE

Name: Gwendalyn Gibson

Age: 24

Birthdate: April 5, 1999

Birthplace: Mammoth, California

Height: 5-foot-6

Shoe size: 41

Helmet size: Small

Marital status: Single

Current home: Grand Junction, Colorado

Started racing: 2014

Turned pro: 2022

Racing specialty: XCO mountain bike

Favorite course (North America): Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup

Favorite course (Europe): Vallnord, Andorra, World Cup

Favorite food: Pizza

Goals: My top three goals are to compete for the USA in an Olympics, win a World Championship medal, and win an XCO World Cup

Heroes: Lea Davidson is a mentor/hero to me and a great role model in mountain biking. Chloe Woodruff is also one of my heroes

Favorite recording artist: Dominic Fike

Favorite hobbies: Biking, hiking, anything outside!

Jobs held (other than racer): Barista, exercise science lab tech

What you would be if you were not a racer: I would work in the exercise science field, in a lab, or doing physio

 

Gibson won the gold medal in the Short Track race at the Snowshoe, West Virginia World Cup.

 

INSIDE THE PROS’ BIKES

GWENDALYN GIBSON’S NORCO REVOLVER FS 100

Frame: Norco Revolver FS 100, medium, carbon

Fork: RockShox SID, 100mm

Tires: Kenda, 29-inch

Sealant: Stan’s with Cush-Core insert

Rims: DT Swiss

Front hub: DT Swiss

Rear hub: DT Swiss

Brakes: SRAM Level TLM

Handlebar: FSA 680

Bottom bracket: SRAM DUB

Bottom bracket height: 333mm (13.11″)

Grips: WTB

Cranks: SRAM XX1 Eagle DUB, carbon, 170mm

Pedals: Crankbrothers

Chain: SRAM Eagle

Rear derailleur: SRAM AXS XX1 Eagle

Shifter: SRAM AXS XX1Eagle

Rear cassette: SRAM XX1 Eagle, 10-52

Saddle: WTB Silverado

Seatpost: FSA

Headset: FSA

Head angle: 68.5 degrees

Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe

Stem: FSA, 60mm

Extras: Wahoo computer

Weight of complete bike: 23 pounds

 

This was Gibson’s first year in the Elite ranks, and she’s already proved that she’s capable of beating the fastest women in the world.

 

MBA Q&A

MBA: Where did you grow up?

Gwendalyn: Ramona, California.

MBA: What kind of work do, or did, your parents do?

Gwendalyn: My mom used to make wedding cakes and also worked at a bio-tech company. My dad owns an auto-detailing company.

MBA: When did you first learn to ride a bike?

Gwendalyn: When I was younger, I learned to ride on camping trips with my family.

MBA: Who taught you?

Gwendalyn: My dad and high school coach Robert Grace taught me to ride.

MBA: Did you compete on other kinds of bikes before mountain bikes? If so, what kind? When did you do it, and how well did you do?

Gwendalyn: I have only ever raced mountain bikes, but I used to do endurance races that were six hours when I was younger, and I did very well in them.

MBA: When did you get your first mountain bike?

Gwendalyn: I got my first mountain bike when I was a freshman in high school.

MBA: When did you start competing on mountain bikes?

Gwendalyn: I started competing when was 15.

MBA: How did you finish in your first competition?

Gwendalyn: My first competition I was racing in the Freshman Girls category In the SoCal NICA league and I finished in seventh place.

MBA: Did you win any titles as an amateur?

Gwendalyn: I won my first National Championship when I was racing in the Junior Girls category.

MBA: What have been your best results as a pro?

Gwendalyn: My best results have been my Short Track win at the World Cup in Snowshoe, and the next weekend, at the MSA [Mont-Sainte-Anne] World Cup, I was second in Short Track.

MBA: Did you go to college?

Gwendalyn: I graduated from college in May of 2021 and got my BS in exercise science.

MBA: What other sports have you done?

Gwendalyn: I have done gymnastics, volleyball, cross-country running, track running and soccer.

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