Katie Clouse launches European road pro career with Rally Cycling

Published November 11, 2020 08:48AM

Clouse, one of the most decorated junior cyclists in U.S. cycling history, will race on the road for the U.S. squad next season, and her racing program will include plenty of European events. As a junior Clouse has been a standout in cyclocross, mountain-bike racing, and road cycling, and she most recently raced for the DNA Racing team in domestic U.S. road events.

“When Jonas Carney reached out this season, I felt like I was ready to make the move to a bigger team and race bigger races,” Clouse said. “Rally Cycling has a big presence in Europe and I’m excited to take the next step in my career.”

The move marks the next chapter in Clouse’s already prolific career. Clouse is best known for her multiple junior national titles in cyclocross, and in 2017 she stepped onto the national stage as a 16-year-old. The next season Clouse won her first UCI C1 event and in 2020 she finished fourth place at the UCI world championships in the Under-23 division. Clouse races for the Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com team in cyclocross.

On the road, Clouse has completed multiple stints with the U.S. national team in Europe, and in 2019 she played an integral role in helping teammate Megan Jastrab capture the gold medal at the UCI junior road championships in Harrogate. Clouse also raced the UCI Nations Cup events, which are major one-day classics for junior racers.

Clouse was sixth place at the Trofeo Binda Nation’s Cup event in 2019, and fifth at Gent-Wevelgem.

“European one-days are my absolute favorite kind of racing,” Clouse said. “My cyclocross background really comes in handy when racing short, punchy climbs over mixed terrain. I can’t wait to get over there with the team.”

Clouse joins the Rally squad just as her U.S. national teammate Megan Jastrab departs. Jastrab, the 2019 world champion, heads to WorldTour team Sunweb for 2021. Clouse said she’s excited to continue to learn the ebb and flow of European road racing.

“I’m very motivated to help people win big races against the best competition in the world,” Clouse said. “I believe that helping teammates win in Europe is what’s going to make me a stronger and better bike racer.”