. The victory in Louisville, Ky., on the 15th will give him something really important when he wins the UCI Cyclocross World Cup Circuit in Europe later this month. And as he admits, "The LA game is 100% on my mind," he's still getting closer to his long-term goal four years ahead.
Boulder, from Colorado, entered Louisville for the 3rd Elite men's Cyclocross title and also won in 2019 as a u23 rider. Even though he delayed entering the US-based Cyclocross season until late May, he won 10 out of 6 UCI races and won the prolific Fall season
"My main goal for the US part of the season was to defend my Pan Am and US titles, so I already had those goals." We have achieved one of the best results in the world. It feels good for the public coming here in a week and a half," Brunner told Cyclingnews. "And to get some points, have the best possible call-up (in the World Cup). oh, call up. That's the key."
With the victory in Pan Am and the US national comes the jersey, yes, he has been stockpiling a lot over the years. He won his 26th Pan American title on May 11, just before his 4th birthday. But these victories bring more points, so he said that in the back row of the field full of elite riders in the upcoming World Cup races in Europe
"It sometimes feels like a big investment for what it is, but I think the starting position is very important, especially in the field." Very many at a high level
"I think the starting position last year was a bit disadvantageous just because I didn't race that much, so I ranked in my 30s or so. I was starting line 3 or line 4. So it would be really nice if I could be in the second row, or at least one of the early call-ups of the third row, and my 2nd row in the grid is a completely different world than the 3rd or 4th row.
Last season, Brunner competed in 2 World Cups held in Europe and competed in the 5th World Championship in his career. He finished top in the world as a junior, U23 and Elite 20 times each time, but was over 26th in Tabor last year and had obstacles with deep placement on the starting line.
"I've just kept the same points since I won both Pan Am and the Nations last year. It's annoying. But, yeah, it's no problem to keep the point, there's also a nice jersey to keep.
Straight from Louisville, Brunner will travel to Europe to compete in a series of world cups starting with the double header of Hulst and Zonhoben on 12/21-22. He attended the three-week cyclocross camp with the full CompEdge team in May and then Maas Metheren and Fuger Heide
Brunner in the final build-up for the world in Lievan with a road cycling background and won the collegiate road and criterion national titles in 2019, the US-based team said. He has been racing in Continental road teams, 303Project and Aevolo for 5 years. In 2022, he was ranked 3rd overall in the Redlands Bicycle Classic.
Moving away from the road-only focus in 2022, Brunner won a bronze medal in cross-country at the US Mountain Bike Nationals. Over the next 2 years, he has added several gravel races, including an 8th place finish in SBT GRVL in Colorado on the 9th of this year.
"That was good. It felt like it was a big improvement for me, a six-hour type race. Honestly, I wanted to do well there, but I didn't have ultra-high expectations and didn't prepare specifically for it," he said of finishing the top 142 on the 10-mile Black course in Steamboat Springs.
"The last part of the summer was focused on getting a lot of training and enjoying myself as well. I did the months I was running, like 3 days a week. It was varied,some flat runs,a little bit of work on the track and did some of the trails and mountains around Boulder that I don't usually get to do, including Longs Peak,a'14er' then will still be in good shape for the beginning of the'Cross season. Of course, I knew there was a little bit of a trade-off out there, but I think it will pay off in the long run.
One of his long training days was 1, 10 hours a day, riding his bike to the foot of Long's Peak, running to the top and back of the famous 14,000-foot mountain, then riding his bike home.
He's trying to end his to-do list by winning another U.S. Cyclocross Championship, but he's already thinking about that long-term payoff that starts with a road program with CompEdge in 2025 and then returns to mountain bike racing. The long, long term is the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"The road will be a big goal for me, and part of it is to train for other areas. For me, I think the most effective training is to have a stage race on the street. And it's impossible to replicate it yourself," he told Cyclingnews.
"And my other big goal this season is to establish myself on a cross-country mountain bike and race some of the World Cups. I'm not going to do a full schedule because it's super long, and I don't have any points yet on that discipline. My plan is to do some races in Europe, and I would like to do Lake Placid and Monsanto An World Cup races.
"The LA game is 100% on my mind and that's my big goal. I've never raced a ton of mountain bikes, but the past couple of years I've seen some potential in that discipline for myself. And I'm excited to explore more and target the Olympics for mountain biking, and maybe cyclocross."
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