Madison Wisconsin's own Lyllie Sonnemann has been invited to participate in the Cyclocross World Championships and will don the blue, white and red stripes this Saturday in Leivin, France. At 17 years old (or 18 years old in cyclocross racing years), the junior will be the next Wisconsinite to race in the World Championship since Madison's Caleb Schwartz finished out the 2021-22 season. Previous to that was Kaitlin Keough from Racine in 2019.
Sonnemann started racing in the WICX Series during the 2018 season at just 10 years old with Revolution Cycles, but a mere four years later she was already jumping into her first Elite Cat 1/2 race—the fastest race category—and placing 3rd. Then, in 2023, Sonnemann was recruited to CXD - Trek Bikes, a powerful development team based out of Washington D.C. (This year CXD Trek Bikes took 5 podium spots at the U.S. Cyclocross National Championships.)
“That spring, CXD Trek Bikes reached out to me with the opportunity to join their team,” Sonnemann told me via email. "They helped me make the jump from local racing, to the domestic and international UCI scene, and their support and guidance has been invaluable.
“Everyone there is incredibly supportive of one another, but there's also an intense competitive drive among us that motivates us to elevate our level at every race.”
Indeed, while cyclocross has achieved some level of success in the U.S, it's very different when you hop over the Atlantic; our biggest stars are often found hanging on tight to towards the back of the field.
Fall 2024 was Sonnemann's first time racing overseas in those highly competitive European fields.
“I remember my first World Cup in Troyes, France, I didn't get nervous until the day of the race, when suddenly the reality of what I was doing kind of kicked in. In just a few months, I had gone from competing against three other women in Wisconsin, to the fifteen best girls in the U.S. junior women's fields, and now the 45 best girls in the world, in a country I had never visited before," said Sonnemann.
Personally speaking, as a participant, practice leader, team leader and fan of cyclocross, I've always touted the overall welcoming inclusivity of cyclocross compared to other disciplines of racing. It's a sport that can be equal parts competitive and goofy, seemingly offering a place for everyone to participate.
But Sonnemann says that things get a little spicier at the higher levels.
“The biggest differences I've noticed racing in Europe are the field sizes, aggressiveness, and course style.
“In Troyes, I remember as we dismounted and approached one of the first technical sections, a girl grabbed my handlebars and used them to help pull herself up the hill. I had heard stories of similar incidents from some of the older girls on the trip, but that was still a bit of a shock. Fast forward to now, I've learned to be aggressive, to have my elbows out, and not be afraid to do a little pushing myself.”
“Over here, it's every girl for themselves. This was a lot different to the style of racing I had grown up around, where people ‘tread lightly’ around one another, and you'd be talked to if you made a lot of contact with another rider. It's just a totally different culture and approach to racing.”
The courses are more technically challenging as well.
“This year, we had a double World Cup weekend that consisted of two of the most iconic courses in cyclocross: Hulst and Zonhoven.
“Hulst is famous for its steep, wall-like descents and ascents, created by the Dutch as a barrier against the invading Spanish.
“And most cyclocross fans will know the term ‘De Kuil’—which in Dutch literally means ‘the pit’—a giant pit of sand on the Zonhoven course. While it's eroded over the years, it is still intimidating and claims victims in every race. It's hard to tell on TV, but the sand is actually very deep, and if you lose momentum and have your weight too far forward, it's hard not to go over the bars.
“These types of features simply don't exist in courses in the U.S., and certainly not in any of the Wisconsin courses.”
(At least not since we stopped doing Hill Bill.)
And of course, among the challenges of competing at the highest level of sport at such a young age, is also schoolwork. But despite the challenges, when she's not on top of the bike, she remains on top of her homework.
“Finding a balance between sport and academics has been really important. I've been lucky to have teachers who are willing to work with me when I'm abroad so that I can stay connected with my classes, but also be focused on racing and training when I'm over here. I find that if you communicate early and often it's not too difficult to stay on top of school work.”
Between the complications of coordinating travel, training hard, racing through mud and sand, and completing school assignments on time, Sonnemann seems to love it all.
“I do this because I love to ride my bike. I love the competitiveness, the ‘high’ you get from pushing as hard as you can, and the places I go and people I meet because of the sport.
“Cyclocross in particular I like, because of the unpredictability. The course is constantly changing throughout the race, and you're often making last minute tire and tire pressure decisions. Or suddenly it starts to hail and you need another layer to keep warm. You have to be adaptable and flexible, something I think is not only difficult to do in a race setting, but challenging in life as well. I have fun trying to put the pieces together to solve every race day.”
Cyclocross World Championship Watch Party
You can watch the Junior World Championship races on FloBikes (subscription required) on Saturday, February 1, or join the watch party for the Elite Cyclocross World Championships at Wheel & Sprocket in Bay View at 8 a.m. For more information, RSVP on Facebook.
Jason McDowell grew up in central Iowa and moved to Milwaukee in 2000 to attend the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.
In 2006 he began working with OnMilwaukee as an advertising designer, but has since taken on a variety of rolls as the Creative Director, tackling all kinds of design problems, from digital to print, advertising to branding, icons to programming.
In 2016 he picked up the 414 Digital Star of the Year award.
Most other times he can be found racing bicycles, playing board games, or petting dogs.
