Evie Richards is a cross country and cyclocross racer who rides for Trek Factory Racing. She won the U23 cyclocross World Championship in 2016 and 2018, and achieved second place in cross country at the Commonwealth Games in 2018. Earlier this fall, she gained her first elite mountain bike World Cup win in the short track race in Nové Město, Czechia.
In this conversation, she and Payson talk about her rapid rise to elite international success, including the contentious sprint finish at Nové Město that left her with complicated emotions in spite of her victory. She talks about how her determination to stay fit and learn new skills during the UK’s first lockdown in the spring resulted in a severe knee injury that hindered her training, and why she chooses to keep her presence on social media as positive as possible. They also talk about how she’s carefully cultivated a healthy work/life balance in spite of her busy professional commitments, what’s it’s like living down the road from her entire extended family, her Olympic ambitions, and the inspiration she draws from athletes outside of cycling.