Gwen Gibson is one of the best World Cup XCO racers in the world, but she almost didn’t make it into the professional ranks. In college, she juggled racing with a full class schedule and held down three jobs to make ends meet. When she graduated, she thought it was probably time to quit her dreams of being a World Cup racer and find a ‘real’ career path. But then she started showing up to races and beating some of her idols, and in 2022, she had a breakout season, winning a World Cup short track race and nabbing third place at the World Championships after breaking her kneecap midseason. Now, she races for Trek Factory Racing and has scored eight top 10 World Cup finishes since joining the team. 

Gwen sat down with Payson in Girona to talk about battling her way into World Cup racing after years of determination, her continuing battles with self-doubt, what it was like winning her first World Cup race, and how she's building up her mental game after the disappointment of losing out on the Olympics last year with one heartbreaking race. She also talks about her friendship with teammates Evie Richards and Maddie Munro and how she still manages to win races despite shying away from confrontational tactics. 

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