Maria Döring ends historic cycling career on high note with National Championship win
Maria Döring won the 60th National Championship in Lees-McRae cycling history after being awarded the top podium spot in the Women's Individual Omnium as part of the MTB National Championships. Four years of dedication and effort culminated in the crowning moment for Döring on Sunday, Oct. 16 at the Purgatory Resort in Durango, Colorado.
Döring, originally from Germany, got into cycling after ski racing at a young age.
"I started racing bikes in sixth grade and I wanted more,” Döring said. “In my last years of high school, I started thinking how I could combine my academic career with my athletic career, and I heard about the possibility of studying in the United States and competing for a collegiate team."
Döring captured the gold in the Women's A Omnium for the SECCC Championship after ranking first in gravity and second in endurance. For winning the Individual Omnium, Döring received a front-row call-up in the XC and Short Track at the MTB Collegiate Nationals, which was slated for four days with elevation upwards of 9,000 feet.
“This year it all came together. I was in really good shape, had experience, and a little bit of confidence," Döring said.
