Crystal Anthony

Name: Crystal Anthony
Current Residence: Beverly, Mass.
Hometown: Beverly, Mass.
Birthdate: 11/20/80
Birthplace: Beverly, Mass.
Height: 5-4
Weight: 121

Current Coach: Jesse Anthony
Team: Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefits

Twitter Handle: @CJoyAnthony

High School: homeschooled '97
Other Sports Played: cross-country running and track (3 years)

Colleges: Gordon, Harvard '01
Degree(s)/Major(s): BS, MEd

Foreign Languages Spoken: Spanish and French

Career Highlights:
Cyclo-cross

30th, 2014 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships (Hoogerheide, Netherlands), elite women
4th, 2014 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships
1^st 2013 Baystate Cyclocross Day 2
1^st 2013 Cycle-Smart International Day 1
2^nd 2013 MudFund Derby City Cup C1
2^nd 2013 Deschutes Brewery Cup C1
3^rd 2013 Green Mountain Cyclocross Day 1 and Day 2
5^th 2013 Providence Cyclocross Festival C1
5^th 2013 Superprestige Diegem C1
5^th 2013 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships
7^th 2013 Superprestige Gieten C1
13^th 2013 Azencross Loenhout C1
14^th 2013 World Cup Namur
17^th 2013 World Cup Koksijde
20^th 2013 World Cup Zolder

Mountain Bike

1^st 2013 Wilmington Whiteface 100k
1^st 2013 Hop Brook XC
1^st 2013 Coyote Classic XC
1^st 2013 Weeping Willow XC
1^st 2013 Barn Burner XC
1^st 2013 Landmine 50 Mile
3^rd 2013 Windham ProXCT
6^th 2013 Catamount ProXCT

Road

1^st 2013 Tour of Dragons Circuit Race
1^st 2013 Tour of Dragons Road Race
1^st and female course record 2012 Crank the Kanc Time Trial
1^st and female course record 2012 Hilly Billy Roubaix

Hobbies: raw "cooking", blog/travel writing, ceramics and sketching

Favorite Race: Namur; any race with adverse conditions like mud, snow and ice

Favorite Place to Train: The woods. As far as training trips, San Diego with my friend Maureen, and Moab with my friend Andrea have been the highlights.

Best Cycling Memory: Cresting a 6,000-foot climb in the TransAlp race to a spectacular view of the Dolomites.

Best Advice Received From a Coach When Starting Out: Do it because you love it. This is a bit cliche but it's true, the joy of racing is the best motivator and fuel. You have to be a little bit mean to win. I think it's important to accept that there's a bit of a dichotomy between the normal, everyday self and the racer self. In a race, I'm fierce and competitive and focused. After a race, though, I'm usually all smiles.

Motivation: I love the feeling of achieving a goal through hard work. Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of being in the Olympics. Since cyclo-cross isn't an Olympic sport (yet), wearing the Stars and Stripes at the world championships is the next best thing to a dream come true. I love to win.

Hero/Role Model: People who go for their dreams

Cycling & Personal/Career Goals: I love what I do now -- racing and teaching -- and I am lucky to have a great family and friends. But, I am, and always will be, hungry to improve. I want to see how far I can go with cyclo-cross, will continue to pursue mountain bike too, and would like to try out some XTerras.

Did You Know?: Crystal is pretty fanatical about coconuts. Coconut water, coconut oil, making smoothies out of young coconuts is her favorite...she graduated high school at 16 and has a Masters in Education from Harvard Graduate School, but says she wouldn't be a good student now because she can't sit still...she works full time as a 7th grade Spanish and French teacher...she lived in Honduras for two years working at an international school...she has six younger siblings, two of whom have also raced at the Cyclo-cross World Championships...her trip to the world championships in 2014 with be the 10th for the Anthony siblings.

First Involvement in Cycling: My two younger brothers, Josh and Jesse, were cyclo-cross stars from a young age so I was always familiar with the sport. They used to take me on adventure rides and taught me to stay upright on a bike under duress (i.e. on icy trails, as they purposely bumped me, etc.). Their success was a bit intimidating at first as both raced in CX Worlds, and Jesse was a 7-time national champion, and I first competed as a marathoner, coming within 16 seconds of qualifying for the Olympic Trials (2:47:16). My friend Maureen was getting into triathlon and I started riding with her and pursued triathlon myself for a couple seasons, racing as a pro for a year. Biking was my favorite part of the sport and I decided to focus on cross after I jumped into a few races for fun after triathlon season in 2011. I’ve been hooked ever since and have started to enjoy mountain biking as well.

Charity Work/Community Involvement: Crystal works with the cyclo-cross club for students at the school where she teaches (Manchester Essex Regional Middle School in Manchester, Mass.), and coaches a local women's team.

Family: Parents are Joe and Marci Anthony...has five brothers (Josh, Jesse, Silas, Gabe and Caleb) and one sister (Naomi)...Josh was a four-time member (2000-03) and Jesse was a five-time member (2002-06) of the U.S. Teams that raced at the Cyclo-cross World Championships

This Article Updated February 11, 2014 @ 10:12 PM For more information contact: