Race 7 Performance MVP: Corina Bennett
Meet Corina Bennett, third place finisher at Lembi Park and our Race 7 Performance MVP. We’re featuring the 2023 Series Championship runner-up not only because of her dedication to racing at a high level but she clearly has a love for cyclocross and the community. She doesn’t just come to race, but brings the family and makes a fun day of each race which we love to see. Performance Bicycle is proud to help us highlight Corina with a $100 gift card!
How long have you been racing cyclocross and how did you get into it?
I’ve raced cyclocross for five years. Two of those years were in the Bay Area from 2008-2010 when the ‘cross scene was thriving, with 30+ women in the A’s race, blending road and mountain biking talent. After a few races, I was hooked on the competition, cowbells, and heckling. I have the fine folks from Roaring Mouse to thank for introducing me to cyclocross.
After moving away and having kids, I took a break from racing. Getting in a bike ride with two young kids is a challenge let alone trying to race. Once the kids were older, my husband and I decided to check out the Sac CX series. From race one, we loved it and have been racing ever since. We enjoy the friendly vibe, the competition is good, the number of people that turn up seems to increase every year, the courses are fun, the kids can race, and the series is professionally run. We’ve been racing for three years now.
Before ‘cross, I was a dedicated mountain biker, competing throughout college and in races like the Downieville Classic and Boggs 8 Hour.
What is your “day job” and how do you balance the training needed to compete at a high level and all your other responsibilities?
I’m the Director of Therapeutic Area Programming at Amgen, a biopharmaceutical company and former sponsor of the Tour of California. I oversee a large programming team delivering real world evidence from healthcare databases. We get to innovate every day to try and bring life-saving medicines for grievous illnesses to people.
Finding balance with a full-time job and two kids sometimes feels like juggling flaming torches—while riding a unicycle. Focus is my secret weapon. On a rare lunch ride, I pedal like every minute counts. At the gym, it’s all about the earbuds—they go in, the world tunes out, and I’m laser-focused on getting it done.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome in your cycling career?
Funny I should be asked this question in 2024, because this year has been one for the books—and not the good kind. It all started with a routine outpatient foot surgery that decided to go rogue and get infected, landing me in the ER five times over one month. I even had a four-day inpatient hospital stay with an IV antibiotic drip, which was crazy for someone who was otherwise in good health. After a second surgery finally fixed the issue, I thought my bad luck was over… until I shattered my collarbone mountain biking in a foreign country just two weeks later. After ten days of agony waiting for surgery, I was put back together and spent the next six weeks mostly on the couch. In total, I spent almost four months this year recovering from my three surgeries and managed to ride my cyclocross bike all of two times before racing again.
But wait, there’s more! Because I apparently can’t resist chaos, I managed to break my middle toe at the Folsom Rodeocross Halloween race. Turns out, dodging a tandem bike after the corpse bride who had enjoyed a few too many ‘hand-ups’ crashed into me all while riding around dressed as Superwoman wasn’t my smartest move. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Should I stay inside for the rest of 2024 and wait for better luck in 2025? Probably.
Tell us about your race bike! What is it and how have you personalized it?
I have a Cervelo Áspero. I personalized the contact points: handlebars, saddle, pedals, and tires. For tires, I know the Challenge Grifos have been around forever and there is probably an updated, better tread out there, but I love the feel. I trust them and they can handle most terrain well.
What are your goals for this season?
I would like to finish the season in one piece and focus on getting my fitness back in 2025. It was exciting to get a podium at Lembi. I owe that to the MTB’ing technical skills. If it pours again, then a second podium at the last race may be in the cards, otherwise I’ll look forward to regaining my fitness in 2025 and returning stronger next year!