The journey To National Champ: Korie Gilbert

Going into a big race weekend is stressful enough, but for the unthinkable to happen just two days before racing, talk about stress. Korie Gilbert and her Lindsey Wilson University teammates were gearing up for the Collegiate National Champs in Bakersfield, CA when a devastating call came in. The Lindsey Wilson trailer was stolen.

With one of her final chances to earn the Collegiate Title just a few days away, the BMX community came together for Gilbert and the Lindsey Wilson team allowing them to put their best pedal forward at Metro BMX.

First off, congratulations.

Thank you!

The 2023 Individual Collegiate National Champ is an awesome accomplishment. When did you first want to ride for a collegiate team? Were those the colleges you were looking at? How's that process come about?

I was first reached out to b a college back in 2016, and that's what really got my interest. As I got older, I didn't really know what I wanted to do cause I wanted to stay in Texas, but there's no collegiate schools in Texas. But then Lindsey Wilson reached out my junior year, and that's when I committed to Lindsey.

That's awesome. So you're riding for and attending Lindsey Wilson, this is your second National Champs, correct?

Correct.

Okay, well, leading up to the race, you're race ready, and then the Lindsay Wilson trailer gets stolen. Talk to us about how that all went down and who all helped out and pitched in.

So we were about an hour outside of Nashville on our way to our flight when coach told us that the trailer got stolen. So I made a post knowing that everybody would do what they can to help us, and reached out to everyone that I could think of. Dave from Bombshell lent us three bikes. Darin Bice, his daughter, is a Lindsey Wilson Alumni and he bought us race pants, helmets, gloves and pedals. Judy and John Robbins gave us a huge discount on Sidi clip shoes. Everyone on campus that was still on campus rounded up every single Lindsey Wilson jersey possible and shipped them overnight to us, and then there were a few other people who lent us bikes from the local area.

That's awesome. I don't want to say you were lucky, but you had an old Black Crown shipped out to California right away. So something a little bit familiar for you to ride on, but man, I mean, you were on fire this weekend.

The collegiate national champs is a big goal for those collegiate teams. Has that been one of your goals as well?

It has. So coming into my freshman year, I was looking really forward to being able to compete on the collegiate level. COVID happened, so it kind of took away my Freshman and Sophomore years. And then, going into my junior year, I was super excited, road great all day until the mains on both days, and I kind of choked. I lost my chance, last year. So I went into this year just thinking like it was just another, because if I went into it thinking that it was a National Champs, me choking was gonna happen again. So I was really looking forward to it, but also with the trailer being stolen and me trying to find bikes and getting me a bike and getting gear, like just the whole racing was completely out of the question. So I really didn't have time to focus on actually racing, which I think helped tremendously.

Absolutely, well, you have the title. What are your plans for the rest of the year?

Actually, I'm getting surgery on my rotator cuff tomorrow, so I'm out for the remainder of the year, sadly. I'm trying to just be back in time for Grands, just to race, and not really chasing a plate anymore at this point. But my goal is to be able to come back next year and be able to race again, and just kind of have fun. I really wanna race worlds next year, so that's kind of my goal at the moment is just to be back and healthy and strong again, just to be able to compete like how I've been competing.

That's awesome. Well, I mean, it's a, it's an amazing story from, you know, trailer stolen, you find everything that you need, you, you get the title and then, okay, now I'm, it's time to heal my body, time to have surgery, get dialed in for life, not just for this one season.

Yeah, I'm trying to get my Masters in kinesiology to go be a physical therapist, and I need a shoulder for that, haha.

Is there anyone you want to thank for getting you here?

I really wanna thank like Ash Hicks, my team owner, who supported me from the beginning when I started going to college and just always made sure I had what I needed. Johnny Mitchell, the head coach of Lindsey Wilson, who makes sure all of us are staying positive and having fun. Fun is the main thing with our sports, so like he always makes sure that none of us are being down on ourselves and that we're just having a great time. My dad for shipping my bike to me, what a huge lifesaver for me. And just everyone, everyone in the BMX community, all my friends, my competitors, just everybody, y'all helped as best yall can. I love that. So just every, the whole community.

Absolutely well, awesome. Thank you so much for your time, and like I said, congratulations.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I told someone the other day, I was like man, I'm ok if I never win Grands. The closest I've come was second, but this title tops it.

That's awesome. Well still put that down as a goal. Okay? Still, work for that.

~Lindsey Wilson Cycling~