Exotic races, foreign locales and elite competitors are Kropf's future in the sport after signing his first professional racing contract with newly re-christened DCBank Pro Cycling.
“It's pretty surreal,” Kropf said from his home in Medicine Hat. “It's definitely been a long process from where I started, from racing bikes in Sask and my first race in Moose Jaw and then with my dad in Buffalo Pound... There have been a lot of ups and downs and there were times I've wondered whether I should keep going or not. It's definitely been hard but it's all paid off now, just not giving up and persevering.”
DCBank Pro Cycling – the title sponsor name for M1 Pro Cycling – is entering their fifth season competing in the UCI Continental Division with a focus on developing young up-and-coming cyclists. Kropf, 23, was part of a group of signees designed to bolster the team for the 2019 season. Competing in the UCI America Tour, DCBank takes part in races throughout North America and will have a full slate of competition beginning in April.
As a professional rider, Kropf will find himself receiving more support and will be able to focus on riding at the highest level possible in the largest races available to him and and his team.
“The biggest difference is you get more races and bigger races... the previous years the team covered the expenses and hotels and stuff like that, then your grocery costs and things like that, so I expect it'll be the same thing that way,” Kropf explained. “But this means more races and bigger races in the States and riding against better guys. It's a different level for sure and something I'm looking forward too.”
While the money itself might not be as much compared to the elite UCI World Tour riders, it's all the more incentive to finish as high in the standings as possible going forward.
“The top guys make some good money, but the way it is compared to Europe, it's a lifestyle, that's how they make their money,” Kropf said. “Sometimes you sign bigger contracts you might make something, but some of the time when you're racing pro you're not making a lot of money, so you have to win so you can get some of that prize money in your pocket.”
That's where sponsorship comes in, and as a pro, Kropf is hoping that situation becomes that much easier..
“The sponsors have been the most important thing and there's no way we could do it without them,” he said.
With that support comes the entire world of professional cycling and everything involved in performing at that level. Kropf is under no illusions that things are about to get any easier. In fact, he expects the difficulty level of his chosen sport to ramp up exponentially.
“You have to be ready for it, so I'm working closely with my coach and the sports director of DCBank, especially as new guys coming in,” he said. “The intensity of it can be pretty crazy, with 150 (kilometre races) back to back and finishes at 50, 55 kilometres per hour. So it's going to be different.
“But I'll be ready for it, for sure. I enjoy doing long rides and working hard, I'm not afraid of that. So I'm definitely going to be prepared for it.”
DCBank classifies Kropf as an all-arounder, setting him into a universal rider role compared to the team's climbers and sprinters. What that turns into when it comes to team strategy is yet to be determined.
“There are different expectations for different guys depending on what their role on the team is, but they definitely expect more out of you,” he said. “You have to be coming into the season in shape and be willing to fight for every inch. Even if it's not your day, you can't slack off and give up, even when things are against you. You have to keep fighting for your team.”
Regardless of what happens, Kropf plans to make the most of his opportunity. And there will be no shortage of memories of his days on the highways of Saskatchewan.
“Even when I'm training for races, I go back to my days riding up and down the Number One,” Kropf said with a laugh. “I always think of the 20K to Moose Jaw and then 20K back to Caronport, just how amazing how much things have changed since then.
“So I'm excited to see what it's going to be like, with the bigger races and the higher intensity.”
