Q: Can you summarize the season in a few words?
A: This season showed what is possible when you work hard with a great team around you, stay open to learning and remain optimistic in the pursuit of big goals.
Q: What would you say to another young athlete going through the highs and lows of a season to encourage them?
A: I love the quote, “It’s not the top of the mountain that sustains life, it’s the sides.” For me, remembering that it’s the journey and the climb that lead to those spectacular moments at the top helps keep in perspective the purpose of going out and giving your best every day - regardless of the result. It’s not always easy to enjoy the process and to trust it when things aren’t going the way you’d hoped, but pushing through those days is just as important to your success as enjoying the days where everything clicks.
Q: How have you stayed so mentally strong throughout the season?
A: My mental game is something I focus a lot on - and have great help with! I work with a sports psychologist and am lucky enough to be surrounded by a team that cares about me and believes in me. At the end of the day, one of my greatest strengths in this sport is my genuine love of riding my bike. I can always come back to the fact that riding with people I love brings me joy and gives me new motivation to stay optimistic and to push myself towards the next big goal.
Q: What is something you have learned from this season that you’ll carry forward?
A: This season I took away so many lessons! It was one of my most successful, rewarding and challenging seasons to date and has left me an ideal mix of confident, humbled and motivated heading into the Olympic year. One thing I have learned is that persistence pays off - you never know when you might be one step away from achieving a dream. If you stop moving forward, you may never know what might have been possible.
Q: What will the off season include for you?
A: A little rest and a lot of long rides to bakeries with my friends!
