Interview Milana Ushakova

Winning your first elite race at the age of 17. It's an achievement that Milana Ushakova already has on her palmares. Last Saturday, she won against mature riders who already won UCI races before. The young Ukrainian is ambitious to keep growing in the sport and aims to become a professional at the highest level. A thousand miles from her tortured homeland, she tries to live her cycling journey in Belgium. Get to know a rider who you might see more often on top of the results sheets this year, and perhaps even on the podium of the Worlds. 

You already won your first race of the season. How would you describe the start of this Spring?

Well, I feel a lot of progress that I have made compared to last year. I am very glad that I have already won two races and also took third place. I also wanted to show a good result at Binda, but unfortunately my sprint was not good, but I’m still glad that I finished in the first group in such a difficult race.

What are the biggest challenges in cycling for you?

Difficult question. Cycling in general is not an easy sport. What’s difficult for me is technical skills. Choosing and maintaining a position in a mass sprint is probably the most difficult thing for me, but I’m working on it.

What are your ambitions in the sport?

Become a professional cyclist. Go to the World Tour team . This is my goal, I know it will be very hard to achieve, but I will do my best.

Where will you race this year?

I don’t have a clear plan yet, unfortunately. I must pass the selection in June. I really hope that I will qualify and have a chance to compete at the World- and European Championships on the track and road. But now prepare for EPZ Omloop van Borsele and Tour du Gévaudan.

How did you discover cycling?

This is not a popular sport in Ukraine, but not far from where I lived there was a track. So my brother started training and competing, and I decided to try it too.

How do you feel about the situation in your homeland Ukraine?

War is the worst thing that can happen, it’s terrible that it happened in my country. My life will never be the same again, and I will always miss that time before the war...

What are your biggest passions outside cycling?

I have been playing the piano since childhood and I love it very much. Now I continue to study music at the conservatory and I like it, but not more than cycling😉

What are your strenghts & weaknesses as a cyclist?

I’m probably more of a hill racer and a time trialist. My weakness is mass sprinting, but I’m trying my best to fix it.

 Interview Carl Fredrik Hagen

From the continental level to the top of grand tour racing in one year. Carl Fredrik Hagen managed it in 2019. The Norwegian was the revelation of La Vuelta by finishing on the 8th spot. This season, he rides in the colours of Q36.5, where he wants to taste another success this year. In this interview, the now 32 years old rider talks in this interview about his own ambitions, his experiences and the changes in the sport. 

You finished 8th in La Vuelta before. How did you experience those 3 weeks?

That were three very hard and tough weeks. Physically but also mentally. But I impressed myself to be up there in the last week with good focus and good legs. I also had a good DS that told me what to do every day and do it simple.

Was it a specific goal for you before the race or did you even suprise yourself?

I had a goal to be top 20. So yes, that was a bit surprise for me :)

You made the step up from the continental level to the World Tour in one year. How was this step for you?

It was a big step in one way. It was a bigger team, more people, more races, higher level. But in the other way, I just continued to ride my bike and push the pedals. I also Rode pro races as continetal rider.

How did you see the sport evolve throughout your carreer so far?

The sport has taken big steps every year. Especially after covid in 2020. Equipment, the general fitness level and the tactics.

What would you like to improve in the sport?

sport in general: the safety. For me: be stronger in the climbs and more explosive.

What are your ambitions for this season?

WIN. And be up there for good GC results. And helping my team, Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team to sucess.

What is your role in the team?

GC leader and mountain/climber domestique. Depends of the race and plan for the race.

What is your carreer highlight so far?

8th. GC in La Vuelta

Interview Julie Bego (EN)

 Interview Julie Bego

Last year, she became junior worldchampion. This year, she's already sprinting for podium spots in the elite category. Julie Bego is one of the big talents to watch this season and she's not afraid to even challenge herself in the biggest races on the calendar. At the age of 19, she wants to gain a lot of new experiences. The young futur engineer is curious about many things in and outside the sport and lets you get to know her better through this interview.

You already finished fourth between some of the best riders in the World. How did you experience racing in the elite peloton?

I was statisfied to finish 4^th in Trofeo Oro even that I made some mistakes like attacking too early on the hill and launching the sprint too early before the finish but in general it was a good race. At the start of the season, I didn't have a lot of luck. I was involved in a crash at the Vuelta CV and when I was in a goood breakaway in the Setmana Valencia, I was ill.

That said, I feel that I made progress and that I reached a higher physical level in comparing with the previous years. This year, I have a program where I will sometimes be able to discover big races like Strade Bianche, last Saturday and do some smaller races like Trofeo Oro, where it's easier to show myself. For now, I see that World Tour races are really more difficult. The level is higher. I also struggle more technically to secure my place in the peloton for example. But it's a good thing to be able to gain experience on this courses in my first year as a pro.

Last year, you became Worldchampion in the juniors category. How was this day for you?

This day remains a unique and unforgetable memory. It was very special because I thought about worldchampionships for a long time. It was really my goal for the season. The atmosphere in the team was really incredible. We really got along well together. We were laughing a lot and apart from the world title, I also had many other beautiful memories about this Worlds.

What are your ambitions in the sport?

My dream is to win the Tour de France and the Olympic Games. But there is still a long road to it.

Are there cyclists or other people that have inspired you to do sports?

When I was little, my favourite athlete was Usain Bolt. At the track, it looked all very easy but when I saw the documentary about the end of his career, I saw him training and I understood that training is very hard. When I was little, I was doing sprints in the garden to imitate him.

In which races will you take part this year?

Normally, I will discover the Ardennes classics this year. After that I will do some stage races and the French championships. I don't know yet if I will do a grand tour or not. That depends on my level. I also would like to do the Tour de l'Avenir with the French national team.

What are your interests outside cycling?

I like science very much and I do my studies on the Engineer School of Polytech Chambérè. I also like to read and to walk in the mountains.

Are there things/rituals that you do ahead of every race?

No, I don't have a ritual because I don't like that. Even for the warming-up before the time trial for example and I don't like to follow a strict protocol. I prefer to do it by how I feel on that day.

This Winter, you also took part in cyclocross. Do you also have ambitions in this discipline?

This Winter, I have only done cyclocross in my region to not get too tired by long travel and to prepare myself well for road cycling. I always loved to do cyclocross. That helped me to make progression and and to take part in comepetitions in the Winter period. Next year, I would like to try to qualify myself for the Worldchampionships in France, who will be in Lièvin on a parcours that I know well. But it will depend on my level. If I'm not with the best U23 riders, I think that I will focus more on the road.

Interview Julie Bego (FR)

 Interview Julie Bego 

L'année dernière, elle est devenue championne du monde junior. Cette année, elle se lance déjà à l'assaut des podiums dans la catégorie élite. Julie Bego est l'un des grands talents à suivre cette saison et elle n'a pas peur de se lancer des défis dans les plus grandes courses du calendrier. À 19 ans, elle souhaite acquérir de nouvelles expériences. La jeune future ingénieure est curieuse de beaucoup de choses dans et en dehors du sport et vous permet de mieux la connaître à travers cette interview.

Tu as déjà fini quatrième entre les meilleures cyclistes du monde. Comment tu expérience les courses chez les élites?

J'étais contente de finir 4 ème au Trofeo Oro même si j'ai fait quelques erreurs comme attaquer trop tôt dans la côte et lancer le sprint trop tôt à l'arrivée mais globalement ça reste une bonne course.

En ce début de saison, je n'ai pas eu trop de chance je suis gênée par une chute à la vuelta CV alors que j'étais dans la bonne échappée et à Setmana Valencia je suis tombée malade... Ceci dit je sens que j'ai progressé et passé un cap physiquement par rapport aux années précédentes.

Cette année j'ai un programme de courses dans lequel je vais à la fois découvrir des grandes courses comme les Strade Bianche samedi dernier et faire des plus petites courses comme Trofeo Oro où il est plus facile de s'exprimer. Pour l'instant je vois que les courses World tour c'est vraiment plus dur, le niveau est plus élevé. J'ai aussi plus de mal techniquement dans le placement dans le peloton par exemple. Mais c'est une bonne chose de pouvoir prendre de l'expérience sur ces courses dès ma première année pro.

L'année passée, tu es devenu championne du monde chez les juniors. Comment était ce jour pour toi?

Ce jour restera un souvenir unique et inoubliable. C'était très spécial car je pensais à ces championnats du monde depuis longtemps c'était vraiment l'objectif de ma saison.

De plus l'ambiance dans l'équipe était incroyable nous étions très soudées, nous rigolions beaucoup et au delà du titre de championne de monde j'ai plein d'autres bons souvenirs sur ces mondiaux !

Quelles sont tes ambitions dans le sport?

Mon rêve ce serait de gagner le Tour de France et les jeux olympiques. Mais il reste beaucoup de chemin à parcourir.

Il y a des cyclistes ou des autres gens qui t'ont inspiré pour entrer le sport?

Quand j'étais petite mon sportif préféré était Usain Bolt. En course il avait l'air tellement facile mais quand j'ai vu le reportage à la fin de sa carrière où on le voyait s'entraîner j'ai compris qu'il s'entraîner très dur. Petite je fesais des séries de sprints dans le jardin pour l'imiter !

Tu vas participer à quelles courses cette année?

Normalement je vais découvrir cette année les classiques ardennaises, après je ferai quelques courses par étapes puis les championnats de France. Je ne sais pas encore si je ferai un grand tour ou pas cette année cela dépendra de mon niveau. J'aimerais bien aussi faire le Tour de l'avenir avec l'équipe de France.

Quelles sont tes intérêts en dehors du cyclisme?

J'aime beaucoup les sciences je fais d'ailleurs mes études en école d'ingénieur à Polytech Chambéry.

J'aime aussi lire, et me promener en montagne.

Il y a des choses/rituels que tu fais avant chaque courses?

Non, je n'ai pas de rituel car je n'aime pas ça. Même pour l'échauffement avant un chrono par exemple je n'aime pas suivre un protocole strict je préfère faire au feeling selon mes sensations du jour.

Cet hiver, tu as aussi participé à des cyclocross. Tu as des ambitions dans cette discipline aussi ?

Cette année je n'ai volontairement fait que des cyclocross autour de chez moi afin de limiter la fatigue liée aux déplacements et ainsi bien préparer la saison sur route. J'ai toujours aimé faire du cyclo-cross cela me permet de progresser et de garder des compétitions pendant la période hivernale. L'année prochaine j'aimerais essayer de me qualifier pour les championnats du monde qui sont en France à Liévin sur un parcours que je connais bien. Mais après cela dépendra de mon niveau, si je ne suis pas avec les meilleurs U23 je pense que je me concentrerai plutôt sur la route.

Interview Leonie Bentveld (EN)

 Interview Leonie Bentveld

This season, she won the World Cup in the Under-23s and also finished fifth in the elite category. As a 19-year-old, Leonie Bentveld was this Winter's revelation. The Dutch rider finished in the top 10 almost every week and even occasionally on the podium. This year, the Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal rider also wants to set steps forward on the road and in gravel. In this interview, she talks about the steps that she has set forward in her still young career and how she experienced last Winter.

You won the World Cup for Under-23s this year. What impact did this big win have on you?

Surely the World Cup was one of my goals. I had decided to ride all but Val Di Sole and then see how I could do in the final classification. This surprisingly turned out very well and, besides winning the U23 World Cup, I finished 5th among the Elites, which is perhaps even more impactful that winning the U23 classification. The World Cup proved that I performed very consistently throughout the season.

You grew up on Friesland. Was it tough making frequent long commutes to most races?

The long journeys combined with school were quite tough for me. We had to travel at least 600 km every weekend. Besides that, there were also no good training opportunities close to home which meant I had to travel a lot. I am very happy that I made the choice to move to Belgium and focus on the sport full-time now.

Where would you like to be in 5 years?

A tricky question. If you told my 14-year-old self where I am now 5 years later, I wouldn't believe it. So I'll try to keep growing like this and then we'll see.

Do you also have ambitions in other disciplines?

I do want to race more and more in the Summer, both on the road and on the gravel bike.

You took a nice bronze at the World Championships in the U23 category. Do you want to take gold next year or would you rather ride in the elite?

I wouldn't like to make the switch to the Elites too quickly. There is still plenty to gain among the U23s and to get on the podium in the Elite category at a World Championships you have to be really good at that level.

How will you spend the Spring and Summer?

After the race in Oostmalle I will put the bike aside for three weeks. Then I will leave for Spain to rebuild. At the end of April I'll start with some gravel races and then go back to road cycling.

What has been the biggest challenge for you in the sport so far?

I can't name anything like that easily. I love doing everything so I don't encounter many things that I don't like. I think last Summer was tough after weeks of struggling with my knee after a crash. I couldn't finish the training sessions the way I would like to and that was mentally tough.

Which kind of tracks do you enjoy doing the most?

I like courses that are a bit more technical. I like doing courses like Flamanville, Maasmechelen, Hulst and Troyes.

Interview Leonie Bentveld (NL)

Interview Leonie Bentveld

Dit seizoen won ze de Wereldbeker bij de beloften en eindigde ze ook nog eens vijfde bij de elite. Leonie Bentveld was als 19-jarige, de revelatie van deze Winter. De renster uit Friesland eindigde bijna wekelijks in de top 10 en zelfs nu en dan op het podium. De renster van Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal wil dit jaar ook stappen vooruit zetten op de weg en in het gravelen. In dit interview vertelt ze over de stappen die ze voorwaarts heeft gezet in haar nog jonge carrière en hoe ze afgelopen Winter heeft beleefd. 

Je won dit jaar de Wereldbeker voor beloften. Welke impact had deze grote overwinning op je?

De wereldbeker was toch wel één van mijn doelen. Ik had besloten om op Val Di Sole na alle manches te rijden en dan te zien wat dat zou doen voor het eindklassement. Dit pakte verrassend genoeg heel goed uit en naast dat ik de Wereldbeker voor belofte won werd ik 5e tussen de Elites, wat misschien nog wel een grotere impact heeft dat een klassement bij de beloften winnen. De Wereldbeker bewijst dat ik het hele seizoen heel constant heb gepresteerd.

Je groeide op Friesland. Was het zwaar om vaak lange verplaatsingen te maken naar de meeste wedstrijden?

De verre verplaatsingen in combinatie met school viel mij best zwaar. We moesten elk weekend minstens 600km afleggen. Daarnaast waren en ook geen goede trainingsmogelijkheden vlakbij huis waardoor ik veel onderweg was. Ik ben heel blij dat ik de keuze heb gemaakt om naar België te verhuizen en mij nu fulltime op de sport te richten.

Waar zou je graag willen staan in 5 jaar?

Een lastige vraag. Als je mijn 14 jarige ik zou vertellen waar ik nu 5 jaar later sta zou ik het niet geloven. Dus ik probeer zo door te groeien en dan zullen we het zien.

Heb je ook ambities in andere disciplines?

Ik wil wel steeds meer in de zomer gaan koersen, zowels op de weg als op de gravelfiets.

Je pakte mooi brons op het WK bij de beloften. Wil je volgend jaar goud pakken of wil je liever bij de elite rijden?

Ik zou niet zo snel vervroegd de overstap naar de Elites maken, er valt bij de beloften nog genoeg te behalen en om bij de Elite op het podium te rijden op een WK moet je van hele goede huize komen.

Hoe ga je de lente en zomer spenderen?

Na de cross in Oostmalle zet ik de fiets even voor 3 weken aan de kant. Daarna vertrek ik naar Spanje om daar weer terug op te bouwen. Eind april begin ik met wat gravelkoersen om daarna ook weer op de weg te gaan rijden.

Wat was tot nu toe de grootste uitdaging voor je in de sport?

Ik kan zo niet 1, 2, 3 iets opnoemen. Ik doe alles heel graag waardoor ik tegen weinig dingen aanloop die ik met tegenzin moet doen. Ik denk dat afgelopen zomer wel pittig is geweest nadat ik weken met mijn knie liep te sukkelen na een valpartij. Ik kon niet de trainingen afwerken zoals ik die graag zou doen en dat was mentaal wel lastig.

Welke parcoursen vind je het leukst om te doen?

Ik hou van parcoursen die wat technischer zijn. Parcoursen zoals Flamanville, Maasmechelen, Hulst en Troyes doe ik wel graag.

 Interview Carolina Vargas

Colombia is already doing very well in men's cycling for decades, but now also the girls are coming. Carolina Vargas is one of the young talented Colombian woman who wants to make the step to the world level. She's already one of the most promising talents on her continent and she already took part in her first European grand tour. The 21 years old rider dreams of winning a grand tour in the future, but you can already get to know her today through this conversation.

You are currently one of the most talented cyclists in Colombia. How does it feel to live in a country that is so passionate about cycling?

I think it is very nice to see that Colombian men's and women's cycling is growing a lot, that it is more and more supported and that we have great representatives at international level; that there is a lot of support for this sport in Colombia, which is very important for us cyclists and motivates us to keep working and improving every day.

Colombian men have already won grand tours, would you like to become the first Colombian woman to do so?

Yes, the truth is that I would like to win one of the grand tours, it is my dream, last year I had the opportunity to race La Vuelta with the ENEICAT CM team, and to be among the best in the grand tours is one of my goals.

What are your ambitions in this sport?

In addition to being in the three grand tours, I also dream of becoming worldchampion and Olympic champion.

How did you get started in cycling?

My father was also a professional cyclist and from a very young age, I used to accompany him to some races. I loved watching him compete and win. When I was 11 years old I started skating and I complemented it with cycling, I started to realise that I enjoyed it a lot more and when I was 15 years old I dedicated myself completely to it.

Where can we cheer you on this year?

This year we have several important races with our team here in Spain such as La Vuelta, Itzulia, and Burgos, we will be representing not only our team but also my municipality, my department of Antioquia and also the country.

You have participated mainly in stage races, would you also like to participate in big classics?

I would also like to be part of big classics. Hopefully this year our team will have the opportunity to have that nice experience.

Do you think there is a difference between European and South American cycling culture?

I think yes, there are some differences between European and South American cycling culture. I think that because of the advances and technology in Europe, European cycling culture is a bit more controling, more measured, a bit more predictable. When it comes to racing, you can take into account the winds before a race, the weather, everything is much more precise. So I think that influences the differences between these two types of cycling quite a lot.

What is your biggest passion outside of cycling?

Outside cycling I am a psychology student, it is a profession that I really like, and that I want to practice when I finish my sporting career helping athletes to have a good mental health.