Interview Maria Novolodskaya

Top 20 spots on the cobbles, hills, in the GC of the Giro d'Italy and strong on the track as well. That's a quite unusual combination, but a 21 years old girl born in Veliki Novgorod made this possible within a period of 12 months. Her strong performances are marked by the bright blue leaders jersey for the best young rider in the UCI Women's World Tour. The young Russian's ambitions aren't fullfilled yet.  Let's look at her bright future, together with her.

You've set decent results in the cobble classics while you were riding them only for the first time. How did you experience this campagin?

Every day and every new race is a motivation to work on myself, to improve and to develop into a more complete rider. It was a small dream to get on the same podium as the strongest in the world, I'm very happy and yet I haven't fully realized what happened.  I am very grateful for the opportunity to compete in these races and ride with the best athletes in the world, and I say a big thank you to my team A.R. Monex Liv, to the masseuse Claudia, to my parents and to my Lokosphinx team in Russia.

You've sprinted to a 17th place in the Scheldeprijs, finished 16th on the cobbles of Ghent-Wevelgem and 20th in the Giro. What kind of rider are you?

I myself have not yet figured out what category I belong to, I cannot call myself a real climber and I cannot call myself a real sprinter, I have good endurance and I'm always having a nice fighting spirit. My biggest motivation is to look at the strongest riders and gain experience from them.

How did you discover cycling and who inspired you to start racing?

My dad in the USSR was an athlete and his coach is my first coach in Russia now. We have a really sports family: 12 children and 6 of us are engaged in cycling. I am the oldest sister and my younger brother asked me because he was bored to ride alone: so I began with him for the company, and then from there I got to professional cycling.

You're currently combining track & road cycling. Would you like to represent Russia at the Olympic Games in both disciplines?

Yes, I'm getting ready to compete for Russia (Ed. or what will be the official name in Tokyo because of the ban) at the Olympic Games, and I think my biggest goal will be the Madison Race on the track. I think I will do also the road race, but mainly to get in shape so that I will feel at my very best for the track events.

 

When did you start in your first cycling race?

Yes, I'm getting ready to compete for Russia (Ed. or what will be the official name in Tokyo because of the ban) at the Olympic Games, and I think my biggest goal will be the Madison Race on the track. I think I will do also the road race, but mainly to get in shape so that I will feel at my very best for the track events.

What are your short & long term ambitions?

Plans for the future are to start with a decent performance at the Olympics in Tokyo, and then gradually develop in the peloton of the road races. I really love cycling and I am very inspired by these great victories of the strongest women in the Women's World Tour that I'm witnessing now. My main goal is to gain experience, strength and patience in order to be able one day to compete with the strongest riders in the world.

Your compatriots Denis Menchov & Olga Zabelinskaya won grand tours & Olympic Medals. Do they inspire you to do the same one day?

Of course, all the victories of my compatriots inspire me! I want Russia to be proud of our good results, I want the anthem of our country to be played on the podiums so that everyone knows that there are still strong women in Russia who can achieve great results!