Interview Yelyzaveta Holod

Racing in the most beautiful sceneries while your homeland is in rubble. It's the complex situation that Yelyzaveta Holod has to deal with. The 19 years old Ukrainian is building on her cycling carreer and tries to represent her homeland abroad. She's now part of the development project of Israel Premier Tech Roland and participates regurarly with the elite team to gain experience and become a better rider. After mainly racing in Turkey, she's ready & motivated to also show her qualities in other parts of Europe and to tell you about herself in this interview.

It's your first year in an UCI team. What changed for you?

Last year I was in the Italian team in which everything was not going well, and the situation with the war aggravated my situation. But thanks to the fact that I got into the team, I have a chance to prove myself.

How would you describe the development project of Israel Premier Tech Roland?

I think that this is a very good project and gives young riders the opportunity to prove themselves and reach a new level.

When did you start racing and what was the most beautiful experience for you so far?

On the 29th I raced the reVolta, I tried very hard when I eliminated the attacks of other teams but at 90 km I got cramps I had to retire due to the time limit but when I found out that Claire Steels had won I was crazy with happiness. It seems to me that this is the most pleasant moment when the team works as a single mechanism and everyone is ready to spend all their strength to win.

How would you describe yourself as a rider?

I am still a very young rider and I need to gain a lot of experience, I am ready to train until I lose my pulse, learning to ride difficult distances. All for the sake of me becoming a valuable driver for the team and maybe even a leader.

Since last year, a war is going on in your country, how do you deal with this situation?

When the war started, I was in Turkey at a training camp, I was very worried about my relatives, because it was impossible to leave some cities because cars were being shot at.later I flew to italy to the team that I spoke about earlier. At first everything was fine, but soon they began to treat me and my girlfriend badly, we practically didn’t compete, we were helped by strangers, I was confused, I’m very young in a foreign country and I can’t go back home because it’s not, in as a result, I returned in the fall to Ukraine and trained.

It was very hard to train in winter because there was no light because of the attacks.I trained on a bicycle with a candle.Thanks to the support of my coach and the coaches of the national team, I was able to increase my desire to train.I hope no one will ever experience such a tragedy as my country…it's very hard .When I feel like giving up, every time I remember how many soldiers died so that I could live.I am proud of my country and grateful to every person who did at least something to support it

Which message would you like to share with people from other countries who would like to suppor your country?

I will leave a link to charitable foundations of Ukraine https://u24.gov.ua/uk 

What are your future ambitions as a cyclist?

I strive to grow to the level of a professional racer and adequately represent my country

Where can fans cheer for you this season?

I will represent the national team at the European Track Championship U23 and Road , my calendar always changes i can't say for sure

 

The Classics Campaigns : The Ratings #3

The classics are for many riders the first and sometimes even biggest goals of the season. With the Liège-Bastogne-Liège behind us, it's time to rate the riders who finished their classic campaign this Sunday and will take a well deserved period of rest now. Ratings are based on the expectations that are common about the certain riders. How higher the expectations, how better you have to perform to get a high rating. 

Tadej Pogacar 10/10

5 World Tour classics, 3 victories and never worse then 4th in the other ones. Not many words are needed to justify this rating. No matter if it was the Poggio, Oude Kwaremont or Mur d'Huy, Pogacar always fought for the victory. Being the most all round rider that we saw in classics for years and the first Tour de France winner in decades who has been so succesful in the Flemish cobble races. Problably only a crash kept him from completing the Ardennes triple. Everything he did turned into magic. 

 Kasia Niewiadoma 7/10

It's been a typical Spring for Niewiadoma. Always around the top 5 or top 10 but never really coming closing to the victory. She never underperforms but she also doesn't have that extra to really come close to a victory. A good campaign for Niewiadoma but she couldn't really set that step forward that many people expected a few years ago, and with a new talented generation already coming, she'll face even more opponents in the future to fight for those results.

 Tom Pidcock 7/10

Seven might be a low rating for a winner of the Strade Bianche but it still seems that many people expected more when Pidcock announced that he would skip the Cyclocross Worlds to focus on the classics. He had some bad luck with a crash in Tirreno-Adriatico but not with an impact that it should necessarily have a very negative effect on his Spring campaign. His performances in Flanders were poor. In the Ardennes he did well but he never could show that he made a big step forward since last season against the best in the peloton. Good but nothing more then that.

Annemiek van Vleuten 6/10

For a rider at the age of 40, all results have been exceptional but if we compare with last year, a podium spot should have been possible for a good Van Vleuten. She was anonymous in the Flemish classics and only in Liège she had an impact in the final. Not a memorable last Spring for the Worldchampion but also not a shame on her age.

Demi Vollering 10/10

The rider that got most out of her Spring campaign, especially thanks to her strong team. In the Strade Bianche, Kopecky picked her up, in the Amstel, that same Kopecky paralyzed the bunch behind her. Also in the other races, SD Worx was present everywhere but Vollering had to deal more with oppenents herself. Vollering got the maximum out her Spring campaign. Having more of her strong team mates in the other teams instead would problably have made her winning less but she took the most out of these circumstances.

Elisa Longo Borghini 8/10

After a Covid-infection that paused her to take a pause, Elisa Longo Borghini came back stronger then many expected. 3th in Flanders, Runner-up in a sprint in Liège. Despite the supremacy of SD Worx, she still managed to take a dominant role in the finals herself and put herself on the same level as most of them. For a monument hunter like her, a Spring without victories might be unstatisfying but she did 

Part 1 :  https://cyclingbottle.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-classics-campaigns-ratings-part-1.html

Part 2 :  https://cyclingbottle.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-classics-campaigns-ratings-2.html

 Interview Clara Emond

She used to hate climbing but now it is the thing that she loves the most. Clara Emond made this year the step-up to Arkea-Samsic. Already in February she debuted strong with the team when she finished runner-up in the Vuelta Extremadura and This Sunday she'll make her World Tour race debut in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The 26 years old resides now in Girona and is working there on her cycling carreer. A conversation about discovering the sport, moving to ther other side of the world and personal development. Get to know the Canadian who you might see come more & more to the front when the roads go uphill.

 

It's your second year in the international peloton now. How did you look back at your first year?

Last year was a discovering year, as bike racing was completely new for me. I took part in my first UCI races, tried to learn how to navigate in a bunch (still managing this), acquiring bike skills and all. I only took part in very few races but it was enough to convince me to pursue cycling for the present year and for upcoming years, I hope. Do to my very little experience, ,I consider that this year is in fact my first one in peloton and I am looking forward and so exciteed to learn more.

This year you finished 2nd in the Vuelta Extremadura with only your team mate ahead of you. How did you put yourself on a higher level this Winter?

When I decided to focus on cycling this year, I certainly increased my bike milage compared to what I used to do. My fitness probably improved as well, but I think the main point is that I felt gained more experience from racing and therefor was able to save more energy for the final.

You showed yourself mainly as a climber so far. What are your ambitions in these kind of races?

I for sure love climbing but I remember that when I started to ride my bike, I used to hate climbing and was getting dropped during group rides when we were would go uphill. There fore, I forced myself to climbs every ride and to work on it. So, I am convinced that I am amble to improve other weaknesses I may have at the moment to become a better and well-rounded cyclist.

Which races are on your program this season?

My next race will be Liège-Bastogne-Liège this weekend, which I am very excited for. I think it will be a great experience and that whatever the result is, I will learn a lot from it. Ater that, I will be heading to the Pyrenees and then Switzerland to do my first stage races.

 

You're one of the many cyclists in Girona now. What makes this place ideal for cyclists in your opinion?

Coming from Canada, I mean almost any place in Europe can beat the weather we have back home. But among all places, I feel like Girona is very special because it offers so many choices of rides. There are so many roads to explore. The town is amazing with all of its little shops, restaurants, cafes and all. And the architecture is just beautiful.

How did you get into cycling?

If you would have told me I would be riding for a professional team, or just bike racing at all two years ago I would have laughed. I used to be more into winter sports, doing alpine skiing competition and then when I got to university I quit skiing in order to focus more on my studies in order to become a lawyer. I still wanted to keep doing sports so i started running and doing cross-country which later led me into triathlon. There, I met my boyfriend who is a professional triathlete and he got me to ride more and more my bike. Eventually I was able to go with him on longer ride and it allowed us to travel, discover places and spend quality Time together. This is mainly How I felt in love with cycling. Then, during the COVID pandemic, all triathlons were cancelled so my boyfriend had the idea that we participate into a local race near my hometown. I did quit good for a first timer but most of all I loved it. And then everything went si fast. A Canadian UCI team asked me to sign for them for 2022 and then I got into arkea.

 

Which advice would you give to other Canadian cyclists who would like to race in Europe?

I would say that coming from Canada It can be more challenging because bike racing is literally in Europe. So to take advantage of any opportunities to do small races on europe or to ride for clubs and to not be scared from going abroad

 

 

 

What is your opinion on safety in the peloton? Do you often see unsafe situations due to dangerous riders or parcours?

I think some riders take high risks that are not worth it and forget that at thé end of the day Its only a bike race