Interview Barbora Jerabkova

This season the best cyclocross riders come together, in Czechia. A country that  is known for bringing great riders into the sport for years themselves. One talent from the new generation is Barbora Jerabkova. She turns 19 this Winter and and will start her second year as U23. Last year she gained a lot of experience in some of the biggest races on the calendar. This year she wants to use this experience to do even better. Tabor is the ultimate goal this season and in this interview you can join her journey to the Czech cyclocross capital.

Last year you improved a lot through the Winter. What did you learn during last season?

It was a big step up from juniors category to elite, races were about 20 minutes longer and the pace was even more faster, sometimes was hard to stood calm and didn’t overdo the first lap for me. But it was always a honor to race and learn from the best girls in the world.

You gained some rhytmn on the road during Spring & Summer. How are your experiences on the road?

I enjoyed the summer season. I did some road Czech and Austrian Cup races and some UCI stage races as well. And I definitely have more race km than I had last season.

Czechia is one of the top nations in cyclocross for a long time now. What makes the country so much more succesful then it’s neighbourcountries?

The cyclocross have a long history in our country, we have a lot of medails from the world championships. Probably the most famous and successful is Zdeněk Štybar, 3 times world champion and inspiration for lot of young CX riders (I’m not exception for sure). Also in Czech Republic we have a quality race serie called toi toi cup, where start a lot of competitors from abroad.

 

This season, the Worlds will be in Czechia. Is it an extra motivation for you?

Of course is it an extra motivation! I think everyone want to do well in front of their families, friends and other fans on their homesoil. Also its a big benefit that we don’t have to travel so far and also the course in Tabor we know well because of the trainings we had and we are going to have here. But the true is that with home crowd come also even more pressure, thats also a thing we should be prepared.

What or who brought you into cyclocross?

I’ve always been watching cyclocross in TV during the Christmas period when I was a kid and really liked that they have been riding in the mud:) Then when I was 13 and I saw a local CX race I wanted to try it and one year later I already had chance to start at the Czech cup races.

What are your ambitions for this Winter?

Become better than I was last year of course:) Riding stably at top25 at the world cup would be good for me and I think it is also real.

How will your program look like?

I am going to start my season second weekend in September with two UCI races in Germany and hope I will end the season at the worlds in Tábor. In between I am going to go to world cups and natinoal cups in Czech republic, Slovakia, Belgium…

In which domains would you like to improve in the coming months?

I want to improve in all domains, always is something to improve in everything:)