Interview Paula Blasi

Switching from one sport to another in one year and already being among the best climbers of your generation. Paula Blasi is one of the interesting prospects in the sport. This Summer, she immediatly climbed among the best in the Tour de l'Avenir and continued this form among the elites in Tuscany. The 21 years old Catalan is ready to keep growing in the coming years and to chase her limits. Get to know the young Spaniard who might become a familiar face in the future grand tours.

This year, you set your first big international results. How did you feel about them?

I believe that it's been a mix of emotions. In the end it is my first year in cycling and I did not expect these results so it has cost me a lot to assimilate it all, but I am very happy and motivated for what I have achieved and for the next goals!

After doing other sports, why did you choose for cycling?

It is a sport that I have always liked but my mother is very afraid of it because of the crashes and that every day you are on the road. Even so, as I have been growing up and getting to know myself more & more, I realized that athletics limited me a lot because it is a sport with a lot of impact and many injuries, and as I really liked to train for hours and hours I thought that with the bike that would not happen to me, and indeed!

What are your ambitions in the sport?

Well my goal is clear, I would like to race in the grand tours, I think I still have a long way to go to be there but when the time comes I would like to be fighting for the overall victory!

Where did you grow up, do you have to travel long distances to participate in races?

I'm from a city near Barcelona, very well connected with secondary roads but it is true that I have the first 20 mins of traffic lights and city streets that sometimes becomes a little busy but well, I can not complain!

Have you surprised yourself this year, or did you expect it?

I consider myself a very competitive and ambitious person and always in all the sports I've done, I've tried to get the best version of me. It is true that in both triathlon and athletics I have achieved very good results but it has been the result of a process of adaptation and maturation as an athlete that I think has helped me to achieve what I have achieved in cycling. Even so, with my coach we had planned these results in one or two years, but well, having achieved them now only motivates us to be more ambitious and keep improving!

What are the most difficult parts of the sport for you?

Well, at the moment I'm really enjoying everything that surrounds cycling, I could consider myself a 'rookie'. It is true that I had never before faced races with extreme temperatures and rain as in the Basque Country and I realized that there you also have to know how to manage the cold and keep your head in the race despite that.

What are your other hobbies and interests?

I'm a girl who loves sports in general, so when I'm not on the bike, I go running, swimming, hiking in the mountains... although I also like to play the piano and read a lot.

Is it difficult to combine sports with your studies?

The truth is that this last semester it has been quite complicated for me because of travel and competitions and I have not been able to attend classes much, but well, if you put your heart into it and talk to the professors, many of them help you, so it becomes a little easier.