After arriving in Aigle, Switzerland, between late April and early May, the six athletes making up the main body of the mountain bike group have gained a maximum of racing experience between solid training blocks in Aigle.
They look back on a season where the highs easily outweighed the lows.
Gustavo Xavier Oliveira Pereira (Brazil)
Gustavo finished the season in Val di Sole with a magnificent 3rd place in the Under-23 race. It was the icing on the cake for the young athlete who had been chasing another podium since May, when he finished 2nd then 4th at the UCI World Cups in Albstadt (Germany) and Nové Město na Moravě (Czech Republic). Following those results, Gustavo put pressure on himself that was probably counter-productive: “I wanted to do even better, and get a first place,” admits the rider, who, until Val di Sole, had not managed to finish in the top three again. He finishes the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 7th place in the overall Under 23 standings.
Gustavo reflects on his season: “I realized a dream in Albstadt, and now another podium in Val di Sole is wonderful. This whole season in Europe has been good for my career. There have been no low moments, it’s all experience.”
Gabriela Pereira Ferolla (Brazil)
A first-year Junior and the youngest of the group, Gabriela highlights the opportunity to train in a group, as opposed to back home where she rode mainly with her father and a few friends.
But the big plus was being part of the international racing scene: “I love the UCI World Cups, and racing my first UCI World Championships (in Les Gets, France) was cool. Also getting to see my favourite athletes! I have been learning so much,” says the young Brazilian, who has only been riding two years.
“I think I have improved each race and have managed to ‘get my head in place’ when I’m nervous.”
Eikie Yamauchi Leoncio (Brazil)
In his last year as a Junior, Eikie has learnt to be calmer and more patient since arriving in Switzerland.
Lining up in the Junior Series in Albstadt just days after arriving in Europe was a real eye-opener: “After the opening loop there were already so many riders in front of me, I just thought ‘Oh my God’. At first it made me angry, and then I just realized that they were all better than me. I needed to learn, and I have learnt a lot.”
One week later, in Nové Město na Moravě, he was delighted to overtake 93 competitors after crashing in the start lap.
“That was probably one of my best races. I just got back up after my crash and did the very best I could.”
His feared training session?: “None. No pain no gain. All hard moments are good moments!”
Find out more about the two Junior athletes from Brazil in this video, produced in collaboration with UCI World Cycling Partner Shimano which provides the components for the UCI WCC trainees’ bikes:
Hugo Hahn (Namibia)
The Under-23 rider has no problem pinpointing the highlights of his season: “My first UCI World Cup, my first UCI World Championships and my first Commonwealth Games.”
And the lowlight?
“Missing the UCI World Cups in Albstadt and Nové Město with a broken collarbone. I was gutted. I felt like an injured lamb.”
The Namibian enjoys the physical contact with other riders, the elbowing and shouldering to get position. Like his fellow UCI WCC trainees – all from hot, dry countries -, a big challenge has been getting used to riding in the wet.
Having missed the first part of the season, Hugo plans to extend his racing with the UCI Cross-country Marathon World Championships in Haderslev, Denmark, on 17 September.
Domenic Paolilli (Australia)
A crash and broken finger at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets has put an early end to Domenic’s season. But he did not come away from Les Gets with only bad memories: “It’s really something to represent your country. It’s a privilege. It was amazing.”
The Australian has appreciated his four months in Switzerland to the full: “I’ve always wanted to race in Europe and now we’ve done a whole season. It’s tough but I have learnt so much,” says the athlete whose best race came in a Proffix Swiss Cup in Basel: “Everything just came together and the whole puzzle fell into place. I was really ‘in the race’, more competitive and had that fight and hunger…”
Katherine Hosking (Australia)
Apart from the racing and the excitement of competing on the UCI World Cup circuit, the Under-23 rider just loves the UCI WCC environment.
“It’s so good to be with people who just froth cycling all day and who talk about it as soon as they wake up. We all get on so well and always find a way to have fun, even on the ‘boring’ flat recovery rides.”
Like most of her UCI WCC teammates, Nové Město na Moravě was a highlight: “It was the first European race where I had a good battle with other riders and wasn’t too badly places. I held my position at the start and kept going. That’s when I realized ‘I can do this!’”
Their UCI WCC coach Charlie Evans sums up: “It’s been a really good year for all of them. They are all eager to learn and develop and they have made the most of the European racing experience. It’s not just about dealing with their competitors but also the conditions. They’re from Brazil, Namibia and Australia. They aren’t used to wet, rooty tracks. We had to put in a lot of work technically to cope with that.
“Before coming here, some of them were just focused on numbers and statistics. Here they have learned more about tactics and pushing from the start. The race begins before the gun, just with how you place your handlebars.”