Interview during her first Blue outing
We catch up with the Cuban champion hours before last Sunday's Trofeo Binda to know more about her early experience with the Telefónica-backed squad.
“I felt a little bit weird because of what such a new experience always involves. I come from a completely different system, another culture. I had spent five years in Italy with the same team and I was a bit frightened – I didn’t know how it would go when I would meet my new team-mates. So far, the girls made me feel like a family, quite at ease. In early January I should have attended the Almería training camp, but I had covid, just like many others in the team. I was able to get to Europe in January for physical tests and the like, but my return, and thus the debut, was delayed to bureaucratic issues. Now I’m here, ready to bring my top game to this squad.
“I’m an athlete who commits herself entirely to follow the plan the team has for me, whether it’s working for others or taking it on my shoulders. I might not be ready at this point to chase wins – I’ve been out of racing for quite a long time, and gaining form in Cuba doesn’t have anything to do with racing, even more so in the WWT, where the level is high, the ‘shock to the system’ is bigger and many others have quite a few races under their belt. It won’t be a problem to me to work for others, I’ll be pleased to do my best at such, as if it were myself who was winning. On the other hand, I would like to see the team doing the same for me if I once get into leading duties. Having riders here like Emma or Annemiek van Vleuten, who is someone who deserves to be admired – I’d be so proud and happy to help her win any race. When your team achieves a win together, it really feels like yours.
“I’m a rider who really needs to race and gain form at the events to offer my best performance. I’m also a rider who does better with heat rather than cold, though the conditions we’ve had at Binda aren’t bad for me, either. I want to take advantage from the next 6-8 weeks I’ll be here with the team to seek for that strong level. In mid May, the Pan American Championships will be raced in Argentina, and it’s logical that the national team will give me a call, because it’s an important year when it comes to securing spots for the Center-American and Panamerican Games in 2023, which are held almost consecutively. I’d be returning to the Americas in that moment, then starting building up for a second block, probably focused on the Giro Donne. I have otherwise no preferences for the upcoming months – I just want to race and give my best.
“The biggest change might have been the performance side. This is the very first time my training follows a path different from what the Cuban Federation established for me. I had been training sice age 16 with the same coach, and now I’m 29. I sincerely hope this change will be good for me. It’s more of a technical approach; feelings were the main thing in Cuba, and power and many other parameters are the guide. I must take the best from both methods to adapt myself and continue offering my best.”