OPENING A WAY FOR HERSELF. Olivia Baril’s early racing years in Europe show how difficult is for extra-European athletes to find a place in our continent: so few opportunities, modest squads and just a handful of ‘shots’ in order to achieve target and show they’re valid for top-levle competition. It had to be a squad from her home country, Macogep, which opened for three years (2018-20) the doors of our sport to the Abitibi native -a region from south Québec with great cycling tradition-, who, before the pandemic, did well at Burgos (top-20 overall in 2019) and Dubai (6th in 2020).

EARLY MOMENTS OF BRILLIANCE. She moves to Europe in 2020 -currently lives in San Sebastián, the Basque Country, which makes somewhat natural her step towards the Movistar Team-. Back to calendar normalcy, she signs for Catalan outfit Massi – Tactic in 2021, where she gathers experience and gets ready to her first big leap, with renowned development squad Valcar, in 2022. She rides all big spring classics (16th in Flèche Wallonne), opens her pro victory account at the GP Ciudad de Eibar and comes tantalizingly close to a win in the Itzulia, only bested by Demi Vollering over the infamous Mallabia ramp. She ends her season racing all three Grand Tours: Giro -left early due to a crash-, Tour and La Vuelta.

ONE OF THE BEST. Her ‘official’ confirmation in the elite comes in 2023, already part of WorldTour squad UAE, which absorbs Valcar as its development team. 19th overall in La Vuelta; part of Le Tour for a second consecutive year; 5th in Valencia, 6th in Scandinavia, 4th -including one stage win- in Ardèche, again victorious in Eibar… Her place within the best stage racing athletes and allrounders in the peloton was well earned. She’s aiming at Paris 2024 and the best WWT events in her maiden Movistar Team season. How far can she reach, at just 26 years of age?