January 29, 2008 (Victoria, BC) - At the conclusion of the 2007 season Webcor Builders Pro Cycling Team received the prestigious #1 ranking for the women’s National Racing Calendar (NRC). In 2008, Webcor will be the only UCI-registered women’s team in North America. With an outstanding lineup of top riders on this year’s roster, the team will no doubt prove to be as fiercely competitive on the international circuit as they were on the NRC circuit.
Three of the newly recruited Webcor riders gracing the roster are top Canadian riders, including 2006 double National Champion (RR and TT) Alex Wrubleski, 2005 National silver medalist (RR) Erinne Willock (who rode for Webcor in 2005 and 2006), and 2007 National Champion (RR) and 2006 Track Worlds Silver Scratch medalist Gina Grain (click here to read Webcor's 2008 team announcement).
Alex Wrubleski has notably been a successful rider thus far in her still young cycling career. After racing with Colavita Sutter Home in 2007, Wrubleski has joined Webcor Builders women's pro cycling team for the 2008 season. In our second part of a 3-part interview series of the trio, we caught up with Wrubleski in Victoria to see how things are shaping up for 2008.
Are you doing anything differently in your training this year as compared to past years?
Alex Wrubleski: The actual training programs I'm doing are not substantially different than previous years. I basically picked out the things that worked best for me in past years (and left out those things that didn't) and have incorporated that into my training and preparation for the upcoming season, The main difference for me this winter is that I'm living in Victoria. I am able to ride outside year round, and I have a lot of support here; from the riders, coaching and the Pacific sport training centre. I have access to all the resources I need, and I have a lot of good training partners. I also started training with a Power meter this winter, although I don't think this will change much in terms of performance but it helps to see numbers and see how I progress over the winter.
You've already had many great successes, and continue to show a huge amount of potential as it's still early in your cycling career. What do you hope to learn through riding with Webcor this year to add to your repertoire of cycling (and personal!) knowledge?
AW: I am really excited to race with Webcor this season. They are a team that have been around for a long time and have always been very solid in terms of riders, sponsors and management. Most of the girls on the team have a ton of experience at the international level and I hope to learn from them and gain more experience racing and traveling as a team with them.
Which race/races will be your focus for the 2008 season, both personally and as a member of the team?
AW: One of the main goals of Webcor for the 2008 season is to qualify as many team members for the Olympics as possible. So with that in mind we are trying to get to the most important spring UCI races. Tour de L'Aude is an important race for our team and Montreal is also an important race for the team and for each of us individually. For me personally all the spring World Cups starting in Europe are the most important to qualify for the Olympics. My first objective for this season is to make the Olympic team, and assuming that happens, I will focus on a plan to achieve the best possible results at the Games and the Road Worlds. So I am just going to focus on one goal at a time and go from there.
Who is/are your mentor(s)/role model(s) and why?
AW: This question is always hard for me to answer. I don't really have a specific role model in cycling, maybe because I haven't been doing it for that long. I would say my athlete role model is Clara Hughes. I think she is a very inspiring person and athlete. She has had a lot of success in both cycling and speed skating and she has been a great mentor for me since I started cycling.
I learned a ton from my team mates last season. They were great role models, and gave me a lot of support. I am sure it will be the same this year with my new team. Also some of the Canadian riders that have more experience than I have, like Erinne Willock and Alison Sydor have also been mentors/role models for me.
What advice would you give to women with aspirations of becoming professional cyclists?
AW: It's like every sport; if it is something you really want then you just can't give up.
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Photo: Frank Bodenmüller
Alex Wrubleski at the 2007 Road World Championships.
Photo: Frank Bodenmüller
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