First off, huge congrats on the win! What does taking the UCI EDR Elite Women’s title mean to you personally?
Well my first win in Poland was really overwhelming. I felt really excited to be the first Canadian woman to win an enduro world cup and the whole thing felt really important for Canada. I think as a country enduro is doing really well with not a lot of support and I have been feeling a real big sense of Canadian pride at the races lately.
This win in France was really special in the sense that it just consolidated in my head that the race in Poland wasn’t a one off, and to back it up by winning both days of racing was a huge feat for me. I’ve been working really really hard for the last couple of years and its just really exciting to finally get to feel the rewards start to come.
As much as I love winning just because I am competitive, when it happens it is just an awesome moment when everyone kind of looks at you and you get to share your message. So I think when I win, and you see the photos from the race where I'm smiling or sticking out my tongue at spectators on a climb, or doing a shoey on the podium, I hope it comes through that I’m having fun, and you can take it seriously and still do those things and they don’t cancel out.
What’s been your biggest challenge this season, mentally or physically, and how did youovercome it?
Last year I was struggling with compiling injuries and lost a lot of the fun. In the off season last winter, I was struggling to wrap my head around racing again. My coach helped me through it a lot and I knew I wanted to keep training but I wasn’t sure how much racing I actually wanted to do.
The conclusion I came too was that in my first year elite I didn’t need to shoot for winning the overall, so I opted out of a full euro calendar, and made doing fun adventure bike trips at home a priority and I’ve really found my love for it again. It can be super difficult for north Americans to be in Europe for months on end and I definitely felt that in 2024. But this year coming home for a few weeks had me excited to go back and I think has contributed a lot to my consistency over the whole season.
Can you outline all your recent and biggest achievements/places in races?
Here are all the races I’ve done this season so far :
● Mt Tzouhalem Island Cup Enduro : 1st
● Squamish Enduro: 3rd
● Finale Outdoor Region World Cup: 9th
● Bielsko- Biala Poland World Cup: 1st
● Canazei Italy World Cup: 7th
● La Thuile Italy World Cup: 6th
● Crankworx Canadian Open Enduro Whistler: 1st
● Morillon France World Cup 1st:
● World Cup Overall Series Ranking: 5th
Two races left : World Championships Sept 1st Altech Arena, Switzerland (UPDATE! SHE WON! Congratulations Elly!) & Canadian Enduro Nationals Bromont Quebec.
Your race consistency has been insane. How do you stay focused and mentally strong over a full season?
BALANCE! (same answer as last question really) So much easier said than done but taking time off (racing) mid season this year had me really excited to return in July. And I think as I’m figuring out just tactically how to have race weekends take less of a mental and emotional toll, I'll be able to tackle more full on race schedules. But as my first year in elite I really wasn’t planning on going for the overall title and also budgeting wise it made sense to come home after the race in Poland.
Have you seen more women and young girls getting into enduro racing recently? What do you think is helping push that growth?
Absolutely I think it is getting way cooler for women to SHRED. Which is amazing. I personally love that people are bringing femininity to “hardcore” sports, it is super valuable for young girls to see that those things don’t cancel out and that is a huge part of my message.
Do you have any advice for younger riders who want to make it to the top level of the sport - especially women?
Be a sponge. Be humble and take in every bit of knowledge you can from everyone. For women especially I think its unfortunately not uncommon to feel like you don’t have the same right to be in the sport space, but you so do, and people want you there. I would say be confident.
Be confident in what you know and humble in what you don’t. Don’t be afraid to commit to something 100%. It is a really vulnerable leap to take because 100% commitment means if you fail there aren’t any excuses but it is so worth it. Being confident to me doesn’t mean you can’t be unsure or make mistakes either, its just owning your actions, using your resources, and acting with purpose.
Lastly, what’s next for you after this win? Any goals?
Finish the season strong and rally so I can come back again next year!! I am really looking forward to national championships. Last year I won in U21 and because I moved into Elite this season I’ve never gotten to race in the sleeve so thats been on my radar for sure.