One year ago, Ava Holmgren made waves at cyclocross national championships when she won the elite women’s title as a junior. Just hours earlier, her sister Isabella won the junior women’s national title. 12 months later, they’re back to defend their titles.
A lot can happen in twelve months, though. That includes a junior world championships title in cyclocross, Canada’s first, for Isabella. Her sister shared that podium in second place. Isabella earned another junior world championship in August in cross country mountain biking. Both sisters are also set to join the powerhouse Lidl-Trek road team on the Women’s World Tour starting in January.
Back in Layritz, though, the twins are still in Stimulus-Orbea colors and are, again, splitting categories. Ava is entered to defend her elite title. With the sisters aging up into under-23 for cyclocross, Isabella will try replace her junior maple leaf with the U23 title.
With so much experience between the two, how did the sisters decide on this strategy?
“Last year I decided as a second-year junior to upgrade to the elite category,” Ava Holmgren says. “It wouldn’t make sense for me to go back down to under-23. So I’ve decided to stay as an elite.”
“I raced Pan Ams as an elite, but I still want to race nationals as under-23,” Isabella adds, adding “Once you upgrade for nationals, you can’t go back down the following year. I still have four years of u23.”
Whatever happens this weekend, the sisters already have their winter schedule planned out. After a quick stop back in Ontario for an early Christmas with the family, they head to Spain for a training camp with Lidl-Trek then to Belgiam for Christmas Cross, an intense period of racing between Christmas and New Years.
Over in Europe, the Holmgren’s options are a little different.
“There aren’t actually many u23 races, just worlds,” Ava explains. “So we have to race against the elite category at World Cups. And then, at some events, they have a separate U23 podium.”
Partway through that racing block, the sisters will switch from the Canadian Stimulus-Orbea squad to the global Lidl-Trek team. Moving from junior to elite racing, and from a small domestic squad to a WorldTour team are both big steps. I asked if making the leap with one of the biggest teams…
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