What a year for 18-year-old Alex Volstad! The Calgary rider levelled up from what was already being a junior powerhouse when she placed third at the Ronde van Vlaanderen. But she also had some great results at home.
“One of the biggest moments this year was being able to defend my national title at the 2024 Canadian road national championships. It’s something I’d been working toward all year, so it felt amazing to do it again. I’m also really proud to keep wearing the maple leaf when I race internationally,” she said. That wasn’t the only maple leaf jersey she won. “The criterium was a blast too—it was a super technical race with the rain, and the attacks on the hill every lap made it really exciting.”
Big ride at Flanders
In May, she achieved a huge result at Flanders. Volstad took third behind French ace Célia Gery and British star and multiple world champion Cat Ferguson. “I have been working hard to show my strength in Europe, so seeing it all come together was really rewarding,” she said. Plus, standing on the podium with two of the best juniors in the world was pretty cool.
She is back in Calgary for the offseason, enjoying a much-needed break. She’s been living in Holland for the year, racing for the Watersley R&D Road Team. Volstad hasn’t been home for 10 months. She’s not the only Canuck on the squad; Jenaya Francis and Nico Knoll also race on the team. Volstad has a new team for her first year elite and will be announcing it soon. As of right now, she’s enjoying her time at home.
Back home preparing for 2025
“I hadn’t been in Calgary for such a long time, so it is nice to be back enjoying my time in the mountains and with family,” she said. “In regards to training, I took a couple of weeks off following the season.”
Living in Alberta, she’s a big fan of the outdoors. When she’s not riding, you can find her in the Rocky Mountains hiking. “It’s a great way to unwind and explore nature,” she said. “Over the last year and a half, I haven’t done a ton of cross-training or strength training, but I try to stay active with hiking or climbing when I’m not racing. Going forward, I will be adding a lot of gym work into my training to build my strength.”
Volstad closed off the season on a high note, taking 36th in the junior world TT championships and an impressive 12th in the road race.
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