Guest Perspective: Ashleigh Girona Bike Tour
Ashleigh's Girona Tour exceeded all my great expectations. The riding routes, all expertly led by Ashleigh Moolman Pasio herself, were spectacular and challenging. On the first day, we did an epic climb past medieval castle ruins to the monastery atop the Mare de Deu d’El Mont with breathtaking 360 degree views of the entire region. Next we took a long scenic ride past volcanic ranges to the cobbled streets of Beget nestled in a remote, fairytale valley with a ranging mountain torrent roaring below stone bridges. The next day we crossed flat plains all the way to the incredible cliffside vistas of the Costa Brava and back. Finally, I had the good fortune to be paced to an excellent time all the way up the fabled "benchmark" Rocacorba climb by Ashleigh herself!
What made the tour overall such a rewarding and enriching experience was not only the challenging daily riding, but all of the amazing secondary support and activities the tour provided. Staying in a fully modernized but historical stone villa provided the perfect setting for rest, quiet, and relaxation. A lavish continental breakfast was laid out for us every morning before we awoke. Our laundry was done for us each day and returned neatly folded. Our rooms serviced and cleaned while we rode. Delicious, home cooked meals were provided, filled with great conversation, conviviality, and lots of good humour. Restaurant meals were equally exceptional and each one highlighted different regional specialties. Everything was included in the very reasonable price of the tour.
Each day's ride was fully supported as well providing extra supplies at strategic points. We had a professional photographer one day and many other great photos and videos shot by others driving sag or tagging along. Each ride included two or more guides to accommodate everyone's optimal pace and no one was pushed too hard or slowed down. My Cervelo R3 disc rental bike was a revelation. Truly a masterpiece to handle which gave me great confidence over a variety of terrain and conditions which included some gravel, some alpine style epic descents, damp and wet roads. I didn't expect to like my rental bike more than my own bike! After each ride, it was cleaned and tuned up optimally for the next day. I would definitely rent rather than bring my bike all the way from the USA.
What I found most enthralling was the opportunity to ride in close proximity day by day with a champion cyclist like Ashleigh Moolman Pasio and other ex-pro athlete guides. We were also greatly enriched on every ride and evening by a variety of luminaries from the professional cycling world who added great stories and legends from the pro women's peloton. A leading agent in women's cycling. A top Instagram cycling photographer. A prominent soigneur in the Girona cycling scene. A leading cycling journalist. The foremost commentator of English language broadcast cycling. The local manufacturers behind the Tactic clothing line we received as complimentary jerseys. Finally, we even got to meet many other professional cycling luminaries in person at the very memorable Girona Gala for Qhubeka on the final evening!
Truly an epic and memorable tour I would most highly recommend to any strong and adventurous cyclist. This region of Catalonia is a Mecca for professional cyclists for a good reason. I myself cannot wait to return for another Ashleigh Tour!
Ashleigh Girona Cycle Tour
It’s the off-season but I’ve just finished a week-long five stage tour. It included lots of coffee stops, all my favourite roads, and a bunch of new friends. It was my inaugural Girona Cycling Tour that I hosted and it really opened my eyes to a new way to push women’s cycling forward.
The Girona Cycling Tour at it’s most simple was a cycling holiday but it’s part of a bigger vision we are working to achieve at Rocacorba Cycling. When it comes to tackling the complexities of women’s cycling, it took a long time for us to manifest something actionable but, after the tour, I knew we were onto something powerful.
It seems obvious but not every sport allows people of all levels to come together. Not anyone can join the Springboks for rugby or FC Barcelona for football but pro women’s cycling is a bit different. We have the ability to not just allow, but also to welcome supportive cyclists and fans into the process. By reaching out and making real-life connections with other cyclists/fans, we can access and strengthen the support we desperately need.
As in any new endeavour, I was excited but unsure of how the week would go. Would everyone get along? How could I make sure everyone felt included? Was the weather going to hold up? As the riders arrived, I saw they also had “new experience” jitters but as soon as we hopped on our bikes, all of our concerns melted away. There was a wide range of abilities, different experience levels, and different approaches to cycling but it didn’t matter. By the end of the week we were all happily physically tired but mentally energized.
That energy stayed with me. By taking down all the barriers and allowing people in during a simple cycling tour, I felt that I had made actual change! It seems small but I know everyone left with a sense of connection that will touch their relationship with women’s cycling forever.
The future of our sport is in connecting the dots, making deeper lasting connections, and doing that in as many different ways as possible whether that’s a minimum wage policy or a coffee with a new friend during a holiday tour. The beauty of women’s cycling is that it has the opportunity to be open and welcoming to different models and practices. There are so many different ways to advance women’s cycling and, with a multitude of attack points and an open mindset, everyone (especially professionals) can contribute to the growth and sustainability of our sport.
Click here to ride with me next year from 5th-11th October, 2019.
Race big
We showed up at Liège-Bastogne-Liège ready to go big. After our 2nd place at La Flèche Wallonne, we were on a high and everyone wanted to push a little farther, swing a bit bigger. But Liège is not Flèche.
Flèche always, always, always comes down to a few riders on the Mur, but Liège is a race that can be won by different types of riders and different types of strategies. The sprinters can make it over the climbs, a break could win…the possibilities come down to who is willing to make the race and we wanted to be those riders.
Being aggressive isn’t just one moment of attack. Before that moment there is an orchestrated sequence of events carried out by different members of the team. Emma Norsgaard our 18 year old last minute substitution, had to get over La Vecquee and help me on the descent; Ann-Sophie Duyck buried herself to survive long enough to place me leading into the La Roche; Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig had to lead me out into Saint-Nicolas. As we approached Côte de La Roche, everyone had done their part so it was my turn to execute.
We hit the bottom of the climb and I attacked. The big players followed. The same three riders I was with in the final hundred meters of Flèche were on my wheel: Anna van de Breggen, Annemiek Van Vleuten, and Megan Guarnier A group joined us from behind and, after two moves were neutralized, Amanda Spratt got away solo.
On the penultimate climb, it was time to swing again. We hit the bottom and I attacked. Anna and Annemiek followed. I pushed the pace but at the top Anna counter-attacked, eventually bridging across to Amanda. I was left with Annemiek glued to my wheel.
I could see Anna and Amanda up the road but I knew Annemiek was not going to help me chase her teammate down. I also knew there was a group chasing us from behind. My brain ran queries, trying to figure out the best move. The odds were, let’s just say, unfavourable but I owed it to the team to try. I knew it was going to take some miracle to finish third but maybe we would rejoin? Maybe I had enough to hold off the chasing bunch behind us and finish at least fourth. We hadn’t shown up to race Liege conservatively.
I put my head down and went for it. I could almost feel the weight of Annemiek in my legs as I towed her to the line. Naturally, she attacked and out-sprinted me but I had managed to hold off the chase pack and finish in fourth.
Of course we wanted to win, to get a podium, but when the ride from start to finish is that exciting, when your team spirit is unmatched in the pro peloton, when you race that big, you definitely have no regrets.
Podium at Fleche Wallonne
Danger, danger, danger, danger… I could feel a prickle of panic rise up in my body as Canyon’s lead out into the Côte de Cherave unleashed a threatening breakaway. We weren’t represented. Up until now the day had gone perfectly but, with 30km to go, that was rapidly changing.
We were down to two riders, Cecile and myself, having recently lost our other key player Marie in a crash. I had been lucky to avoid the stack but with only two pairs of legs and a 25 second gap no one wanted to close, the odds didn’t look good. Still, we had one card to play.
In the effort of her life, Cecille drove the pace on the front of the bunch. With barely any help from other riders, she rode herself into the ground, but managed to keep the gap steady and the break within striking distance. As we climbed up the Côte de Cherave for the last time, I passed Cecille and knew the rest was up to me.
We bounded onto the Mur de Huy. The breakaway was just in front of us, the catch timed perfectly, and I fed off the energy my team had put in to get me there. This was as high stakes as it gets. Go too early on the steep Mur and you can literally blow up in the last 100m and lose the race. I was the first rider to make contact with the break, and as we all merged and split again it was Megan Guarnier, Anna van der Breegen, Annemiek van Vleuten, and me. The climb got steeper as I took the lead.
The average gradient of the Mur is 9.6% but there are parts up to 26%. The steeper it is, the more each pedal stroke hurts but the steeper it is, the better it suits me. We had planned exactly where I would attack. I had watched past videos of past winners. I had landmarked the brick building on the left as my signal. There comes a point where you have to push all the chips in and this was it.
Except I was boxed in. Pinned to the barriers and then stuck behind in second wheel, Boels did an excellent job of keeping me right where I couldn’t attack. I tried to go left, then right, then left. “Let me out,” I wanted to scream. Catching a sliver of space, I slammed my pedals and aggressively slipped through a small gap on the left. My attack point had come and gone and with only 150m to go, it was time for everyone to lay their cards on the table. Anna van der Breggen sprinted into first while I gave everything to proudly finish second.
I’d love to win but second at Flèche Wallonne is fantastic, especially after the team worked unbelievably well. Let me just say that I got up on the podium as an individual, but I wasn’t just up there as Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio; I was on the podium representing the 10-person kick-ass Cervelo-Bigla team (staff included) that finished second in a World Tour race. Guess we played our cards right.
