Banff’s Liah Harvie is about to get another chance to take on the world.
The promising endurance athlete is one of eight cyclists named to Team Canada’s UCI Road World Championships team, taking place Sept. 20-27 in Richmond, Virginia. It’s the highest level of competition Harvie can compete in.
“It’s great. It was definitely something I worked hard for, but I was not overly surprised. I was not a long shot,” Harvie said.
The 18 year old will compete in a time trial and road race in Virginia, where she will be the veteran on Canada’s women’s team. Last year, she made a surprising debut on the world championship team in Ponferrada, Spain, where she finished 19th in the road race, a mere three-tenths of a second off the pace. This year, she has no expectations in terms of results, but said the course is a definite match to her style.
“The course is significantly different. It’s largely flat and far more technical. It’s very good for me,” Harvie said. “It’s a race like no other. You can’t predict how it will turn out. I have no expectations whatsoever. You get riders from all over the world, and different racing styles are combined.”
This is just the latest in a string of successes for the Banff rider who earned two Canadian junior championship titles this spring and aspires to race on the world cup circuit next season. Her tactical skills have improved, her training has reached 17 hours a week, and she’s adjusted to the rigours of a long cycling season.
As part of Cycling Canada’s plan for Harvie, she recently wrapped up a stage race in Vermont against the likes of Olympic medallist Tara Whitten, and she’s now under lockdown in Quebec, where she’ll train until world championships. Her fitness isn’t in top form yet, but she still has time to round into race shape.
“We have been training regularly here. It’s a strict environment that lets us focus on cycling. There are not too many distractions. It’s great,” Harvie said.
She wasn’t happy with her results at the Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont this weekend, where she faced off against Whitten and several other high-level riders. Harvie was sixth in the time trial, but off the pace in the crit and road race. Lining up against a tough field is intimidating for Harvie (who calls Whitten the one woman power machine), but also motivational, she said.
“It’s been up and down. I’ve had some where I’ve been in form, others no,” Harvie said. “I still have a ways to go.”
Gillian Ellsay, Katherine Maine and Gabby Traxler were also named to the junior women’s team, while Willem Boersma, Derek Gee, Adam Roberge and Joel Taylor will represent the Canadian men. Harvie is the lone Albertan on the team.
