Banff’s biggest cycling star proved Monday (Sept. 21) she belongs on the world stage.
Liah Harvie finished in a remarkable 10th place in the individual time trial at the UCI World Cycling Championships in Richmond, Virginia to stake her claim as one the planet’s best juniors on two wheels.
Racing in the junior women’s category, Harvie, 17, clocked a time of 22:07.98, a mere 23 seconds off the podium in an extremely competitive field.
Riding on a technical course that favoured her skill set, Harvie blasted out of the gates and dominated the first half of the 15-kilometre course. The winding roads threw in several sharp corners of cement slab, pavement and cobblestone, but Harvie was unrelenting over the first seven kilometres. The course was mostly flat, but ended with a 300-metre long kicker of a climb to finish the race.
“I started very strong, but faded in the second half, which, if I held that pace, I would have performed even better. All of the top 10 cyclists, except for the top two riders, were within 20 seconds of one another,” Harvie said. “I’m definitely surprised.”
Chloe Dygert of the USA won the race, followed by fellow American Emma White.
Harvie was even battling a cold when she completed the time trial, which is the most pure of the races at world championships.
“It affected me, but I should be fine by the road race (on Friday),” Harvie said.
Ever the perfectionist, Harvie picked apart her effort and said she had to improve if she’s to reach her goal of racing on the world cup circuit.
“It’s a good result, yet not a good result. It’s just the junior level and it’s considerably harder at the senior level,” Harvie said.
She’s received a great deal of support from the Bow Valley cycling community, but has tried to stay away from much of the chatter in order to prepare for the world championships road race on Friday. She and the rest of Team Canada were sequestered in Quebec for several weeks before world championships.
“Bonding with the team was a big part of it, and getting quality training,” Harvie said. “It’s a built-in group of friends to relate to.”
Looking ahead to the road race, Harvie said the 65-km course is well suited to her style, but she has no expectations in facing off against a field of 90.
“It’s perfect. It’s very technical and difficult corners in the peloton. The world championship peloton is insane. Everyone is nervous and shaky. It has a bunch of technical corners that suit me, and three punchy climbs, which are my biggest strength,” Harvie said. “I’m definitely looking forward to the road race.”
In the meantime, she’s being pampered by Team Canada this week, where a week’s stay at the Westin has her relaxed and race ready.
“With Team Canada, it’s quite the treatment. They take care of your every need. You don’t even have to say anything. They’ve done it before you think of it,” Harvie said.
The team has several workouts this week, mixing a few moderate rides with an intensity workout to keep the snap in the legs. The atmosphere has kept pressure low on the athletes, which suits Harvie just fine. Ninety riders are scheduled to race on Friday, and Harvie said it’s wide open.
“I’m just going to go with zero goals and zero expectations. That’s when I race well,” Harvie said.
Last season, Harvie finished 19th in the junior women’s road race in Ponferrada, Spain, and was a mere three-tenths of a second off of the lead. She’s already earned two national championships this season, and has gained much more international experience over the past year. She’s also in talks with several pro teams, so regardless of the result on Friday, her future is bright
Friday’s race also represents the end of a long racing season and she’s looking forward to celebrating once she’s finished. While many cyclists seek somewhere sunny, Harvie is off to immerse herself in American history.
“I’m going to go to Washington, D.C. to see Capitol Hill and the Smithsonian,” Harvie said.
The race will be broadcast online at 8 a.m. on Friday (Sept. 25).
