Foldable Bikes Party: Lizzie Armitstead gets set for Gold at Rio 2016

Wednesday, 1 June 2016

Lizzie Armitstead gets set for Gold at Rio 2016

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Lizzie Armitstead is riding high, and well she should be. Starting 2016 in the rainbow stripes of a world champion, she laid out her goals and is striking through the list.

Goal number one was to win at the Tour of Flanders, which she did in spectacular style with a nailbiting final sprint against Emma Johansson.

But her main ambition for 2016? To turn the silver she won at the London 2012 Olympics into the gold she dreams about in the Rio 2016 Olympics.

With the Olympics fast approaching, Armitstead's attention has turned to preparation for the mountainous course.

Preparing for Rio 2016

While she’s known for her powerful sprint, Armitstead is not an out-and-out climber. The Rio 2016 course involves several major climbs, with the steepest gradients over its 130.3km course reaching 13%. Climbing ability is therefore an attribute Armitstead must master ahead of the Games.

"My preparation for Flanders was based completely around the course – a series of short punchy climbs.” Armitstead tells BikeRadar. "Rio is mountains, not hills. I’ve spent May in the mountains doing long rides, getting used to holding threshold power for a long period of time. It’s been quite difficult, it’s been a challenge because it’s not how I am used to training, but I’m getting there. I’m getting more confident in mountains."