Four years ago Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio got an insight into what it would take to win Olympic Gold when she finished 16th in her debut Games in London. With the women’s road race in Rio fast approaching, Moolman-Pasio has put that knowledge to good practice as she aims for glory this Sunday.
In the intervening period, Moolman-Pasio has shot to the forefront of women’s cycling and has secured her place as one of the big favourites with some strong mid-season performances. “London was my first Olympic Games. It was quite an overwhelming experience because I had only represented South Africa one time before that at the World Championships in Copenhagen,” Moolman-Pasio told Cyclingnews.
“Going from one World Championships experience into an Olympic Games was quite mind-blowing more than anything else. I learned a lot from that, and crossing the finish line in London I realised that if you want to stand a chance of winning a medal at an Olympic Games it takes a four-year process. Having had a Commonwealth Games experience in the middle of it and winning a medal in Glasgow was a great experience for me and another great learning curve. Going into Rio, I’m really confident and I’m going for gold.”
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As a rare climbers’ course, the Rio road race has caught the attention of quite a number of riders in the peloton. Moolman-Pasio sees a large number of rivals for that gold, including Lizzie Armistead (Great Britain), Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) and Megan Guarnier (USA), among others. However, it is one that plays to her strengths and on seeing the parcours Moolman-Pasio couldn’t help but have a smile on her face.
“I’m a classics rider as well as a climber so it really suits me well,” she said. “I’ve got the short, steep climbs with a technical nature and then the longer climb, which is great, and a really technical descent. I like to descend. I don’t want to be too confident but I’m looking forward to it.
“I think it’s a really challenging course, and it’s got a little bit of everything. It’s a mix of flat riding on exposed coastline, a circuit further out of Rio that contains some classic-style climbs and a tough cobbled section. Just before the finish line, as we enter Rio again there is a really steep climb which just keeps going and going. It’s a mix of everything, and I think that it’s going to be an exciting race.”
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