ONE WILD RIDE with Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli XC

I got asked what my season was like and I'd probably say it was like a rollercoaster. Last year I came in hot. Maybe came in a bit too hot. And this year I'd like to build up. This is my fourth year as an R23. Come into the category at 18, 19 years old. Four years to kind of develop into hopefully a competitive elite rider by the time you leave. Yeah, it was my third year in elite so time's just like going by so quick. I just want to feel good, feel like I can push hard and like I executed everything we practiced well. I really am looking forward to World Champs. I'm really excited for that race actually which is kind of a, probably a rogue choice for me. But yeah, I'm really excited for that race. Feeling good. Definitely feeling the nerves a little bit. It's toasty out. We're going to see how many heroes are out there today. Four years ago were where I was. Hopefully getting to the World Cups and hopefully just starting to build some experience in the World Cups. To now being able to say like one of the top riders from the U.S. competing to go to the Olympics. As Richards cracks onto the front of this one. Evie Richards looks and there's no one there. There's Keller 9. Evie Richards opens her account for 2024 in some style. I told you you'd be finding that. Oh, that's a relief, isn't it? Wait, have you got foundation on me? Yeah, I felt good but it was so hot. I couldn't even think like, my God, it was boiling. And the crowd is just like... So now I'm very happy. I won! Like what the hell, I won! Never worn a World Cup leaders jersey in four years of racing under 23. So absolutely over the moon to start the season this way. Really warm, just so hot. So many sections too that are steep where, man, when you've got no moving air it just instantly hits you. So heat management and correct pacing today are going to be everything, for sure. This year it's just about continuing the process of race day protocols, race week protocols, like what training seemed to work really well last year, just continuing that this year. That feeling where your body's so on the limit, so empty, but you're winning the freaking World Cup and there's a guy right on your heels ready to take it from you. I did not want to go then with the gap, like I was so on the limit. But they had a little mess up on the climb and they gave me the gap. I just tried so hard to keep calm, but I'm stoked, I think I'll realize it later. I just really want to start on a strong note. I've really been trying to do everything I can. Yeah, I think I just want to start the season on fire. I'm not as nervous as yesterday. Yesterday I was super nervous, but I feel like now I'm ready to race. I'm excited. Yeah, the first couple of laps I was feeling super strong, but with all the best intentions you can't always control what happens in a race. I didn't have the most ideal lead up into Brazil either, so I definitely had a little bit of doubt in the back of my mind, but I knew a lot of the things I felt like from the last season I needed to work on, I definitely did. So I went there knowing I had made improvements, but kind of with some questions as well because things had been a bit rocky. Yeah, I'm super excited for another race. We're here and it's absolutely gorgeous. Stevie, how stupid. What's going on? I thought I would, on the biggest jump pedal, go even faster and just went so far that the only way was... And then it was so slippy I couldn't get back onto the bike. Oh, we have an exciting day of racing today. I think Riley's going to pull out dubs today. It is Riley Evans! It's so aggressive today. There's probably five close calls out there of just inside somebody, tree right there, just finding a hole where there was none. Yeah, I try to just be patient again. The more I force myself to hold back, I feel like the faster I seem to go. I don't think it's still settled in Brazil to win four World Cups in a row. It's still just a dream. It's more than just a result for me. It's a result for all of us. And seeing how much it means to everyone else matters a lot more than it matters to me, almost, I could say. I think I was more shocked every race I won. I knew I was capable, after Brazil, to continue winning. Every time on the race course, there was that moment where I almost cracked or almost got dropped or wasn't sure if I could do it. And being able to push through that moment every time was really special. Yeah, so Val di Sol was really hard because seven days before that, I went on my first ride outside in probably seven weeks since Brazil. It definitely felt like it was the first race of the season all over again where you have no idea where you're at. Before I actually got there, I had this idea of how everything was going to go and that the comeback was going to be just so quick. And then when I got there, all of a sudden, it was like I was actually processing a bit of what happened in Brazil. I am a racer. I love to race. I love to be around my friends. So for me, I wanted to be back in that environment to bring me happiness again, really, because I think I've been on my own for six, seven weeks, and I just wanted to be around my team. I'm excited, yeah. First time back doing a course check in a while. So I'm obviously a little bit nervous, but I think you just got to rip the Band-Aid off, get back out there. I almost think it's going to give my confidence back just to get out there and remember I know how to ride. I was off trails for seven weeks, and last week was my first week back on trails. And then, yeah, it's been eight weeks since the last race I did. I really missed it, and just the environment and being with the team. So it's going to be good. It's not so easy when you're not fit, is it? My gosh. I'm really suffering, but I'm happy with a solid second race, a solid race after the little training I've done. Even riding in a group, I haven't been to a supermarket yet. So this was like supermarket shopping Christmas Day, isn't it? I love being back. I dreamed of this when I was recovering for the last five weeks. When half-time came, I was like, I'm doing a short track with Aiden Richards! After the short track in Val di Sole, it was such a relief. Course practice had been rocky. I wasn't feeling super confident. And then I really didn't know where I was physically either. And then I came back and had a really strong short track. That was relieving. And then was top 15 in the cross country, which kind of after the week I'd had, kind of surpassed any expectations I had. I like got off the line really good, but I'm typically a slow starter. But then I just still, before the woods, ended up in a ton of mess and like was pretty far back, like maybe top 30. And then I just like tried to get in my groove. I was saying like, I think today was like the first time I've found like flow on trails again. I've not been feeling confident on my mountain bike just because I've been away from it for so long. And so it just felt good to like get the inner flow on a descent and be racing. And I think I moved all the way up into the top 15. That's more like, I'm super happy with that. It's more than I could have hoped for. It was hard, just even after banging my head, I felt really nervous riding downhill. And I think I was, I was like optimistic that maybe I wouldn't have lost as much as I had. So after the race, when I finished, I was like, I was a bit upset and pissed off because I was like, shit. I didn't, I thought I'd be unfit, but I didn't think I'd be this unfit. I didn't think I'd struggle this much. It's what it is, isn't it? But I'm lucky. My head's okay and it's a big step up, but I just need to get fit. But yeah, we're getting there. Thank you. And then the next step was like, all right, I've ridden all these features. I know I can do that. Can I do it quickly now? And then that was the next thing I had to work through. And it was definitely just, you know, from Val di Sole, Crans, Leger, it was a lot of like, make some progress, some steps forward, maybe a couple steps backwards again. We are in Andorra and this week is World Champs week. Worlds is special and different from any other World Cups because it's the one event a year where you get actually a special jersey if you win. And you get to wear the rainbow stripes for the remaining season and until the next World Championships. I think it's about it only being once a year. Like, it's the only race you have and it's the only opportunity you have. And yeah, then definitely the jersey. It's a pretty special thing to get to ride around in the World Champs jersey all year if you become World Champion. I feel like I've done a pretty good job at suppressing the nerves and then all of a sudden on the gondola, I'm just getting all jittery. I'm like, oh, it hit me. We're racing World Champs today. World Champs for Short Track was something I wanted to win for so long and it was like one of my biggest goals at the start of the year and even when I was in concussion, I like, had to keep reminding like, this is my goal this year. I want to win World Champs. Been a little down this week. Just, you know, try to do everything right for this is the main goal of the season and get here and feel a little under the weather. So, not much to do about it, but yeah, we'll see what we can do. See if we can salvage. Hopefully, we feel really good by Sunday and I think we're going to give it a shot today. I wasn't grumpy, but I was nervous and I was like really concentrating on the race and it was the first ever race I didn't want my parents to come over and say good luck before the race, which is like not like me at all. I had in my head like a really clear plan of what I wanted to do and I think I was just nervous because Short Track is so short. It's not always easy to deliver that plan. I knew like pretty much what I wanted to do, but when the lights go green, you never can guarantee that that's what's going to happen. Richard is going to go over the top here and we're totally at seven seconds, so it's not looking too far. A little bit, that's an earlier chase. And look at this, Richard takes a wide line. She's putting the pressure on for Alvaro. She wants to come into this section, but she does. Another turn coming back in again. One more lap to go here. Lap seven complete. Richard goes over the line. Here for the 2024 UCI Mountain Biker World Champion. She's just sprinting, starting for Alvaro. Leaves it out and Richard is coming on the side. She's going to push to the line. Evie Richards is the world champion at the Short Course. Look at that! Oh my God, it's too big! Big hugs for the rider who has now got every single colour of a medal at this discipline. You could see in my face like I was shocked. As soon as I crossed the line, I was like, fuck, I've like, I beat her on the line. That's when I like, I think that, yeah, you can see the shock in my face is that it hit me right then. Felt like it was so special because at the Olympics, I had all my family around me. The last time I won world champs was in COVID. My parents never watched me win a world champ. So to have like my parents, Tracy, the team, British Cycling, friends that had flown out just to watch me for a day. So it was just like so cool. I felt like really lucky to, I think that was the best bit. It was like one of probably the best days of my life because everyone was there that I wanted to be there. Just knew like I had to save so much at altitude because last year I went for it like one or two to go and didn't make it. Just wait for that last lap because I knew it'd be really hard to push on the last lap. It was tough. It was different than usual, I think. I think the gaps opened up easier and they like stayed, the race stayed apart a bit easier. It might be the best day, I mean, for sure for mountain biking. Everybody stepped it up, showed up ready. I'm still in shock, to be honest. Like what a day. I said, I don't think that's ever been done. It's definitely the official day of Trek mountain biking, I would say. We, as a team, as USA Cycling, as Trek, we've had an awesome week. I mean, USA was first in the team relay. We had Riley, Evie, Isabella, all world champions in short track. Isabella was world champion in cross country. Overall, I think we can all walk away pretty happy and excited for the last two races of the season. It's definitely a bittersweet weekend. I think having our last XCC and XCO as a U23, exciting to be going into the elites, but I was also a bit sad finishing the XCC and realizing that four years in U23 had just kind of flown by. You'll never get to be an under 23 again. You'll never get this opportunity again and I want to leave it all out there and make the most of it. Last short track of the season, we're super excited. It's going to be a great day of racing. Good weather, good track. We are currently sitting in third overall, so the goal is to keep that and hopefully finish overall on the podium in short track. Evie Richard! And Green Beach goes! I was up there at the front battling for the podium and finishing third overall, I think, shows a lot of consistency throughout the season, which is definitely something I'm really proud of. So going into tomorrow, I am really motivated and hungry for that World Cup win still, so we're going to give it all we've got. Feels like every race, everyone's just a bit more aggressive and today there was a couple of really close calls, just like everyone's hungry and tension's running high for the last race. Everyone was just willing to send it. I fought really hard today and felt like any time I made some position, I almost immediately lost it. I think this morning, it was a normal morning until I realised it was going to be my last U23 short track of the year. I'm very happy to get second overall. It's not easy to get an overall when you're at all the races. So to miss a round in Novo Mesto and then also to Brazil, Brazil basically I missed because I was racing with concussions. So yeah, I'm super happy to get second overall. I really didn't think that would be possible this year, so I'm stoked. Like my best ever overall probably. Yeah, main goal, have a good time, enjoy it because we're pretty lucky to be out here and getting to race bikes for our jobs, so make the most of it. I think my body's just really tired from the long year. Yeah, I fought everything to the end and that's what it was. Thanks team for being out here late in October. Feels like winter, wrap up the season. But the tough ones I think are the ones that kind of, they make you a way better athlete. I learned way more this year by having a lot of obstacles to overcome than I would have if everything went perfectly. Purple! Second overall! The one, the only, Rodney Ambrose! He was a senior at San Antonio American. He'll be part of the first Olympic team to ever go to the top ten.