XC rider Emily Batty preparing early for a strong race season
Emily Batty is racing early and often in 2020. She is pushing hard to build up her fitness, and UCI points, as she makes her bid to qualify in May for the Olympics.
In a normal year, the beginning of the UCI World Cup series is the start of race season for Batty and her peak fitness goal is World Championships. But this year is different. She will be pushing for three fitness peaks.
The first peak in Batty’s season will be at the initial World Cup competition in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic in May. There, Batty will fight for a Canadian cross country competitor slot in the Tokyo Olympics. So, she wants to have several races in her legs before she rolls up to the World Cup start line.
“2020 is a big year with the Olympics on the horizon,” Batty said. “The challenge of getting yourself somewhere crucial every four years is peaking on time.”
Batty plans to race more than a dozen times before May. She already has two races under her belt, at both she landed on the podium. The most recent race was Mediterranean Epic in Spain, a four-day stage race where Batty came second overall.
“Previously, come May, I would’ve only had a couple races in my legs by that time, this year I have plans for 16 races before the World Cup,” Batty said. “Fitness and freshness is a very fine line. I want to train but not over train and race a lot but not travel too much.”
As she looks ahead to the spring, Batty along with many Olympic hopefuls, will change the timing of their year to make it to the coveted games.
“Racing well is about mastering and executing performance on demand,” Batty said. “I’m doing everything I can to position myself to win, and hoping to be healthy, too.”
She is on to her next race this weekend in Banyoles, Spain. Good luck out there, Emily!
