(Montreal) After being an alpine skier, cross-country athlete and triathlete, the pandemic will have pushed Clara Émond to get into road cycling. Less than two years later and to his great surprise, Émond has just participated in the second World Tour race of his career last weekend and is now preparing for new challenges.
As far back as she can remember, Clara Émond has always wanted to pursue a career in alpine skiing. The one who trained at Mont-Sainte-Anne was a slalom specialist and participated in several editions of the Canadian Championships. Injuries and the start of her law studies, however, forced her to move away from her favorite sport.
Unable to remain inactive, Émond joined the Laval University cross-country club. This discipline then led her to triathlon, a sport that her friend Charles Paquet also practices on the international scene. She was even named long distance female triathlete of the year in Quebec in 2021.
COVID-19 has been synonymous with change for Émond. Triathlon competitions being canceled everywhere, she made the decision to focus a little more on road cycling. A decision that will change his life.
In his first competition, the 2021 Grand Prix Cycliste de Charlevoix, Émond surprised everyone, including Charles Paquet, by winning the climb stage, in addition to finishing third overall.
“I hated the bike at first! I didn’t have a lot of fun practicing this sport, but by dint of training, I was improving quite quickly. I didn’t really have a strategy or expectation in my first race in Charlevoix. Charles had to give me several basic tips to help me. I just wanted to enjoy the scenery. Nobody understood why I won a stage, even Charles told me that it was inconceivable”, explains Émond laughing.
This feat will attract the attention of the French-Canadian team Emotional. fr-Tornatech-GSC Blagnac VS31 which will put Émond under contract for the 2022 season. The Quebecer jumped into the adventure with both feet and she does not regret this decision at all.
“Everything went really quickly thereafter. Tornatech approached me to race the Canadian Road Championships in 2021 as a kind of test and I finished eighth in the time trial and the road race. I had the sting and I embarked with them the following season, ”said the Quebecer in an interview with Sportcom.
“The move to Europe was what scared me the most. I found it hard to be away from my family, but luckily it allowed me to move in with Charles. I was so new and naive to the sport that I hardly knew anyone, I felt small in my panties. I didn’t know what to expect so much that it didn’t really scare me,” she added.
It is clear that Émond learns extremely quickly. Less than a year after his official road cycling debut, the athlete from Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges took part in several races in France in 2022, notably finishing eighth in Périgord, a level 1.2 race.
“I think I’ve always had a facility for endurance sports and you have to believe that I was predestined to ride a bike. I am diligent in training and very disciplined. It must also be said that I am quite competitive, I like to win and perform! »
At the end of the 2022 campaign, Émond signed an agreement with the French formation Arkéa Pro Cycling where the opportunities to race on the World Tour are more frequent. Quickly, the Quebecer made a good impression with her climbing skills.
“I consider the 2023 season to be my real first year in the world of cycling because my racing schedule is much bigger. My team quickly trusted me and threw me into the action early in the season, I had the green light for the Vuelta Extremadura (2.2) and I finished second overall and first in the climber classification” , she rejoiced.
After his 67e place of the weekend in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the 26-year-old athlete will prepare for a big summer where she could notably participate in the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de France, completely unexpected experiences for the one who claims to learn every day about his sport.
“The more races I go, the more I will improve. There are big events coming up like the Tour of the Pyrenees which takes place mainly in the mountains. It will be a very nice playground. We recently learned that we would have our place in the Tour de France and it would be the best experience of my life if I have the chance to participate,” concluded Émond.