(Montreal) Four Quebec cyclists will take part in the Vuelta starting Sunday. Among this lot, we find Magdeleine Vallières-Mill, fully motivated before tackling the first Grand Tour of the season on the women’s calendar.
The cyclist from the EF Education-Cannondale team scored a victory at the very start of the year in Spain, then had good races during the Ardennes Classics in the last weeks. Her triumph came on January 21 at the Trofeo Palma Femina. Although she was hoping for something like this during the season, she probably didn’t expect it to happen this early.
“It was a big goal of mine, but it happened faster than I thought. It was a good moment for the team too, because the day before my teammate Noemi Ruegg had also won a race. I’m really proud, it’s a good start to the season and I’ve gained a lot of confidence,” said Magdeleine Vallières-Mill in an interview with Sportcom.
The Ardennes Classics season was just as positive for the EF Education-Cannondale team. Magdeleine Vallières-Mill had the opportunity to support several of her teammates, including the Australian Kim Cadzow, sixth in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but also her fellow Quebecer Clara Émond, new member of the team.
“I trained intensively for a month for the Classics. The team had some very good races, although it didn’t necessarily translate into great results every time. I had good feelings and it’s clearly encouraging for the future,” said Vallières-Mill.
“It’s really the fun to be able to work for Clara. We had the opportunity to help each other at the start. At the Flèche Wallonne, she had really good feelings and I was able to open the way for her for the last climb. »
Although they did not know each other very well before the campaign, the chemistry worked quickly between the two athletes from La Belle Province, to the great pleasure of each of them.
“We get along really well, she puts in a lot of effort, it’s motivating! We have had roughly the same schedule since the beginning of the year. We both moved to Girona from the other side of the world, so we understand each other very well. It’s the fun to be able to speak French together too! It clicked right away,” she said.
Relegated to the title of continental team for the 2024 season, EF Education-Cannondale still received an invitation for the Tour of Spain which will begin on Sunday April 28, with a time trial planned in Valencia. Magdeleine Vallières-Mill and her teammates will absolutely want to stand out in this first Grand Tour of 2024.
“The ambitions are great, but we want to take it one thing at a time and start at the base. We have to work well as a team to expect good results. I will have a support role for the Vuelta, but it is certain that if breakaway opportunities present themselves, I will seize them. But at the start, I want to help my teammates 100%. »
The Sherbrookoise has participated in the three Grand Tours over the last two years, but she expects her schedule to be lighter this year, especially since her team’s presence at the Tours of Italy and France is not not yet assured. She still sets the goal of helping her team as much as possible between now and the end of the season so that she can regain her World Tour team title.
Vallières-Mill always keeps the Paris Olympic Games in mind, even if she is aware that the competition is fierce in the country to obtain one of the two Canadian places available.
“Everyone is thinking about the Games, that’s for sure! Realistically, I don’t think it’s really possible for me. There are girls for whom this is more of a goal than me, so that remains to be seen. There are more and more Canadians and Quebecers on the circuit and that’s an excellent thing in the end,” she concluded.
In addition to Magdeleine Vallières-Mill and Clara Émond, Olivia Baril, from the Movistar team, as well as Adèle Normand (Eneicat-CMTeam) will be at the start of the Vuelta on Sunday.