Riding her emotions
Dunedin rider Ella Harris fought back tears after a stunning win in Australia. reports.
Ella Harris fought back the tears as her incredible win on the final stage of the Herald Sun Tour hit home. The 21-year-old was overcome with emotion after pulling off the biggest win of her young cycling career.
Sat next to her bike, Harris sobbed away, simply stunned by what she had just achieved in Melbourne.
‘‘I’m not normally [an emotional person], it was just the fact I was so shocked, and because I really wanted it, it just all came out I guess,’’ Harris said.
‘‘My big goal for the year was just to win a race, I didn’t care which race it was.
‘‘But I wasn’t expecting to win this early in the season so it’s really exciting. I was particularly ecstatic it had come so soon, and also the fact that I felt I had been really working towards it.
‘‘I was in good form and felt that I could win a race, it just hadn’t come together in the previous races in Australia. To be on the podium and to be first was just surreal.’’
The tears continued to flow as the CanyonSRAM rider delivered her post-race interview and footage of her heartwarming reaction was picked by numerous media outlets.
Although she did not seek out the video, Harris ended up watching it back after it suddenly appeared on her social media feed.
‘‘I wasn’t anticipating it getting the attention it did. I got back from the race that night and didn’t have any data where I was but three hours later I got online.
‘‘I just thought I was doing a normal interview but to see that it captured people’s attention was pretty cool.’’
The win, fighting her way back after being dropped on numerous occasions, was a massive confidence-booster for the Dunedin rider, who has taken an unconventional route to professional cycling.
One of New Zealand’s most promising riders, Harris only landed her contract with CanyonSRAM
after winning a competition through virtual training programme Zwift in 2018.
Her latest result, also finishing fourth on the general classification standings, proves she deserves to be competing at the highest level.
‘‘I feel like I’ve come full circle, I’ve finally proven I deserve to be there,’’ she said.
‘‘I’ve had other races where I’ve done well and people have started to recognise me and see me as one of the stronger riders in the race but to have the win is confirmation to myself that I belong.
‘‘The Zwift Academy set me up for all I’ve ever wanted in cycling really and I don’t like to think about where I would be without it because I’m so set up now it’s unreal.’’
Now that she has had a taste for success, Harris is looking to extend her winning run at the elite road nationals in Cambridge this week.
She will contest today’s time trial, a discipline she admits is not her speciality, before
‘‘I’m not normally [an emotional person], it was just the fact I was so shocked.’’
Ella Harris
backing up in Sunday’s road race.
However, she did stress she was not wanting to put too much pressure on herself as she goes up against New Zealand’s best riders, including MitcheltonScott’s Georgia Williams.
‘‘I know I should be one of the strongest and I know I have a good chance, but at the same time I don’t want to get my hopes up because I know anything can happen at nationals and the outcome can always be quite unexpected.
‘‘I’m definitely going in with the aim to win and I know I’ve got good form, so I’ve got every chance of winning, but at the same time anything can happen so I’m preparing myself for the worst.’’