An African cycling pioneer
The world beckons for Ashleigh-Moolman-Pasio as she flies the SA flag.
Leading a lone charge for South African women on the top-flight international circuit, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio carries a heavy load as a pioneer of her sport, but her persistent efforts in recent years have seen the gutsy rider establish her place as the nation’s top road cyclist.
After competing in the domestic campaign in the early stages of her elite career, Moolman-Pasio spread her wings in 2010 by signing a contract with the Lotto Belisol team, a Belgian outfit competing on the European professional circuit.
The following year she went on to win the African road race title for the first time, and over the next few seasons she cemented her continental dominance by securing double gold in the road race and time trial events on three separate occasions at the annual African Championships.
On the global circuit, Moolman-Pasio also began to make a name for herself, and after finishing a respectable 16th in the road race at the 2012 London Olympics, she went on to take 12th place at the World Championships in Limberg two months later.
In 2013 she grabbed third spot at the prestigious Fleche Wallonne one-day race in Belgium and finished eighth overall at the Giro Rosa, a Grand Tour stage race in Italy.
Though she remained a relatively unknown name outside the world of cycling, Moolman-Pasio turned heads once more in 2014, making South African sports fans sit up and take notice when she produced a hard-fought solo effort to finish third in the women’s road race at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Taking another step forward in 2015, she ended the season ranked sixth in the world and was subsequently recognised as the Sportswoman-of-the-Year at the SA Sports Awards.
With the International Cycling Union (UCI) forming the top-flight Women’s World Tour in 2016, Moolman-Pasio again stepped up by taking second place overall at the Aviva Women’s Tour in Great Britain.
She went on to finish 10th in the road race and 12th in the time trial at the Rio Olympics, and she earned a bronze medal in the team time trial with the Cervelo-Bigla trade outfit at the 2016 World Championships in Doha.
While the Cervelo-Bigla squad again stepped on the podium by securing bronze in the team time trial at the 2017 World Championships in Bergen, it was not until this season that Moolman-Pasio was able to achieve consistent podium performances at the highest level of her sport.
Delivering impressive results throughout the 2018 World Tour campaign, she finished second overall at La Fleche Wallonne and third at the Tour of Norway.
The 32-year-old rider from Pretoria also made history by grabbing second spot in the general classification at the Giro Rosa, becoming the first African rider to achieve a podium position at a Grand Tour race.
Rewarded for her consistent efforts, she finished fifth in the 2018 women’s world rankings, entrenching herself as the country’s top-ranked road cyclist.
“Coming second at the Giro Rosa after 10 days of aggressive, exciting and demanding racing was incredibly satisfying,” she said after producing the best performance of her career.
An eight-time national champion in the road race and time trial events, Moolman-Pasio has spent much of her time in Europe in recent years, and she has founded the Rocacorba Cycling centre in Spain with husband and former elite triathlete Carl Pasio, whom she met while studying engineering at Stellenbosch University.
Having spent four years with Cervelo-Bigla, Moolman-Pasio revealed recently she would be linking up with the Dutch-based CCC team for the 2019 season, where she would compete alongside a handful of world stars including Dutch legend Marianne Vos.
“After four wonderful years with my current team, I am now ready for the next step,” Moolman Pasio said.
“With the transition to CCC, I hope I can improve myself and, above all, win more races.”
With commitments both on and off the bike in Europe, she is likely to be rooted in the northern hemisphere for the foreseeable future, but Moolman-Pasio remains committed to her role as a pioneer for African cycling.
By making a move to her new team, she hopes it will lift her to a new sphere at international level, as she continues to carry the SA flag with pride.
“During this season, I have achieved numerous podium places, but I also want to be on the highest step more often,” Moolman-Pasio said.
“At CCC, I am surrounded by good cyclists in a professional organisation who make it possible to head further towards the top of the world.”