Eleanor Dyas on How to Balance School with Cyclocross—And How to Tackle Every Obstacle!

Eleanor (Ellie) Dyas crushes it in cyclocross racing, and when she was tagged in a Shred Girls post on Instagram, we knew we had to chat with this Real Life Shred Girl to get her tips on how to race and love cyclocross, and find out how she scored a fifth place finish at this year’s National Championships in Louisville! (Favorite piece of advice: “Trust myself. Sometimes I can get caught in my own head and need to remember to just race my bike.”)

When did you get started in cycling?

I got started in cycling about five years ago. I started racing cross-country mountain bike and cyclocross that year and haven’t stopped since.

What’s your ‘primary’ cycling focus, if you had to pick one? Why?

My primary focus is definitely cyclocross. I love the combination of power and technical skill required to succeed. The community is extremely supportive and I can’t imagine growing up with out the friends and family that I’ve found in cyclocross.

What about cycling got you hooked?

I love how individual cycling is. Sure, you can work with a team and a coach, but at the end of the day all that matters is the work that you have put in and whether or not you can capitalize on that to do your best on race day.

Do you work with a coach? If so, best thing she has taught you?

Working with my coach has changed me as both a person and a racer. She has taught me how to make and achieve goals through a steady progression of work, to not do too much too soon, and to value rest during training.

Proudest moment in cycling?

My proudest moment in cycling recently at Louisville Cyclocross Nationals 2018. At the beginning of the year I sat down with my coach and made finishing in the top 5 of the 17-18 category my goal for the year. I finished 5th, came across the line, started crying, and fell into my coach. That feeling of reaching my goals after an entire year of work, especially with such difficult conditions makes it all worth it.

Favorite part of riding?

My favorite part of riding is when you look around in the middle of a ride and realize that you rode something you couldn’t before or that a route that used to take you an hour now takes 50 minutes, those little signs of progress help to make the intervals hurt a little less.

Least favorite part–and how you move past that?

My least favorite part is long intervals. I tend to fade at the end of races, so I have been working on endurance, which requires training with longer intervals. It’s difficult for me because I tend to get distracted, but I have learned to trick myself by making little milestones within the longer efforts to make them feel shorter.

Racing is tough, because obviously, not every race goes according to plan. How do you handle it when you have a setback?

Obviously it’s difficult to manage the disappointment from a bad race, but I try to remember that it happens to everyone and despite how I may feel in that moment, I tried my best and I’ll race again.

Best piece of advice you ever got?

The best advice I have ever received is to trust myself. Sometimes I can get caught in my own head and need to remember to just race my bike.

Favorite moment in the past season?

I don’t really have a favorite moment, but my favorite part of this season has been working with the younger girls on my team and watching them grow not only into stronger riders, but into strong and determined young women.

Tip for making friends with other cyclists?

This is hard. I would look around you at the start-line or the group ride. Maybe roll around with someone new before a ride or race. Some of the best friends that I have made through racing I met randomly.

How do you balance school with training and racing?

Balancing school with training and racing is difficult. I go to public school and I am currently taking all college level courses. It takes a lot of discipline and planning to make training, racing, and schoolwork all come together, but it is possible. It requires a lot of homework done in hotel rooms and late nights studying after training, but I put my education first.