Meet MTB-er Turned Virtual Racing Shred Girl Adele Winker

You may remember Adele Winker from her interview last week talking about the junior virtual cycling series in Canada… After talking to her briefly about her virtual race experiences, I wanted to find out more about the BC-based mountain biker who traded in her knobby tires for a borrowed smart trainer to take part in the virtual series because she missed racing!

How did your most recent virtual stage race go?

It went really well. I didn’t really know what I was doing. When I signed up for it. Nobody told me that I was gonna be like racing pros! But it was a lot of fun. I learned a lot. Stage one was a time trial. So that was eight kilometers. And then stage two was almost 80 kilometers…. It was a long time on a trainer. And then stage three was about 65 kilometers. Ouch. I had no idea what to expect going into it. So I finished about mid pack. So I was pretty happy with that.

What is your advice for doing that many hours on a trainer?

I’d say have a lot of food and candy and sugar and things ready to go so you can eat. I had a table right beside me and it was full of gummy bears and nibs and bananas.

Let’s back way up: When did you start riding bikes?

So I started kind of taking it seriously and riding consistently about two years ago, I would say, but then before that, I would ride like maybe one month over the year. My uncle is the one who got me into it. He lives in Kelowna and I would go there in the summer times. And then one year, he took me riding on a demo bike, and I ended up denting it. So I had to start riding because I had this bike! I’m just now starting into road and when we can start actually racing in person, I definitely want to try some road racing.

What made you decide, ‘I’m gonna start racing bikes’?

My coach could have told me I would probably be good at it!

How did you end up with a coach before you wanted to race?

So, my uncle told my mom to sign me up to this program so I could start riding with a club and improve my skills. So she signed me up for it and originally, I only thought it was gonna be a three month thing, and I would stop and kind of just ride on my own again. But I kind of got hooked. So I kept with them and I’ve been with them since!  They’re so supportive, and they always cheer you on. I’m so much worse technically than they are. But it doesn’t matter. They cheer me on all the time. And everybody is so supportive.

As the only girl on the team, what’s your advice for dealing with that?

So, I was the only girl with about 15 guys on the team. When I started, I was so scared that I was going to be left behind because I wasn’t super good when I started. But just go in with an open mind and I think you’ll be surprised at how nice and supportive they can be.

After you got into racing, you decided to do virtual races this summer. Why go virtual instead of just riding MTB?

I mean, I love racing. I love anything competitive. So when I found out there was a way I could actually race at home during the virus, I was like, sign me up. I was so excited.

Clearly, you love racing: How do you handle nerves on the start line?

Breathe. I think just… take a minute. Take a deep breath and then just focus like you’re here. Then when you start, you’re just gonna go and do what you know how to do and just have confidence that you know what you’re doing.

What’s your favorite part of riding?

I think I just like how in mountain biking specifically, it’s so easy to see progress. For example, a year ago, I was on this ride and I looked at this one section of trail we’re doing and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, how do people do that? It’s so hard.’ And then a few months ago, I went and I did that trail again. And I looked at it and I rode it and I was like, ‘that’s really not that difficult.’ It’s so easy to watch yourself get better and challenge yourself.

Least favorite part?

My least favorite part is definitely riding in the heat. I don’t handle heat. Well, my favorite temperature to ride in is probably like 15 to 18 degrees (Celsius) with a little bit of rain. But when it is hot, I find a river or something, take my helmet off and dunk my helmet in the river. That’s the best thing to do.

Proudest moment that you’ve had in cycling?

I would say yesterday when I was doing the last day of the Joe Martin stage race online. That was it was a hard race. But I was proud of myself for how hard I push myself in the race.

Best advice your coach has given you?

I would say kind of the same thing when you’re at the start line. Just being able to trust yourself and trust that with all the training that you’ve done, and everything you know what you’re doing, you just have to tell yourself that you know what you’re doing.

How do you handle setbacks in races?

Honestly, if a race doesn’t go to plan, take it as a learning experience, and then break it down and analyze it. Like, if you were stressed up the race, was it because you showed up late or you didn’t have everything together the morning of or if a technical feature didn’t go to plan… Think about what you can learn for next time. Was it your suspension not set up, right? Or maybe your tire pressure wasn’t right? Or you just need to spend more time on the pre ride focusing on that section? And then if you take it as a learning experience, and you’ll always have a better race next time,

Have you made any friends with girls who are cyclists?

I’m so impressed by the mountain bike community, everybody is so nice. And I would say, if you’re nervous to talk to people at races, the best thing that I found to do is to DM them through Instagram or something, because it’s not face to face so there’s no pressure related to it. And just like a Story they post or say I love your feed or that you looked super fast at a race or something. I’ve made friends that way who I haven’t actually met in person yet! And in the virtual series, there were a lot of girls from BC in there. So we all made a group chat and we were all chatting about the races and seeing who’s going and stuff. Although we can’t see each other face to face, we can still connect.

(Follow Adele’s adventures on Instagram here!)