Interview: Emilly Johnston is learning to race at the front, making flying passes and still keeping perspective

Emilly Johnston’s World Cup season couldn’t have started much better. After four races (two XCC, two XCO), the Vancouver Island racer had three podiums to her name. To get there, Johnston made some daring passes in the most technical sections of both World Cups, including one sensational mid-air pass. In the other race, the first short track, Johnston was caught behind a pile-up and still raced back into the top 10.

This wasn’t Johnston’s first time on a World Cup podium but, as Johnston tells us, Brazil was still a big breakthrough. Or, rather, two of them. It showed she has the strength to consistently race at the front. It was also her first short track success, after struggling with the 20-minute intense race last year.

Finally, it’s put the 22-year-old in a position where she could qualify for the Olympic Games later this summer. Her fate depends on how Jenn Jackson does this weekend at the World Cup in Nove Mesto. Despite Johnston’s fate being out of her hands, the young racer is keeping her cool and keeping her eyes on the future instead of getting caught up in what she can’t control. It’s an impressive perspective from a rider who is so close to what she also describes below as one of her “biggest dreams.”

Read our full conversation with Emilly Johnston from her summer home in Haiming, Austria, where she’s living with her Trek Future Racing team. Then watch her in the under-23 World Cup XCO race this weekend in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.

Canadian MTB: How is living in Europe? 

Emilly Johnston: It’s good! It’s much different for sure, but it’s cool

From a sports side, Canadians seem to mostly stay here in Canada and then travel back and forth to Europe for World Cups. Was not having to do that travel part of the decision to live over there?

Yeah, the travel is just all the time. I feel like you miss out on a lot of training and just rest time. You’re always so tired – or at least I was – travelling to all the races. It just makes it easier to be based over here, get in good training and not have the risk of getting sick or just so tired. 

You’re racing with Trek Future Racing team. Are you set up near where they’re based? 

They have all the riders based in Haiming [Austria]. So we’re all based in the same town, for international riders. They cover accommodations there, if you want to live there, or you can find your own place somewhere else in Europe. 

That approach obviously seems to be working. You have three podiums in four starts so far. Congrats on the amazing start to the season! How did those races play out? Were you expecting to have that kind of start to the season? 

I don’t really know what I was expecting, to be honest. I hadn’t really done any races going into the season, so I was interested to see where the fitness was at. Obviously I wanted to be back on the podium this year. But it was definitely a nice surprise. And it’s just super exciting to have some consistency there. I’ve definitely struggled with being very consistent in the past, I would say. 

You had a couple really good battles with Kira Bohm both weekends. Both weekends you had some pretty amazing passes that were caught on camera in the more technical parts of the course. How are you two matching up in terms of race strategy? 

I think she’s got a lot of kick, she’s really snappy. I think my style of racing is, in general, is to keep my pace and ride steady. I was definitely trying to switch it up to match her punchiness. I think I need to get the confidence to make more attacks in my racing because I’m not really used to being in that front group. I think she was really controlling the race and making the moves. I definitely have the legs to be there so I just need to put myself in the position to throw some punches as well, so it’s not just her dictating the race. I think that’s my biggest goal for the next one.

And yeah, those technical sections … I definitely got a lot of messages about those passes! I think my line in the rock garden was just a bit faster and I was able to overtake there. It wasn’t necessarily on purpose, I was just riding my own pace and I saw mid-way that I was going to pass. So I took that opportunity to make her work to pass me again. That was the goal. And then on the jumps, it was pretty similar. I’d just taken the line to the right, which just gave you a little bit more speed. I also didn’t really mean to get by there, but I did. 

[Ed: That amazing pass in Mairiporã is cued up below, but you can watch the full u23 XCO races on YouTube free, every race weekend]

You also had a big result in the short track race, which didn’t seem to be your strength as much last year. Was that also part of a change in approach over the winter? 

That was definitely the most surprising for me. I was stoked to be able to be in that front group in Araxa. I got in the right position at the right time and I split the group. That was actually the one I was super shook about. Because short tracks have historically, for me, just been really painful. So that was nice. 

I also had a good short track the weekend before, I just got stuck in a bit of a pile up. So I knew, based on lap-times, I could still be there in short track. Short tracks have always been, well, I just didn’t know why they were so hard. Over the winter I just did a lot more shorter stuff and obviously it seems to have helped.

Because of your results last year, you had the option this year to race up into the elite category for 2024. What factored in to the choice to stay in under-23? 

We felt like last year I had some good rides but I was not at the front of the u23 field. I haven’t really been at the sharper end of races for most of my time racing, I would say. Last year was a pretty massive season for me.

I think it’s really important to learn to race at the front. I felt like I wanted that one more year to race in under-23 category and gain experience there. The girls are all still so strong there. Just being able to try race at the front now is important because once I get to elite it will probably be a couple more years before I can get up there again. It’s a very different race depending where in the field you are. That’s still something I’m still learning and working on. 

After four races where you were at the front already this season, is it feeling like that decision is paying off? 

Yeah, I think so! I think it’s been good. I definitely want to win one, so that’s a huge goal for the season now. So I want to put myself in the best place I can dot do that. 

Speaking of goals for the season, as I understand it you’re still the top-ranked woman for Olympic selection. Since Jenn Jackson didn’t quite get that top five in Araxa. 

Yeah. But it’s all coming down to Nove Mesto. It’s all out of my hands, since we’re in different fields. But yeah, that’s a huge dream. 

Did that factor into the decision to do under-23? Since as you mentioned, that means all up to Jenn now and you just have to watch. 

No. Of course I thought about it a little bit. But I’m only 22. For me, for my long term development as an athlete, it was the best decision for me to stay in my field and continue to learn there before I went to elite.

Before last year, the 2024 Olympics were not even on my radar, to be completely honest.  Of course it will be tough and it will be tough to watch if I I’m not [in Paris] to try race. But I based the decision on more long term considerations rather than short term. I hope that, if I make it to the Olympics, it is not my last one. I want to be racing my bike for as long as I can and give myself to have success in bike racing.

That’s a really cool approach. Before the start of last season, were you even thinking of maybe being in the position to race in Paris this year?

No. I mean, Nove Mesto last year was the ride that did it for me. So the start of last year was kind of a big shock. I hadn’t thought about that the year before.

Honestly, the year before I didn’t know how racing was going to pan out. With Norco ending I almost didn’t have a team. So to go from almost not racing to being on World Cup podiums and really pushing to make one of my biggest dreams come true is super cool. I’m just trying to enjoy it and make the most of it. 

Emilly Johnston races the under-23 short track (XCC) on Friday, May 24. On Saturday, May 25 you can watch the under-23 women’s XCO live on YouTube. Jenn Jackson races the elite women’s XCO on Sunday, May 26th. The elite races are live on FloBikes.