Erinne Willock racing for the love of the sport

Erinne Willock of Victoria B.C. may be just 29 years old, but she’s been a fixture of international racing for many years, including representing Canada at the 2008 Olympics.

For 2011, Willock and fellow Webcor team member Joelle Numainville made the jump to Team TIBCO, which is managed by former Canadian international rider Linda Jackson.

Willock, who won TIBCO’s opening outing at the Snelling Road Race near Merced, Calif., on Feb. 26, took the time to answer some questions for Canadian Cycling Magazine this weekend.

Q. After five years at Webcor, what prompted you to make the switch to Team TIBCO?

A. I had five great years at Webcor. I both developed as a rider and in later years got to sometimes be a team leader and captain. The sponsor of Webcor was and still is a supporter of cycling and I will always be grateful for the opportunities the team provided us. As most of you know, Webcor sponsored the team for many years and for 2011 the company decided to focus on their club and bridge teams. Also, ever since I first started out cycling, I always knew of Linda Jackson and her history in the sport. She first approached me about riding for Team TIBCO/To the Top a couple of years ago when the team was just starting. We kept in contact throughout and as I watched the team grow so fast I knew that this year was the right time to move. It’s exciting to be with a team that is growing on the international scene so quickly and has great management.

Q. You’ve had a great start to the season in Merced. What are the main events you’re targeting?

A. Thank you. Merced was the first team race of the year and it was great for us to come away with the win. The team will be targeting the NRC [U.S. National Racing Calender] series and some of the main races and World Cups in Europe. I believe the main objective is to win races and after team camp I know we are more than capable of that accomplishment. As for me, my goals are the same; I want the team to win races in both Europe and North America.

Q. With you and your Canadian teammates Joelle Numainville and Tara Whitten, TIBCO has arguably the strongest concentration of Canadian talent of any single women’s road team. How will the three of you play off each other’s strengths?

A. That’s a great question and fortunately for us we all have very different strengths that work well together. I’m the climber, Joelle’s the sprinter and well we all know Tara is amazingly strong and focuses on time trials. Unfortunately, Tara won’t be doing a huge amount of races with us as she’s busy with track but I’m pumped for those that we do race together. The three of us with the rest of the team will be a fun day!

Q. Of course, it’s more than just Canadians on the team. Who else should we be watching for?

A. Tibco did a great job of selecting a strong team this year. We just finished team camp and everyone was riding really well. We have some young girls who were very impressive as well as the known Alison Powers, Meridith Miller, Megan Guarnier, Carmen Small, Emma Mackie and Joanna Kiesanowski.

Q. You’re only 29, but you’ve been racing at the international level for a long time now. How many more seasons do you plan on keeping going?

A. Ha, another good question. Well I must say that before the 2008 Olympic year I had made a commitment to myself (many years ago) to race through that year no matter what and to try to make the team. Now that that is done, I’m racing truly because I want to and because I still love it. If I get to go (and I hope I do) to another Olympics then that’s a bonus and I’ll go there with a mission. My coach Houshang [Amiri] (from the Pacific Cycling Centre) and I are still working together here in Victoria to improve stuff every year. This past winter was honestly one of the best yet, and that means I’m going into the season with good form and a good team and makes everything a little more exciting.