The Holmgren siblings talk beach time, coffee—and their first Olympic races

With Gunnar and Isabella Holmgren’s first Olympic races completed,  the siblings were at Canada House, the temporary “home away from home” for Canadian fans, and the building where CBC airs its Olympic coverage. On Tuesday, the pair, among four other sibling duos at the Summer Games, were there for an Athlete Celebration, as well as some interviews.

They were leaving the next day for some much needed rest. When asked what their next events would be, Isabella replied: “Our next event is going to the beach and getting gelato.” “And getting a tan on more than just our arms and legs!” added Gunnar.

But before they headed back to Girona, their home in Europe, they had the perfect opportunity to chat about their races.

It takes a village…

Both siblings acknowledge and are grateful for how it’s been a big family effort to get them to this point, as well as a lot of support back home (Hardwood Ski and Bike, where they used to do the Wednesday Night Races, held a watch party breakfast during both the women’s and men’s XCO races). “I think everybody contributed in their own way to help Gunnar and I get here, and having them be able to come out and cheer us on, and be there for support was super special,” Isabella said.

The Olympic event just happened to be her very first elite mountain bike race. “It was pretty crazy; I look up to quite a few of the riders, so racing against them was pretty special,” she said.

As for Gunnar, he was struck seeing his sister in that event. “I was at the hotel watching her race on TV and I had goosebumps, so it was amazing to have her and the rest of the Canadian contingent out there cheering for me,” said Gunnar.

Isabella and Gunnar were able to share intel on the course conditions

The day before the women’s race, it poured all day. Having done the test event in September 2023, Gunnar had given Isabella a report of what it was like. Isabella was then able to return the favour. “I think the conditions probably changed a bit because it was a bit more dry and loose for Gunnar’s race, so I think the extra day in the sun made it a bit more slippery,” she explained.

“By the end of your race,” Gunnar said to his sister, “you said it was getting a bit loose and you slid out in the one section, so I knew going in the next day to watch out for that.”

How did their legs show up for race day?

Once the rain clouds cleared, both race days were hot. “I did my best to stay cool and I knew that if you go too far over the limit, then you can really blow up and it can end your race a bit quick,” explained Gunnar post-race. “I didn’t have the best legs, but I got 100 per cent out of them, so I’m happy with that.”

“For me I don’t think I had my best day on the bike ever,” Isabella said, “but I kept pushing as hard as I could until the end, so I’m really happy that I never gave up really during the race. And ya, more motivation to hopefully do it again in LA.”

Both MTBers avoided race-ending flats

“I had my lines dialed to prevent punctures and keep the speed high,” explained Gunnar. “That was one of the goals going into the race: being super focused on all the features. You can’t really relax at any point on this course. It’s tricky the whole way around.”

The season’s not over yet! After beach time = more racing

After having raced road and MTB this past year, Isabella plans to do much of the same—after the beach days. Her next races will be the Tour de l’Avenir Femmes before worlds. She’ll finish off the season with some road races.

Gunnar will take his week in Girona to reset, then it’s off to Andorra for three weeks to train at altitude before the worlds, followed by the last two World Cups in North America.

While they weren’t going to have the opportunity to do all the touristy things we’ve seen other athletes doing in their social media, there was one thing on their list, and that was to find a good coffee shop. “I’ve been making good coffee in my room with my AeroPress,” said Gunnar, a former barista. “I have an app (called European Coffee Trip) and they go around and verify coffee shops—it’s been reliable, so it should be easy.”