Leah Kirchmann succeeding in Europe and North America
Leah Kirchmann, the 23-year-old Optum Pro Cycling rider from Winnipeg, Man., has already put together an impressive string of results in 2014. She won the prologue at the Tucson Bicycle Classic and finished third at the Old Pueblo Gran Prix. She won Stage 3 and Stage 4 at the Redlands Bicycle Classic, where she also finished second on Stage 2 and third on Stage 1 and claimed third in the general classification.
Cool customer: @L_Kirch finished 4th at Belgium’s Omloop van Borsele on Sunday — http://t.co/8188y4lao3 pic.twitter.com/1O3XpwDWab
— Craig Randall (@craigrandall) April 28, 2014
Leah Kirchmann, the 23-year-old Optum Pro Cycling rider from Winnipeg, Man., has already put together an impressive string of results in 2014. She won the prologue at the Tucson Bicycle Classic and finished third at the Old Pueblo Gran Prix. She won Stage 3 and Stage 4 at the Redlands Bicycle Classic, where she also finished second on Stage 2 and third on Stage 1 and claimed third in the general classification. Those results have her in third place USA Cycling NRC series. At San Dimas, she won the second stage and finished second on the first stage. She ended that race fourth overall. She won the circuit race at Sea Otter. Most recently, she finished fourth at the UCI 1.2 Omloop van Borsele in the Netherlands.
That most recent result came in national team colours. Kirchmann is participating in a Cycling Canada project in Europe. The team rode the Ronde Van Gelderland, Flèche Wallone, the Omloop van Borsele and the Dwars door Westhoek. The Grand Prix Elsy Jacobs, and the Women’s Tour of Britain remain on the calendar.
The transition to European racing is a challenge. “The field sizes are bigger, the roads are smaller, and there is a lot more road furniture to watch out for in Europe. So much of the racing comes down to good positioning in the peloton at the critical moments of the race,” Kirchmann says. Her performances in Europe prove how well she is meeting that challenge. She says that the result at the Omloop van Borsele was her best-ever finish in Europe. “I am quickly getting back into the flow, I was also happy to make it into the front group at Flèche Wallone, showing that I am capable of being there with the best riders in the world on a tough circuit,” she adds.
Kirchmann attributes her success this year to a new training plan. “Upon graduation from Quest University last spring, my coach and I decided to take a different approach to training in preparation for the 2014 season. I decided to spend time training in California, joining the national team for a couple of track camps, in addition to time spent training on the road. I would also say that I’ve been more focused this year on all the small details that make a difference to performance,” she says.
When she’s asked about her goals for the rest of the season, Kirchmann’s ambition shines through. She says, “I hope to keep the momentum going from the start of the season. Big races to target for me include the Canadian UCI road races (the Grand Prix Cycliste Gatineau and the Tour de Delta), road nationals, and the world championships.”
