Seventeen-year-old twin sisters from Orillia made history recently by becoming the first Canadians to earn a berth on the podium at the World Cyclocross Championships in Europe.
On Jan. 29, Ava and Isabella Holmgren raced in a World Cup event in Besançon, France. Ava was the first to cross the finish line, while Isabella finished in third.
On Feb. 4, the Holmgrens raced in Hoogerheide, Netherlands, at the World Cyclocross Championships, where Isabella earned the gold medal and Ava captured silver.
“I was overwhelmed with emotions because I had just raced as hard as I could,” Isabella said. “I saw my parents right at the finish line and my sister was right behind me. It was definitely a nice feeling.”
Ava says she will always remember the celebratory feeling of finishing the final stretch of the race.
“I was just really happy,” she said. “I was so proud of my sister. It was such a special moment for me.”
The sisters say they could not have made it to the big race without each other.
“During the race, we are definitely competitive with each other,” Isabella said. “We make sure to not work against each other during the race, but, especially in training and at home, we push each other.”
“She pushes me every training session we have together because we always want to beat each other,” Ava added.
Isabella says it is a “special feeling” knowing she and her sister made Canadian history on the world stage.
“I hope it encourages more Canadians to get on their cross bikes,” she said. “We hope we can inspire a few more Canadians to help grow the sport a bit more.”
Cyclocross, which is a mix between road and mountain biking, features a course that is about two to four kilometres long and laid out in different terrains. It challenges riders physically for 40 minutes to an hour.
“I like how it’s always different,” Isabella said. “I like that the course is always changing and it’s pretty unpredictable.”
The two ÉSC Nouvelle-Alliance students have been mountain biking since the age of four and have been racing competitively since they were nine. They got their national start in cyclocross in 2022.
“It’s something that has been a work in progress over a lot of years,” Isabella said.
“I would say, in Europe, cyclocross is like hockey here in Canada. There were 50,000 to 60,000 spectators at worlds. It’s a big deal,” Ava added.
The Holmgrens say they have had a lot of support to help propel them to this championship-winning stage of their career, especially from their coach and father, Rob.
“He plays a really big role,” Ava said. “He makes sure we get to the races and that we are ready to perform.”
“He’s the biggest factor that has helped us reach this point,” Isabella added. “He’s very good at riding and he’s a good person to train with, too.”
While the Holmgrens are proud of their accomplishments and their cycling careers, they say it has come with plenty of sacrifice.
“This year, we sacrificed quite a few things,” Ava said. “We missed a lot of school, sometimes we are away from home, and we missed Christmas with our mom, but it has been all worth it for the sport.”
They are well supported by family, friends, and their teachers when it comes to their athletic careers.
“Our teachers are very helpful with putting our work online for us,” Isabella said. “When we are home, we try to spend as much time as we can with our friends and family while getting ahead with schoolwork.”
The Holmgrens thank all of their supporters, especially their mother, Lisa, and members of the Ackert family, who have helped the sisters behind the scenes.
They are taking some time off before ramping up training efforts for the summer, when they will race with their road and development team, Watersley, and their off-road team, Stimulus Orbea.
“This is our last year of junior for road and mountain biking,” Isabella explained. “I think we are going to see how this next season goes and see if there are any opportunities that present themselves and take it from there.”
Both sisters plan to continue their cyclocross and mountain-biking careers for years to come. They hope they will eventually be able to compete in cyclocross at the Olympics.
“I’m not sure that they ever will make it an Olympic sport, but I really hope so,” Isabella said. “I think that would be really cool and would help with funding for the national federation.”
“There are a lot of hurdles and challenges before it might become an Olympic sport,” Ava added. “Right now, most of the countries that participate in it are Eastern European countries and North American, so, hopefully, in the World Cup season, it will expand into the rest of the world.”
The sisters will be honoured with an invitation-only celebration at Hardwood Ski & Bike on Wednesday evening.
