You’ve seen Mara Roldan in the mix at some of the biggest races this year. She was in the breakaway at her first Amstel Gold Race and managed to finish in top 10. She recently completed her first Grand Tour, the Vuelta España Femenina. Despite a few crashes and injuries, Roldan not only made it to the end of the seven-stage event, she helped her teammates throughout. Yet, it wasn’t that long ago that the 21-year-old rider, born in Whitehorse, wasn’t really that into road racing.

Roldan and her family—parents, twin sister and younger sister—spent about 10 years travelling North America in an RV (a Blue Bird Wanderlodge to be exact). At 13, she entered her first mountain biking race. By 15, she was training seriously, even as her family moved around. The young rider was diligent, making sure to get the workouts done. “It was kind of up to me to find places to train, whether that was on rollers in the back of a Walmart parking lot one night or on a super nice trail system the next night,” she says. “We just tried to make it work where we were because we were obviously never in the same place. It was a challenge, but I think also a really fun part about travelling.”

In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, Roldan gets into her unique route to the WorldTour, the role of the development team Tag Cycling on her career, as well as the time Alison Jackson likely saved the young rider’s life.

Archive: Another Canadian has ridden on Roldan’s team. From 2016 to 2022, Leah Kirchmann was on the squad based in Sittard, the Netherlands. Check out the feature interview with the Giro stage winner and multi-time national champion.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. It is running 11 great rides this season in seven provinces. Each MS Bike ride is fully supported with fuel, roadside assistance and first aid. These events are very welcoming. You only really need a bike, a helmet and the desire to keep pedalling. It’s all for an important cause: raising money to help those with MS. Register now and start your fundraising journey at msbike.ca.