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SKYLAR SCHNEIDER – UNITED STATES
SKYLAR SCHNEIDER IS, IN HER OWN WORDS, “LIVING THE
DREAM.” THIS IS BECAUSE IT WAS HER DREAM TO RIDE
FOR THE BOELS-DOLMANS SQUAD AT SOME TIME IN HER
CAREER. THE YOUNGEST RIDER IN THE TEAM IS PREPARING
FOR HER SECOND SEASON NEXT YEAR.
Last year, she made her début for the team with no less than 11
starts in one-day races and 5 starts in multi-day races including the
Giro Rosa. A challenging programme for the 20-year-old rider.
“I did not expect to compete in so many races in my first year.
But I’m very grateful for the opportunity as I have learned so much
in my first year with the team.”
She says that she has significantly improved how she positions
herself in the peloton. “The peloton is so big and the roads in
Europe are so narrow: you have to stay alert at all times and fight
for your position to stay close to your teammates.” You learn from
your mistakes and that certainly applies to Schneider. “Some
things went better than others, I’m aware of my mistakes and
learn from them. That makes me a better rider. I’m enormously
motivated to learn as much as possible from the winning riders
that we have in the team.”
Schneider, who looks stronger, more muscular and more ‘mature’
after the winter period, hopes to make significant progress
again this year. “I did a lot of yoga and trained a lot with weights
to improve my fitness. I can’t wait to gain more experience and
prove my added value for the team.” She will focus on the spring
Classics initially. She has also circled the National American
Championships as one of her goals. She wants to profile herself
explicitly in the lead-out for the sprints. “I enjoy handling the
pressure of a sprint when you have to take many important
decisions in a short space of time.”
Schneider, who comes from a family of committed cyclists, is away
from home for seven months at a time. She has contact with her
family every day and takes comfort in the support provided by her
teammates, whom she sees as her surrogate (cycling) family.
She has felt completely at home in the team from the beginning.
“The atmosphere within the team is excellent. We give everything
for each other, are selfless and look out for each other; I sincerely
think that that is the secret of our success.” As mentioned before,
her dream was to ride for the Boels-Dolmans squad at some time
in her career. So she is more motivated than ever at the start of the
new cycling season.
"I AM LIVING THE DREAM"