Since third grade, biking has been an important part of Ellen Davis’ life. With rigorous training and constant effort, Davis has been able to compete at high-level competitions with other bikers from all around the world. Recently, Davis had the opportunity to travel to Belgium and the Netherlands to compete among some of the best athletes in the world.
Davis has an intense training schedule as she trains six to seven days a week, with many races on the weekends in the fall. “[Training] consists of longer, endurance rides and some harder workouts,” said Davis. “I also do strength training at least twice a week and running because there is actually a fair amount of it in cyclocross.” She trains and competes for nearly half the year, even if the conditions become rugged. “The season starts in September and for me goes until January which can get pretty difficult living in Montana and trying to train in the cold,” she said.
Over the course of two weeks, Davis traveled all across Belgium and the Netherlands, competing in seven races. “The racing and courses in Europe are so much different than in the US. The fields are a lot bigger, a lot more competitive, and usually a lot more technical” she said. Davis also faces other challenges during the races including the tough weather. “It also rains a lot over there during the winter so races get super muddy which adds to the difficulty,”
Davis had been to Europe last year to race as well, which made it easier to step back into such an intense environment. “I felt like I had some experience under my belt going over again this year and I felt a lot more comfortable in the race environment.”
Unlike the US, Europe often does not have its own race for junior women which means Davis was lined up next to some of the top athletes in the world. “It can be pretty nervewracking, but also really cool to line up on the start line next to people like the elite womens world champion and your idols who you watch on TV at home,” She said. “It also means that sometimes my parents will get to see me for a split second while watching the race on TV back home.”
“Overall, my races went pretty well and I am happy with my results,” said Davis. “There’s always going to be things that don’t go perfectly, but I think that’s just part of the fun of the sport. And more than anything, I had a lot of fun!”
