IT WAS MY LUCKY BREAK. South African cycling powerhouse AshleighMoolman Pasio was taking an unusual mid-season hiatus from the incessant demands of professional cycling at the highest level. It was August, and the race calendar was packed. Ash’s CCC-Liv teammates were dicing it out in the Women’s World Tour (WWT) at the Postnord Vårgårda West Sweden.
Despite being a pillar of the CCC-Liv set up, Ash was back ‘home’ in Catalonia, eastern Spain, pressing a hard reset on a challenging 2019 season in her new team.
Ash was unfamiliar in a casual summer dress. The distinctive South African flag on her white jersey, as national road race and time-trial champion, was absent. The usual grinding race intensity etched across her face from pixelated TV footage was also missing. In its place was a relaxed and open-hearted humour.
I caught up with Ash at Can Campolier, a sprawling 17th Century Spanish villa Ash and her family bought and have been renovating over the past 18 months. Can Campolier is in Banyoles, a picturesque meander north of the road-cycling mecca of Girona. Alongside her husband, Carl Pasio, her dad and stepmom, Johan and SandyMoolman, and long-time friend and ex-pro roadie Ed Greene, Ash has built the ultimate cycling escape at the bottom of Catalonia’s most famous Pyrenean climb – the Rocacorba.
Nice has the Madone, Lucca the Mont Serra, and Girona the Rocacorba. Iconic climbs shrouded in legend, and used by the world’s best cyclists to build world-beating form.
This story is from the November/December 2019 edition of Bicycling South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November/December 2019 edition of Bicycling South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
6 WAYS TO BEAT THE HEAT THIS SUMMER
TOP TIPS TO KEEP YOU COOLER AND RIDING STRONGER... NO MATTER WHAT THE TEMPERATURE.
RAGE AGAINST THE LYCRA
WHY MOUNTAIN BIKING IS WAY MORE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE THAN BEING A ROADIE.
6 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT CHAINS
To help you get the most out this crucial drivetrain component, and celebrate just how impressive your loop of metal links really is, we've rounded up six things you might not know about the bike chain.
EVERYONE KNOWS 52X11 IS BIGGER THAN 48X10. EVEN THOUGH IT ISN'T.
\"The human threshold for 'least noticeable difference' is generally on the order of 10 per cent change of a value.\"
A CELEBRATION OF JUNK MILES
\"No longer dreading my next bunch sprint, I felt like I belonged on my bike again\"
KONTREI KUDOS
YOU DON'T HAVE TO TRAVEL FAR TO FEEL SOUTH AFRICAN WARMTH. BUT SOMETIMES YOU CHOOSE TO.
THE EASTERN CAPE PASSES ADVENTURE
SOME OF THE HIGHEST PASSES IN SOUTH AFRICA ALL IN ONE HELLUVA RIDE!
CAFFEINE - THE EXPERT'S PED*
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR EVERY PART OF YOUR RIDE LIFE
THE RACES ARE FASTER. ARE THEY CLEANER? AND DOES IT MATTER?
THE LAST TWO EDITIONS OF THE MEN’S Tour de France were among the three fastest.
Perfect Timing
THE SOUTHERN CAPE IS LITTERED WITH EXCELLENT RIDING AND EVEN BETTER COFFEE.