New Westminster’s Lilly Ujfalusi’s past year has produced a lot of tread wear and a good share of podium placings.
The teen is eagerly anticipating getting to climb Eighth Street grind again, coming off a sixth-place showing at last week’s junior women’s nationals in Beauce, Que.
Peeling around the corners of Carnarvon and Sixth streets back onto Columbia is just like nature’s tall latte – a kick of adrenalin that leaves you thirsty for more.
Ujfalusi, 15, would like nothing better than to get back to the New West Grand Prix podium, where she finished second a year ago in the youth women’s criterium.
Whether it’s track, road or cyclocross, the New West Secondary student keeps on pedalling.
“It’s hard to say which of track and road I enjoy more or do better at, but generally, I like most whatever I’m doing at the moment,” said Ujfalusi in an email to the
Record. “I have both good and bad races in both disciplines but also exceptionally great in both. I feel as though I have grown the most with my technical and tactical skills on the velodrome.”
In the past year she’s enjoyed peaks in both, as well as cyclocross. At the road and track nationals she finished with four medals, including silver in April in the under-17 women’s points series and elimination race.
Last year’s Superweek, which includes New West’s Grand Prix, resulted in two more podiums, while she’s enjoyed the challenge of cyclocross, competing in the elite division and at the Hayman Classic junior stage race.
Through it all, the softspoken teen has juggled her cycling passion and regular responsibilities with the usual growing pains.
“It’s pretty difficult trying to balance both school and cycling but not impossible. This past year, for Grade 10 I did online schooling to make travelling and training more manageable but I will return to NWSS in the fall,” she said. “Managing my time and everything in my life is definitely one of the biggest struggles for me with the sport.”
An important touchstone is her placement with her team at Cannondale pb Fortius, where she enjoys the camaraderie and support necessary to keep up a busy pace from race to race.
“While the cycling world and my training are constantly evolving, I have remained with the same team, Cannondale pb Fortius and most of my bikes, but have since gotten a new Cannondale cyclocross bike.”
The moments she gets to chill with friends or head out on a hike are a nice
respite from her competitive schedule.
Ujfalusi says her biggest guilty pleasure is slipping in some dark chocolate into her precise meal menu.
With next week’s Grand Prix circled on her calendar, Ujfalusi says it is part of a lengthy list of events that gets her motor running.
“The cycling events I’m looking most forward to are, for sure Superweek, some west cyclocross races and competing for the Canadian champion jersey.”
