Paula Patiño: a pedal stroke to the heart of the women’s field

We are now part of the group for the great adventure: the Women’s Giro d’Italia, a race that brings back great memories, as I occupied the eighth position in the 2020 edition, which was won by Anna van der Breggen, but Today I remember when I started in this sport and I dreamed of representing my country and taking women’s cycling to the top.

My wish is for this to be a Giro of progression, of climbing more, but that implies working harder, taking better care of myself and polishing the details that make the difference for my team. It is complicated, but it is not impossible. I always say that everything you set out to do can be achieved with dedication and discipline; when you have passion, things work out. I just hope that the competition starts so I can give my team the best we can. We are ready.

I have been reflecting on everything that cycling has changed for me since I joined the Movistar Team in 2019. Today I am 27 years old, I am a mature cyclist, more structured, I read the races better and I have had the opportunity to learn from the bestIn six years of professional career in Europe I can say that the changes today are immense.

Women’s cycling from the inside is fascinating. Over the years we have gained ground, fans, more races, more television broadcasts, girls and young women who want to be like us, fairer awards, but the truth is that the level in women’s cycling is very high, I see that every day.

The first year I was in Europe I had no idea how elite groups worked.A professional team offers you all the facilities to dedicate yourself to this profession, we only have to train, give our best, prepare ourselves to correspond to that trust. Being a cyclist is a 200 percent lifestyle, it has no respite, no sins, it is absolute concentration.

It wasn’t easy to adapt. It was very difficult to keep up with the pace in the first competitions, because in Europe they run longer distances than in our country, the roads are very different. Here, racing is different and getting the pedal stroke to be able to, at least, keep up with the elite runners wasn’t so easy, but in the end I was able to improve in those aspects, read the races, understand my body better, I was certainly fortunate to have first-class teachers.

Difficult groups

Knowing how to behave within a platoon is key. It was hard for me to understand. Managing a minimal position was complicated. In the first races I was always at the back, they would take me off the wheel very easily, obviously, I didn’t have the conditions to be with the older cyclists. Getting ahead was almost impossible.

The women’s groups in Europe are very respectable. I had to work hard with my teammates and my technical directors to be able to be in those groups, because you had to know how to handle the descents and not be afraid of the narrow roads.

It was very helpful to me that in 2018 I was part of the UCI WCC Womens TeamsThe worst nightmare I had was during that time, without a doubt, a tremendous fall in Belgium. I thought I had broken everything. At that moment I had braces and they all flew off. The bike broke into a thousand pieces, I fractured my left hand, I scraped my leg on the same side, I was on crutches and it was a difficult moment to overcome.

There are many
things to experience in one lot. It’s crazy. I always say that to tell it, you have to live it.

There is a lot of tension. Each stage is a different story, but that’s what you experience. It doesn’t matter if the races are stage races or one-day races, because the adrenaline is always there. You suffer a lot and you have to make your way through whatever it takes, because the idea is to keep your position, you can’t let it get away from you. You hear all the languages, accents, shouts, every day is a small battle, we defend what we have to defend.

Every kilometer the position is fought forThat’s why we have to be united, together, and that generates a lot of stress. It’s a bit crazy because of the high speeds we manage, because the pace is hellish, brutal, and not to mention when we have some really dangerous descents.

Obviously, cycling is a job and there are good days, average days and bad days. We want every day to be the same, for everything to go as planned, but that is not the case. I wish that were true, that every day is rosy.

There are clashes and fights within the group. Last year I had a very curious experience with Lorena Wiebes, the best sprinter in the world peloton.

On one of those narrow roads we collided, we were so close together that we couldn’t avoid our shoulders touching each other. She had to urgently release the pedal or she would fall. I kept going, but after a while she caught up with me, she insulted me, but I didn’t let her.

I answered her, I couldn’t do anything else. She didn’t understand that this action had happened due to circumstances other than the bad intention of making her fall. When I realized that she was yelling at me, I slowed down and faced her.

I shouted at her too, but I had to keep pedaling and working. The goal wasn’t to have a confrontation with another rider, I had to finish the stage, do my job, and I couldn’t let them get me down. When things had calmed down and we had already crossed the finish line, Lorena approached me and apologized. These are things that happen in work, in cycling, in sport, but that doesn’t mean that we are enemies. We are human and we make mistakes.

I must say that there are some riders in the group who are not well regarded. On the road there are many behaviours, negative attitudes, which are not liked. One must see the temperaments, get to know the people and then, with that idea, one knows what to expect. In the race there are different behaviours, people change from one race to another and when they are no longer on a bike, one gets along better with some than with others.

Over the years I have met many cyclists and I have tried to share with them all, but I am sure that there is one who has caught my attention: Annemiek Adriana van Vleuten. Not only was she the leader of the team, with whom we achieved victories in the Tour de France and the Giro, but she is also an excellent person, a friend, a legend of cycling.

She has alre
ady retired and left us a big gap. When she was by our side, she was like an insurance for us. Whenever we went with her, we knew she would respond.

It gave us peace of mind, but at the same time it was a great responsibility, because we had to support her and we couldn’t let her down. He taught us to grow, to work as a team and to set limits. She taught me to overcome those limits to advance in the profession and as a person, I think she was one of the people who celebrated the most when I managed to become national champion, she always challenged my abilities, and well I have that responsibility now, to not extinguish that team spirit, which is still alive, without a doubt the Movistar Team is my home.

In Colombia we need to compete more, because we have to compete with the best and come to Europe. There is a lot of talent in the country, but we lack experience. Another negative point that I see is that the Colombian calendar is not constant and a lot is lost there. We are afraid that the races will be held on other roads, that the stages will be longer, but this Colombian mentality needs to be changed.

I’m still here at the Giro d’Italia learning and dreaming of winning this race. It’s difficult, but it’s not impossible, we have a great team, we have experience, I’ve already been in the top 10, why would I stop dreaming?

Although one must be a complete cyclist, one who is good on all terrains. We are good at climbing, but we struggle in the time trial, which is where they make the difference between us.

I still don’t know how long I’ll be cycling. The truth is that I haven’t thought about that. I’m 27 years old and if you ask me, I’ll keep cycling until I get tired, until my body can take it.

I hope to be here for several more years. As long as she is healthy and continues at a high competitive level, they will have Paula Patiño for a long time. Always dreaming, always giving our best so that new generations come to win.

PAULA PATIÑO – FOR THE TIME @paulapb291