Professional cycling is tough. It can also be lonely. Bandaging your own wounds on the other side of the world without a loved one next to you to give you a hug, or some words of comfort, can lead to plenty of emotional, stressful moments.
But from those moments of adversity can come renewed strength, additional resilience and for Ella Wyllie, they can turn into a superpower driving you forward towards future goals.
The 21-year-old from Auckland is currently at a training camp in Sierra Nevada, Spain. She’s been there since June 6 and will remain until June 30, before she heads to Italy to compete for her professional team Liv-AlUla Jayco in the eight-stage Giro d’Italia Women, between July 7 and July 14.
Wyllie started competing for Liv-AlUla Jayco, a women’s professional team based in Australia, at the start of 2024. The team competes in the UCI Women’s World Tour and other elite events around the world. It’s been a partnership that’s garnered instant results.
“It’s always been a team I’ve admired. They have a really cool culture and a lot of understanding when you come from New Zealand or Australia. The support’s been amazing and it’s just the right fit,” Wyllie says.
In January this year, Wyllie finished third in the young rider classification (U23) in the Women’s Tour Down Under and seventh in the general classification (GC). From there she won a three-way sprint at February’s women’s road race at the New Zealand National Championships in Timaru, claiming victory over both her U23 and elite rivals in the combined category event. She also won the women’s U23 time trial. Victory at those championships means she can wear the national jersey, something which not only makes her proud, but is significant for the rest of the year.
“It’s huge. You have so much more respect in the peloton. You get a bit more attention in the media and it’s easier for other riders to know who you are,” Wyllie says.
Although injury then interrupted her season, Wyllie came back last month to claim the blue jersey for the best U23 rider in the three-day Itzulia Women’s World Tour race in Spain, where she also finished 10th in the GC standings.
After the Giro d’Italia Women, Wyllie’s focus will turn to the eight-stage Tour de France Femmes which takes place between August 12 and August 18, a race in which she finished second in the U23 standings and 16th in the GC in 2023.
“I’m a GC type of rider and I’m still a young rider, so I compete in the young rider category (U23) and I’ve got some pretty big targets, particularly the Tour de France. It was pretty huge for me [last year] and pretty special too. I used to watch the Tour de France when I was younger, with my brothers on the couch and to suddenly have a woman’s edition and for it to be growing in size every year, it was just awesome to be there,” Wyllie says.
Watching cycling together on the couch wasn’t where it stopped for Wyllie and her family when she was growing up. Her older brother Aaron also was a cyclist as is her younger brother Zane. Older sister Gemma and mum and dad, Nicole and Fraser, complete the family.
“I look up to my parents a lot. They’ve always been sporty and encouraged us to do sport and stay active. They’ve been big influences on me and my sibling’s lives. I was on training wheels from the get-go, Wyllie says.
“We did a lot of mountain biking and when I got to intermediate I joined the road team. At the beginning I was racing a lot of boys as there weren’t many girls but once I got to high school, Epsom Girls Grammar had a really solid pathway and that’s where I kept going and going.”
In-between the Giro d’Italia Women and the Tour de France Femmes is the Olympics. Wyllie is currently a reserve for the road-race team at the games, with Kim Cadzow and Niamh Fisher-Black chosen ahead of her.
“In my head I’m training as usual because we’ve got a very busy calendar and I’ve got some other big targets for this season to be focusing on and that’s what I’ll peak for, but If the situation arises and I do go I think it will be an amazing experience,” says Wyllie.
“The selections are the selections and at the moment I’m a reserve and I’m pretty content that that’s the position that I’ll be in for this year’s Olympics so I just have to do my best for the next Olympics so that I am one of the selected riders.”
A national selection that is secure however, is for the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland in September. Last weekend Wyllie was named in New Zealand’s road race team alongside Cadzow, Fisher-Black and Henrietta Christie.
“It’s pretty huge every time you represent New Zealand. You definitely feel the backing of the country and it’s a special moment. I always want to do my best in every race, but you put on the silver fern and it’s an extra boost,” says Wyllie.
Away from her bike, Wyllie is studying Civil Engineering through the University of Auckland, something which has become a part-time pursuit as cycling takes priority.
“It’s definitely been quite a balance over the years. As I’ve had more opportunities with cycling, it’s been about how I incorporate studying to be balanced because I still really value that side and I’m more than just a cyclist. It’s been pretty tricky. It’s definitely something I have to work on actively,” Wyllie says.
With so much time now spent away from New Zealand, Wyllie acknowledges she’s in a position many other young riders would love to have and she has words of advice for any that make the professional grade.
“Make sure that you have a really good support system around you because it’s pretty tough coming to Europe. It’s not always smooth sailing. You’re always wanting to keep going and to feel support behind you gives you that little more resilience and that boost. While it’s hard, it can also be that superpower behind you. I feel pretty privileged to be leading the life that I’m living and I know that a lot of people want to be in my position, so I’m making sure I do my best always and make people proud.”
