The road season has not yet finished, but the cyclo-cross riders are already getting fired up. Yara Kastelijn is the first WM3 Pro Cycling who will start in the cyclo-cross. On Sunday, she will race in the EKZ cross in Baden, Switzerland. “I will have to adapt. I have never started cyclo-cross this early in the season”, says Yara.

In the past road season, Yara made considerable progress. “Last year, I didn’t have my best season. That’s why I sat together in the beginning of the new year with the team management to discuss how to best handle things. We agreed to be careful.  But soon after the opening, I felt that it went very well. The team noticed it as well.”

In the Tour of Flanders early April, Yara made her first appearance in a WorldTour-race. In the one-day-race Gooik-Geraardsbergen-Gooik, she got to dream for a short time of a possible win. Only deep in the final, she had to bow for the competition and saw how teammate Marianne Vos completed the strong team performance with a victory.

Yara slowed down a bit after the Dutch champions in Montferland. She went on vacation and made time for other things than cycling. “I didn’t touch the bike for 2 weeks. It feels crazy but also nice. I started to train soon after. The Ladies Tour of Norway was my first race and last week the Lotto Belgium Tour.  Strictly for the content, it’s beneficial for the basis”, she says.

First contest
On Sunday, she will dive into the field again. “I’m looking forward to it, but it also takes some time to adapt. I have never started cyclo-cross this early in the season”, says Yara. “In cyclo-cross, it is important to accumulate points for a starting position. I hope to eventually get a better starting point which should contribute to a nice season.”

Yara doesn’t speak out on goals. “I want to ride a couple of races to evaluate where I stand. The competition will be very strong on Sunday in Baden, so it will be a good way to measure myself against the others”, she says. “I haven’t trained very much on the cross-bike. But, at the same time, I have a good feeling. Last year, my performance was rather inconsistent.  I have the feeling that I now recuperate faster and easier from training sessions and races.”

Schedule Yara Kastelijn (with a proviso)