{"id":6311,"date":"2020-02-05T12:49:22","date_gmt":"2020-02-05T11:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/43ride.com\/en\/?p=6311"},"modified":"2020-02-05T12:51:55","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T11:51:55","slug":"rachel-atherton-back-on-the-bike-and-targeting-world-cup-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/43ride.com\/en\/people\/2020\/rachel-atherton-back-on-the-bike-and-targeting-world-cup-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Rachel Atherton back on the bike and targeting World Cup return"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rachel Atherton\u00a0has set her sights on winning her fitness battle in time for the opening World Cup race of 2020 on March 21 in Lous\u00e3, Portugal. The Queen of the UCI MTB World Cup scene has been out of action since rupturing her Achilles while competing in Les Gets last July. Ahead of her comeback, we spoke to the British rider and 39-time World Cup winner about her fear of getting back on the bike, the season ahead, wedding planning, and her new range of bikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rachel Atherton, Lenzerheide 2018 \/ photo: Bartek Woli\u0144ski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Red Bull: How are you and how\u2019s the injury healing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel Atherton: <\/strong>I\u2019m pretty good. Six months post-surgery for my torn Achilles tendon rupture. It\u2019s just been frustrating waiting for the tendon to heal enough so finally I can get back in the gym and start putting the weight on to get the tendon strong and hoping that it\u2019s going to be ready for the first World Cup. Now\u2019s the time I can really start loading it. It feels like it\u2019s been such a long time without riding the bike and I\u2019m really buzzing to get back on the bike. I\u2019m going to be pushing hard for that first World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How was it getting back on the bike for the first time or were you really nervous?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was pretty scary! I borrowed my Mum\u2019s eMTB and took it really slow. It\u2019s just such a bizarre injury with no strength there in the calf. You feel so nervous all the time to do something. Until I\u2019ve got full strength I can\u2019t do any drops or put a lot of pressure on so it\u2019s really tentative and slow but just getting out on the bike in the mountains and the fresh air \u2013 freedom at last \u2013 it\u2019s just amazing. Everyone is struggling with injuries online, texting all the time and it\u2019s amazing to share the story with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you talk us through the rehab work you\u2019ve been doing and how frustrating it\u2019s been?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I spent three months in the boot with crutches. At that time, there\u2019s not really much you can do, just a bit of movement and trying to keep the swelling down and gradually every few weeks you can make little steps. Being able to walk without the boot was a huge step, putting weight on the foot and on the tendon was really exciting but scary. The first time in the gym doing calf raises, that was really exciting. Being able to have improvement every few weeks is really motivating. It feels a long time until I can ride big jumps and race tracks, but every little goal you reach \u2013 being able to do a squat, being able to put the weight up in the gym, that\u2019s what you\u2019ve got to focus on, each day and each week and eventually you\u2019ll be ready and fit to ride and race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rachel Atherton, Vallnord 2019 \/ photo: Bartek Woli\u0144ski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When do you hope to be back competing again? Is it that the aim for the season?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been six months and I\u2019ve probably got six weeks more until I\u2019m back at full strength, fully loading and being able to take the force on that leg and on that tendon so the first World Cup is eight, nine weeks away so it\u2019s going to be hard to be fully fit and riding fast and remembering how to race a mountain bike. I\u2019ve been off the bike for a long time. I\u2019m definitely pushing for it and we\u2019re going to do everything we can to get there and be fast. If I don\u2019t make it, it\u2019s going to be the next race. Either way, I\u2019m going to be stoked to be back on the bike, watching races, seeing what happens this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Has your injury made you more cautious or determined for the rest of your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think every injury you have, you learn more. So, it\u2019s good in a way because you learn more about your body, you learn more about the recovery and training but also the more injuries you have the more you know how much it can go wrong. So, it\u2019s really a balance but this injury is just one of many injuries. I\u2019ve done it before and I know I can do it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you make of the calendar and the new stop in Portugal?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new stop in Lous\u00e3 in Portugal is an amazing track. Everyone goes there for pre-season training so everyone is really excited to have that track. It\u2019s steep and technical and super fun. It\u2019s going to be interesting for the World Cup, maybe some rain, maybe some drama like that but I think everyone is most excited to go back to Croatia. It\u2019s a holiday place and the sea is amazing. I think it\u2019s a good calendar. I quite like having a big gap between races because it can mix things up. If you\u2019re doing really well and there\u2019s a big gap you know people are training to keep up, and if you\u2019re doing terribly there\u2019s a big gap you can readjust and get faster so it really makes it quite an interesting year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rachel Atherton, Fort William 2019 \/ photo: Bartek Woli\u0144ski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Vali H\u00f6ll is stepping up to the elite for the first time this season. What advice would you give her and how do you think she will get on?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She has a good head on her shoulders. She knows what she\u2019s doing. She knows this first year in elite she really wants to focus on school and she\u2019s taking her time. But I know that she wants to win a few so I won\u2019t be surprised if she wins one or two World Cup races. I think it\u2019s going to be a good year. She can\u2019t put too much pressure on herself because she has a long career ahead of herself. She says she wants to go slow and finish but if she\u2019s racing, she wants to win, the same as everybody, so it\u2019s going to be good to see. Seeing\u00a0Marine Cabirou, she was amazing last year, watching her coming up and Tahnee [Seagrave] and Pompom (Myriam Nicole) and Tracey [Hannah], everyone, it\u2019s going to be sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s harder, standing at the top of a start line or planning a wedding?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wow, I think planning a wedding is probably going to be more stressful than a wedding because I\u2019ve done racing before but I\u2019ve never got married before!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atherton Bikes launches to the public this year, how excited are you to see the bikes out being ridden around the world?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s been amazing, but so crazy. Racing, trying to launch a bike company, developing the bike and trying to win the race \u2013 everything going on at the same weekend it\u2019s so stressful, Atherton admitted. “I can’t wait to be riding at a bike park and someone pulls up and says ‘what’s up, nice bike’. It\u2019s going to be really mint and we’ve got some nice plans in the next few years. I just can\u2019t wait. The best thing about it is to connect with people on a different level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rachel Atherton, Lenzerheide 2018 \/ photo: Bartek Woli\u0144ski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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