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As the season is being planned in the winter, everything is so clean and simple. The calendar has a logical flow with building, peak, and rest periods. You notice the 'R's on some other races, but at that point of the year don't give much attention to your reserve races. But then the season starts for real and you realise that cycling is messy—sometimes, really messy.

Some years are worse than others, but injuries and illness are a constant presence, and when this unfortunate duo arrive at a time of year where teams are running a double - or even triple – race programmes, that carefully-planned calendar quickly has more lines and arrows than one of John Madden's play diagrams.

It seems like just a few days ago that I was nervously pinning on my first number of the season at the Tour de Provence. Early-season French racing never disappoints, and it was a solid kick in the pants. I left with tired legs, pleased with my February form and impressed by the level some guys already had.

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After a short couple of days at home, I found myself on an unanticipated flight to the United Arab Emirates to replace an injured teammate at the new WorldTour race. Even if my participation wasn't planned, I was in good shape and motivated to see what I could accomplish. I finished the week feeling encouraged by my performance -- that everything was going to plan, even if it wasn't quite sticking to the plan.

One thing we confirmed in the UAE Tour was that the difference between riding on the front and hiding in the bunch during four hours of stiff headwind makes for very different experiences, and I wasn't all that fatigued after the week-long race. Keen to keep building on my form, I jumped right back into training after returning from the race. It wasn't long before my phone rang with the news that I would be missing training camp, instead heading to Italy for my fourth participation in Tirreno-Adriatico, marking my third last-minute call-up to the race.

That same day, I saw the carnage that was stage 1 of Paris-Nice, which put two more teammates on the injured list. After such a string of injuries and a few last-minute call-ups already, it’s at this point that riders start checking on those previously-ignored 'R's on the schedule to anticipate calls that may be coming sooner than later.

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"Goooo!" Marianne shouted from across the bunch but I was already out of the saddle to cover the attack. It was the last 3km of Trofeo Alfredo Binda and our group of eight off the front only had a 15-second gap. Marianne and I seemed to have an easy unspoken way of communicating what needed to be done but now the moment was too important for her to hold it in.

I could feel the heavy burn of fatigue in my legs from my last attack but I had to cover this move. I shut down the BePink rider with 1.6km to go but that was the easy part. I couldn't allow another move to go or let the chase group catch us so, by any means necessary, I had to keep the pace high. With the chase group only seconds behind us, the last kilometre demanded every single watt I had.

I had my head down but as we turned the final corner I looked up to see the finish line and launched into a lead-out. Marianne passed my shoulder first, followed by the rest of the breakaway riders contesting the sprint, and then I saw Marianne's hands fly into the air. We had won! Convincingly. Perfectly. Together.

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Marianne didn’t have to say anything. I had just done my job. I had followed the team strategy and done my best but she showered me in gratitude. Endless thank-yous, hugs, smiles, and it was not only uplifting and motivating but powerful for her to say what didn’t need to be said. I could feel the bond between Marianne and I grow stronger.

Our winning display of teamwork had also captured some outside attention. Since Trofeo Alfredo Binda was broadcast on television, the response from fans after seeing such a strong and successful show of teamwork meant the story of our win had been shared. A simple results sheet doesn't tell how we were down a rider from illness, how Riejanne and Jeanne kept Marianne and I fresh for the final laps, or how I had to bury myself to get Marianne to the final sprint. People were saying how "exciting" the racing was, how "professional" and "skilled" we were as a team. Seeing the race meant that people had shared the experience, they knew the story of teamwork behind the win.

Hearing such great positive feedback from both the team and fans filled me with excitement and motivation. When our stories are told and shared it has the power to create a positive ripple effect that reaches all corners of women's cycling—from showing other riders the value of teamwork, to demonstrating the power and need of television coverage to race organizers and fans. CCC Liv will go on winning, women's cycling will continue to develop, but, as our win in Binda showed me, there is value in speaking what is usually left unspoken.

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My victory at Strade Bianche was so special and such a surprise, particularly when I think about the long recovery from my knee injury in the off-season or the fact that I haven't won a spring Classic since the 2011 Tour of Flanders.

I always assumed that it wasn't possible for me to be racing for victories so early in the season, because no matter how hard I tried to be in peak form in the spring, it usually didn't happen until May. So when I placed my targets on Strade Bianche and the Ardennes Classics, my coach Louis Delahaije said, "It will be hard, but we will aim for it."

I noticed at my altitude camp in Tenerife that I was performing at a higher level compared to other years in February. I didn't train differently, and so there are no real secrets to my comeback. Louis believes in building general fitness, and that it’s important to ride your bike for many hours, while also going in and out of your comfort zones.

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A key success factor, for me, however, is to find ways to enjoy doing the work. I like to travel to beautiful places to train, and I arrange for visits with friends and family so that I also have a good time when I'm not riding. For example, I had a training-camp holiday after Christmas in Gran Canaria with my friend Sjoerd. I was invited to train with the men’s team in January, which was an entirely new experience for me. And I had opportunities to ride with new people in Tenerife (and I must give a special shout out to Jumbo-Visma!). All of these things have helped in my early-season success.

I truly believe that happy cyclists perform better.

The victory

Despite all the physical training, however, nothing could prepare me for what it would feel like to win Strade Bianche. As I crossed the finish line in Siena's Piazza del Campo, I felt so many emotions. There was a mix of happiness, disbelief and surprise.

The Ardennes Classics

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There was a whole lot of orange when I got back to Spain. Back with my South African National Champs title and over six weeks on the road, I was happy to be back home and even happier to have my entire CCC Liv team there—it was orange from inside out! I love being in a team environment and, I have to admit, I felt quite spoilt having a team camp at my house and in the place I love to ride my bike.

I couldn't wait to show everyone everything! Nevertheless, with all the Liv bikes lined up in the courtyard, the big orange truck, the staff, and all the riders, I was also a bit apprehensive. It was the first professional team camp we would host at Rocacorba Cycling so, although I was excited, I also felt the weight of the opportunity.

As a rider, I knew the camp would go well. Team camps are usually hosted at big hotels with average food in a strange place that boasts nothing but good weather. Here, not only did we have amazing weather, we also had the stunning superior roads of Girona and the comforts and athlete-friendly catering of Rocacorba Cycling all to ourselves. The riders and staff each had their own house so coming back to a home, sharing meals all together, and having the property to ourselves really allowed everyone to relax and settle in. I didn't have to wonder if things were going well, I could feel it and I was hearing it. As we explored the Costa Brava and the Pyrenees under the sun, there was a definite consensus that Calpe and Almeria were out and Girona was in.

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As the ten-day camp came to an end and we all prepared to travel to our first European race, Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, the positive feedback was overwhelming. With athlete-driven care and attention to detail, the dreamy training roads, and, the heart-stealer herself, Mila our family beagle, we had pulled off our first professional team camp. The best part was hearing what the team loved most was the same thing our recreational guests loved: the welcoming homey atmosphere.

I knew Rocacorba Cycling had the ability and facilities to provide everything a pro team could need but I also knew, if the camp went well, it was an important opportunity to get a little bit closer to realising our vision. I'm always talking about connecting the dots in the cycling industry and this was one of those connections; having pro teams use the same facilities we provide to amateur and recreational cyclists is a way of connecting people and creating a more sustainable platform for cycling (especially women's cycling) to flourish. Accomplishing our goal of hosting a pro team camp had validated our longterm vision was possible and that feeling was the real success.

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Hey everyone,

I'm happy you found your way to my first-ever blog for Cyclingnews. I'll try to give you an insight into my life as a cyclist throughout the year, and share my thoughts on different subjects like power training, altitude training, team tactics, racing schedules, team politics, youth development, race structures, cycling culture and more. If you have a special wish, please let me know so that I can cover the topics you're most interested in reading.

My name might not be familiar to you, which is perfectly fine, because even I don't consider myself as a road cyclist. I love road racing, and I especially love my new aero road bike, the Madone, but if you've ever heard my name before, it was probably connected to mountain biking or cyclo-cross. Even in cyclo-cross, I'm still relatively new, only having just finished my second season of racing a reduced programme through the winter months. Again, I do enjoy the intensity, action and technical finesse that cyclo-cross demands, and I was super excited to race the new SRAM AXS e-tap system for the first time, but my heart belongs to mountain biking. It’s just how I grew up.

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Switzerland did have world-class athletes on the road: Ferdi Kübler, Hugo Koblet and Fabian Cancellara, for example, and the likes of Albert Zweifel and Peter Frischknecht in cyclo-cross, but the one cycling discipline where Swiss athletes excel on a broad basis is mountain biking.

I raced my first mountain bike race at the age of six. In Switzerland, we have mountains pretty much all over the country. We have a vast trail network and even more hiking paths to ride on. We have a tremendous national mountain bike racing series where kids until age 10 compete on skills parkours instead of a lap race. We have a strong club culture where kids ride in groups regularly, learn from each other in nature, and train playfully and socially.

Today, Switzerland is leading the nations rankings in both the men's and women's category, and, for the past eight years, seven Swiss girls have won medals – eight gold medals, two silvers and one bronze – at the Youth World Championships. So, the future looks bright and, of course, you've all heard of the current superstar Nino Schurter, who won the Olympic gold medal in mountain biking.

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