Quiz Time! Keira Bond (Alba Development Road Team)

This week’s Q&A is with Keira Bond who joined the Alba Development Road Team for the latter part of 2023 as a stagiaire and has now signed up for the 2024 season. Ta Keira, awesome Q&A!

Quiz Time! Keira Bond (Alba Development Road Team)

Q. With the exciting news from the team for 2024, has that made your winter training faster and provided lots of motivation?
Keira: Absolutely! Just looking at the draft of our race calendar gives me so much motivation for winter training and gets me really excited about the season to come. It’s also very exciting to have so many new teammates that are just as motivated as I am for the upcoming season.

Q: How much training in the winter each week are you able to do?
Keira: My winter training looks bit a different than many of my teammates, because I spend most of my winter racing cyclocross! So, I do a lot more intensity in the winter, but generally fewer hours per week than someone doing a big base block. Obviously, I will pick up some more miles early in the new year once cross has finished, which I’ll need to balance with my university studies.

Q: What’s been the hardest challenge for you this winter on or off the bike?
Keira: As an American from sunny Colorado, getting used to the UK winter has been my hardest challenge! I’m not a huge fan of riding on the turbo, so getting used to getting a bit wet has been a big learning curve.

Q: Looking back at the 2023 season, did it go to plan or were there challenges from time to time?
Keira: My 2023 season was a bit of a whirlwind of lots of different races, and it was definitely challenging at times. Overall I was very lucky with illness and injury, and a lot of my season was focused on learning and figuring out who I am as a racer, which is often difficult to quantify. My plan from the beginning of the season was to chase enjoyment, and finding a love of road racing feels like a success to me. Landing a contract with a team like Alba cements 2023 in my head as a season to celebrate!

Q: What race was the most fun to do in 2023?
Keira: My favourite race in 2023 was the Ras na mBan stage race in Ireland. This was my first international stage race, and one of the hardest races I’ve ever done, but was just such a good experience. I went into the race feeling strong and really surprised myself with how I was able to ride and how comfortable I felt riding at that level, especially after racing hard for multiple days in a row!

Q: What race was the toughest on the legs and head?
Keira: I think my toughest race was the USA road race National Championships last July. I had never raced a pro nationals before, and the level was totally different to anything I had ever experienced. There’s a big climb at the beginning of each lap of the race, and the pace up it is particularly unforgiving. Especially at championship races, it’s really easy for me to lose sight of the process and focus on the result, which in my experience tends to set me up for disappointment. I’m getting a lot better at putting bad races into perspective and taking learning experiences from every race, but Nationals last year was really tough.

Q: Do you put pressure on yourself for results or just go out there to enjoy it and grab a result if it’s on offer
Keira: As with many of my teammates, I definitely like to put pressure on myself. It’s really easy to get hyper focused on results and chasing podiums, but I often find that my best races are the ones where I’m just focused on racing to the best of my ability. I also think that winning bike races takes a lot of tactical skill, which is a skill I hope to continue to develop in 2024.

Q: What performance (yours or a fellow rider) are you most proud of from 2023?
Keira: Personally, I’m most proud of my result at the Unbound gravel 100, which although is not a road race, I think showcases my grit and determination well. As this is my first year on the team, I’m really excited to join a team of strong girls and put together some great performances in 2024.

Q: Have you experienced UCI racing abroad and if so, what are the most exciting things to look forward to in 2024 when the team races abroad?
Keira: I’m relatively new to UCI road racing, and while I have raced abroad in Belgium and Ireland, I’m mostly excited to just get out there and race! One of the best things about racing abroad is the higher calibre racing. It’s such a cool experience to test myself against some of the best riders in the world!

Q: Is it an ‘adventure’ traveling to races abroad with teammates?
Keira: Absolutely! Travelling to races is one of the coolest things about being a bike racer, it’s amazing where bikes can take you!

Q: Are their specific races in 2024 you are looking forward to most?
Keira: I’m really looking forward to the British Road racing series. Coming from the US, we have very few national level road races, and I’m excited to get to do more of these events. I raced at Ryedale last year, and absolutely loved both the course and the atmosphere, so I cannot wait to race more on the British roads.

Q: What goals are important to you for 2024?
Keira: My biggest goals for 2024 are to continue to develop as an athlete and gain experience in the European peloton. By having such a strong team and diverse race calendar, Alba is really setting me up for success. I cannot wait to get out and race in 2024!