Photo credit: Cor Vos file photo
Pedalmag.com - An interview with Clara Hughes
September 17, 2006 – Name an athlete who won double bronze medals at the Atlanta Olympics and then won a gold medal in the 5,000 metres at the Torino Olympics. If you guessed Clara Hughes you’re correct!
Thanks to Glen, I was able to catch up with Clara over email and ask her a few questions about bike racing, speed skating, and life in general. Clara, 33, a resident of Glen Sutton, QC, gives us a glimpse into the life of an Olympian, professional athlete, and activist.
As you may know Clara is involved with the Right to Play, an athlete-driven humanitarian organization that uses sport and play as a tool for the development of children and youth in the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Be sure to visit www.righttoplay.com to learn more about this organization.
How did you get involved with cycling and racing?
I was recruited into cycling by a coach who saw me speed skating. I did not know cycling was a sport at the time. He said if I quit skating, I could always go back to it one day, and that I would become a world champion cyclist. I never did win worlds, but had a few good races on the bike….
Can you tell us about some of your highlights as a bike racer? What about low lights?
The Olympics, definitely. Also Commonwealth and Pan Am Games, I had so much fun at those Games. Leading out some of the fastest women in the world on team Saturn was definitely a highlight. Low-lights? The struggle….cycling is such a tough sport and not very positive. When I returned to it after beginning to skate, I saw it so differently and really enjoyed it more, I found more pleasure in it.
Can you tell us about the training you used to do as a bike racer? Did you do any specialized training for time trialing?
Yes, I always had my TT bike to train on all year round when other people did not do that. So much training…..I don’t think I ever trained as well as I could as a cyclist. If I were to come back to the sport now I would train much better, I have learned so much about training and nutrition as a skater, things I never did learn in cycling.
Can you tell us what it was like to be racing all over the world?
Amazing, lonely and difficult. Some of the best times of my life and some of the worst. Always a joy to wear the maple leaf, though, and see how Canada is accepted all over the globe.
You started your sporting life as a speed skater – what initially drew you to this sport?
I thought is was the most beautiful way a human being could move the first time I saw it.
The whole country watched your dominating performance in the 5000M at the Olympics, can you tell us what that race means to you?
I felt the rapture of being alive after that race. I went through so much pain to realize that gold medal and felt that I overcame so much. It is the realization of a dream, and I am left with this love of skating and competing. It’s a beautiful thing.
What has post-Olympic life been like for you? How do you juggle the media, fans, training, and regular life?
Nuts. I always make sure I have time to myself and don’t create stress when I can just chill out. I have a lot of balance in my life with the things I do outside of sport. I work with a humanitarian organization, Right to Play, and the kids that this program is helping remind me each and everyday that my life is good so I have no choice but to be happy and enjoy it. That and I have a great business manager who handles everything for me.
Can you tell us about the type of training you do for speed skating?
I will need to write a book about that….but really, it is quite specific in each area. It is far more anaerobic than cycling and power oriented- so my physiology has changed a lot since being a bike racer. I feel fitter than I ever was as a cyclist – more of an all around fitness. I run, bike, jump, lift weights, do all sorts of things that I never did as a cyclist. It’s pretty different.
You have medaled in two sports at the Olympics, raced against the best on the road, track and ice. Did you ever think that you would have these sporting accomplishments?
Never really thought about it, I prefer to let life unfold.
What was the transition from cycling to speed skating like for you?
Tough, especially the technical side of skating. That is the hardest part. I have four years to perfect this intricate technique. My body is adapting to the sport as well, but it takes time and patience.
You have participated at the top in two different sports, any thoughts on women in sports? Any ideas on how to raise the profile of female athletes?
You have to have a personality and I think there are many female athletes (or athletes in general) that think just because they are good, they will be popular or their sport will be recognized. I think the narrative of the athlete is what really interests the public. A compelling story combined with class and success is what makes a sport higher profile, or an athlete higher profile.
You have been an athlete all your life and sport has obviously shaped you. Can you tell us some of the life lessons you have learned from your years of pedaling and skating?
Know who I am and bring myself into everything that I do. Really be true to myself and surround myself with good people.
Do you have any mentors or inspirations who have really helped you along the way?
Yes, my coaches, my husband and my friends. I am always trying to remain open to learning.
How do you keep the passion for the life of a competitive athlete going for so long?
I love what I do and am always switching things up a little bit to remain motivated. I am creative with my training. I bike tour, I distance hike for base miles and this is fun training, it’s travel.
Where are your favorite places to race and train?
I love riding here in the Eastern townships of Quebec. I love to race on skates in Heerenveen, Holland, which is the center of the universe for speed skating and the crowds are amazing.
What is in your water bottle? What is in your jersey pockets when out for a training ride?
Gatorade, energy bars….whatever I have here at home. Always some money to stop for food.
In your eyes, what is you biggest sporting achievement? The one that means the most to you.
The Sydney Olympic TT where I finished 6th (I think) I was really sick with the whooping cough and felt awful those whole games. My teammate Nicole Reinhart was killed in a crash in a race just before these games, and her memory and spirit allowed me to race like I never had before. I really should have been in a hospital that day and instead almost won a bronze medal. I also discovered the true meaning of the Olympics during those Games….that you are there to do the best you can, with what you have, and that it is an incredible gift just to be there.
What does the future hold for you? Will we see you flying around the oval at the next Olympics? Any thoughts of coming back to bike racing?
No more bike racing, I am a speed skater now and have my eyes set on my last race in 2010 in Vancouver.
If you weren’t a professional athlete, what do you think you would be doing?
Humanitarian work in Africa
Any tips for up and coming bike racers?
Have fun! Relax, and good things will happen.
How do you relax away from training?
Read, write, work on my house(s) and sit watching the birds.
