On February 27, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, became the .听Stevens rode a distance of 29.81 miles听in one hour, setting a new women鈥檚 Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Record. While Stevens鈥檚 record is astonishing, it didn鈥檛 surprise those who know her well. Stevens, who prior to cycling worked as an investment banker on Wall Street, embodies fierce drive and determination.听
We caught up with the San Francisco-based rider, who is currently in Europe racing for the Dutch Boels-Dolmans women鈥檚 team, to learn more about her record and the work it took to get there.
Favorite Workout:听A long (i.e., 4-to-5 hour)听ride with lots of climbing. 听
Daily Nutrition:听I鈥檓 a lover of food and eating. I don鈥檛 follow any specific diet. I eat real, whole foods and avoid processed stuff. I鈥檓 a huge fan of farmer鈥檚 markets, and am spoiled with good ones in California and when I鈥檓 on the road in Europe.听
Race Fueling:听It鈥檚 really important to stay on top of your glycogen stores [i.e., the fuel that comes from carbohydrates]. During a stage race, for breakfast, I鈥檒l generally have lots of toast, oatmeal, fruit, and almond butter. During the race we are getting calories from gels and sport drinks. I love a soda at the finish line, which gets sugar into the system immediately. Dinner is generally carbohydrate-heavy; think: rice, or, especially in Italy, pasta.听
Typical Training Week:听During heavy training I generally put in about 4 to 6 hours a day. I鈥檒l start the day with some core and mobilization work before getting on the bike. Then, it鈥檚 all about saddle time. Lots of long rides with 15 to 20 minute intervals.听
Cross Training:听I love Yoga. I think it is a really good supplement to all the cycling-specific work.听
Recovery:听I use pretty regularly. I also float in something called a .听It鈥檚 basically like this small little pod filled with water.
Sleep for the Win:听By far the best 鈥渞ecovery鈥 is sleep. I sleep a ton: on average, 9 to 10 hours a night. My best races happen after big blocks of sleep. I sleep a whole lot more now than when I was an investment banker.听
Wall Street and Cycling:听Both are all-consuming lifestyles. In investment banking, you are constantly on-edge, glued to your听Blackberry. With cycling, everything you do has an impact on your performance. So yeah, in that regard, both are 24-7听pursuits. That said, I think cycling is harder. There is not only a physical risk (i.e., you could crash) but also a psychological one. In investment banking you are on a clear and predetermined听path. In cycling, that鈥檚 not the case.听
The Art of Suffering:听I spend a lot of time working on mental fitness. I work with a sport psychologist who gives me helpful pointers on how to be more mindful. For example, during really hard training intervals, instead of thinking 鈥淚 want these to be over,鈥 I try to feel and sit with the pain. 听Heck, I even try to embrace it. So much of bike racing is psychological.
During the Hour Record:听鈥淧ush, Pull. Pedal, Push.鈥 Those were my two mantras. Very basic stuff. 国产吃瓜黑料 of my coach yelling splits, I had no data on my bike. It was like a moving meditation, an hour of total presence and awareness.听
After the Record:听I took four days off the bike. I enjoyed the accomplishment for a day or two, but then it was back to thinking about what鈥檚 next, what can I do to get better? 听
Art or Science?听I鈥檓 much more of an artist. Don鈥檛 get me wrong, during training it is nice to have power and heart-rate data, but the numbers can also hold you back. In a race, none of the numbers matter.听
Favorite Gear:听My saddle! I ride the made by Specialized. It鈥檚 the most important and can be the hardest thing to find: a saddle that is comfortable for you.听
Drive:听I am very internally motivated. I feel much better after I鈥檝e accomplished something. I love pushing myself to get better and I hate finishing a race with anything left in the tank. I guess above all, I love the feeling of completely emptying out.听
What鈥檚 Next:听Right now, I am training and racing in Europe. I am hoping to race the time trial and the road race during the Summer Olympic Games in Rio.听