In her new role, the young Spanish coach (35) will be in charge of a team of eight riders from as many countries on four continents. Aged between 18 and 26, the team members will arrive at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, Switzerland, during the second half of February.
Cristina is ready to take them under her wing.
“I’ve only just arrived at the World Cycling Centre myself, but I cannot wait to meet the cyclists and discuss our goals. I am looking forward to providing my support so they can improve their performance,” she says.
“What I love about coaching is spending time with the riders, assessing their feelings, helping them understand their physiological and psychological limits, and showing them how to work as a team. It will be challenging to coach in a second language and develop the team’s communication skills. They come from different cultures and will have different approaches to their sport but that will also contribute to the richness of our team!”
Cristina San Emeterio has already crossed paths with the WCC Team (“they were very strong!”) at races in France when she was Sports Director of another UCI Women’s Continental Team, Rio Miera Cantabria Deporte, working alongside her father Jose Luis and brother Roberto.
Growing up on the bike
Because in the San Emeterio family, cycling is a family affair.
Cristina began riding her bike at the tender age of seven, joining in the activities of the cycling club created by her family back in 2005. It was with her family’s support that she evolved as a cyclist, transitioning from youth to Elite, enjoying good results at national level, and eventually competing as an Under 23 rider in international races such as WWT Emakumeen Bira and Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria.
It was after studying Sport Science at university that Cristina stopped racing and moved into the roles of coach and Sport Director. She has held numerous positions in women’s cycling, not least five years (2013-2017) as President of the Spanish Cycling Federation’s Women’s Commission. It was with the same Federation that she obtained her Level 3 coaching certificate. She has seen significant progress in women’s cycling in her own country since her younger days when there were not enough women riders for a national championship. “I know this is still the case in other countries in the world, and I would like to contribute to changing this situation as far as possible so cyclists do not get lost on the road to becoming professional cyclists,” she says.
This will be one of Cristina’s goals as coach of the WCC Team.
“The WCC Team is a great chance for the cyclists and I to work together and broaden our knowledge about women’s performance. I really think we need more scientific knowledge about women cyclists so we can improve their performances.
“Also working with the team in Spain, I realised how important it is to come into contact with international riders and the UCI Women’s WorldTour peloton. Developing as a cyclist is a long process and anyone who wants to improve has to experience that contact.”
Indeed, the objective of the UCI World Cycling Centre when it registered a women’s team with the UCI for the first time in 2019 was to provide young women from the world over the chance to race against the very best. At the end of each season, team members have been able to sign contracts with professional teams, leaving their spots on the WCC Team for other promising riders.
With the European winter still in full swing, the new WCC Team coach’s first tasks are to organise a training camp where the conditions are warmer – Spain! – and identify some races that will serve as team-building exercises and help her observe the strengths and weaknesses of her team.
“I am so looking forward to working on a daily basis with the cyclists and the other coaches at the UCI World Cycling Centre!”