Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) has been firing on all cylinders since the start of the year. As soon as the first event of the UCI Women's WorldTour kicked off the road season, the young sprinter powered to victory in the streets of Campbelltown, which hosted the finish of stage 1 at the Santos Tour Down Under. It was only the beginning of a successful series for the 23-year-old New Zealander and her team, who went on to dominate the overall standings along with another young rider from Down Under, Sarah Gigante.
Wollaston then headed to the first round of the UCI Track Nations World Cup... where she claimed three gold medals. The young Kiwi went on to rule the Oceania Track Championships and is now ready to tackle "the back-end of the Classics" on the road, en route to Paris and the Olympic Games. Also a law student at the University of Waikato, the young star faces a busy year. And she's eager to make the most of it.
How has 2024 been treating you so far?
Ally Wollaston (AW): It’s been really really good. I’m really happy with the start of my season, to be honest. It has been a real whirlwind, a few very busy months and a tough ask to juggle the road and the track. But both organisations, my track team and my road team, have been very supportive of me doing both and it’s been amazing so far. I’m really proud to start my season that way. It’s a really good confidence boost going into an important year for me.
Is it a surprise for you?
AW: In hindsight, maybe it does make sense. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked. That feeling of getting your first UCI WorldTour victory… It’s a huge moment, something that will never happen again. You only get one first time and it was amazing. And overall the Tour Down Under was such a great week. Every time I achieve something big on the road, it’s always a big shock because I haven’t been doing it for long, and the same with the track to be honest. To beat the likes of Katie [Archibald] and Jen [Valente], girls that I’ve been looking up to for years, it’s just been a very cool start of the year!
How did you envisage 2024?
AW: Obviously it’s a pinnacle year. The Olympics are a huge focus for me. Initially, I didn’t think January and February would be so successful for me. It’s a bonus, like a really good foundation with a good summer of training in New Zealand. I’m just learning more and more every year, especially with the road, and it’s been amazing, the progression I’ve made since joining the team. It was a bonus to get my first UCI WorldTour win so early in the season but obviously my big goal is later in the season, and I really hope to be peaking towards the Games in August.
Do you still study law at the University of Waikato?
AW: Yes, but just part time! I’m in my fourth and last year of study. Part time should take me two years, so hopefully I should be done by the end of next year.
How do you tackle all these fronts?
AW: I’m really lucky to have such amazing support around me. I think if I didn’t have these people around me I definitely wouldn’t be able to do what I do. My road team is really accommodating of the track, and vice versa. At university, I’m on a scholarship that’s dedicated to Sir Edmund Hillary, the first ever person to have climbed Everest. They’re really supportive of my sporting commitments and I’m immensely grateful to the people around me who let me do what I do. I love being busy. I really like studying and keeping the brain ticking over. I’m not entirely sure where it’s gonna leave me after my degree. When I first arrived, I couldn’t see myself just cycling. Women’s cycling wasn’t as big as it is now and it was just natural for me to go on that road and keep cycling and see what happens. Now, here I am, making enough money to leave on overseas.
What do the Olympic Games represent for you?
AW: It's everything, a global phenomenon, the pinnacle. The world kind of just stops for a couple of weeks and everybody watches sport. It’s bigger than cycling, it's the biggest platform to inspire the next generation and, for me, to inspire young girls to get into sport, and more specifically into cycling. To be going, with a good form hopefully, and with a very strong team is a really exciting prospect for me and I’m really looking forward to it!
What would be the dream for this summer?
AW: I think it would be crazy to go to the Games and not dream of gold. So I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a goal of mine. Whether that’s far-fetched or not, who knows, but you don’t go into the Games half-heartedly. The win would be the cherry on top but if I can leave the Games knowing that I’ve put my best foot forward then I’ll be happy. Also, on the road, I have big aspirations for this year. It’s exciting after the Tour Down Under to know where I’m at. I think I’ve taken a really big step since last year, improving myself on the road, and just knowing that I deserve to be in the peloton. For a while, I felt like a newbie, so hopefully I can take that momentum forward and win a few more bike races this year!