We are pleased to announce that Mikayla Harvey has extended her contract with us, which will see the New Zealand rider continue her impressive sportive development within the team.
The 21-year-old has made significant strides since joining us ahead of the 2019 season. She has produced standout performances in races such as last year’s Tour de Bretagne Féminin, where she won the ITT stage, as well as this year’s New Zealand ITT championships, where she finished second. She was most recently the top-placed U23 rider at last weekend’s Strade Bianche, where she also finished 12th overall in a high-class field of riders.
Reflecting on her contract extension, Mikayla remarks: “I’m very excited to extend my time with Équipe Paule Ka. I’ve grown so much as a rider since I’ve joined, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds, as we continue our journey together. The entire team has played such a critical role in my development as a rider, and this squad is very special to me. It provides the perfect environment for me to continue to improve, while also having opportunities to perform. My goal is to continue along this path and also to have the chance to take on some leadership roles. To fight it out for a top placing on the finishing straight in events such as Strade Bianche or the Ardennes Classics is a dream, and I’m excited to work towards achieving this with the support of the team.”
Team Owner Thomas Campana explained the decision to re-sign the talented New Zealand rider: “We are very happy that Mikayla has decided to stay with the team. We are in the middle of an exciting process of progressing her sportive development and helping her to become a top-class rider. From the time that she joined us, it was clear that she possessed great ability, particularly in the time trial discipline. Over the last one and a half years, she has developed even stronger racing skills. However, she is not only a talented athlete, but is also able to keep focused on racing, while at the same time being a very balanced individual. Although she has a rather laidback character, when she’s on the bike, she is very motivated and displays a strong racing instinct and determination to achieve results. For us, it is exciting to continue working on the progress of such an individual, and to help bring her to the next level.”
Looking at Mikayla’s most recent results, he continues: “At this year’s Strade Bianche, an extremely hard parcours that was raced in difficult conditions, Mikayla was able to prove that she was the best rider in the U23 category, and she did that at only 21 years of age. As performances such as these demonstrates, she always strives to reach the most that she is capable of. However, at the same time, she is also always happy to fully support her teammates whenever required. It is this balanced character that makes her an ideal rider to work with. She takes whatever challenges are presented with poise, and that is a character trait that is difficult to find in such a young athlete. Exciting times are ahead of us, and we are sure that we will see more great performances from her.”
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