Date of Birth: 20th April 2002
Nationality: Canadian
Team: Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Former Teams:
Career Achievements:
1st – Junior National RR Championships (2018)
4th – Junior National TT Championships (2018)
5th – Junior National TT Championships (2019)
6th – Junior National RR Championships (2019)
15th – National TT Championships (2021)
What was your first ‘proper’ road bike & what colour was it?
My first road bike was a Cannondale CAAD 10. It was grey and black.
What’s the most important piece of kit/advice that has helped boost your performance?
Not letting fatigue make you doubt yourself. To put it in context, when I’m in a race, and that worn-out feeling comes in after the accumulation of difficulties, I try not to let it affect my confidence by rationalizing it. I tell myself that everyone must feel the same way. It usually means that it’s the perfect timing for an attack!
What’s your favourite routes/places to ride?
I’m not sure if I found my absolute favourite place to ride yet. I’ve ridden around Quebec, in the US and in Europe and it’s hard to compare the enjoyment, especially when the people you ride with make a big difference in the ride’s impression. The landscapes that marked and impressed me the most to this date were probably in the Santa Monica mountains, in California.
What tips do you have to keep the love of cycling going amidst all the training?
To stay in touch with the passion in the day-to-day life of training, I try to remain conscious of the smallest details that bring me joy like the company I ride with, the good coffee I stop for or the nice temperature I’m riding in. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the pressure of performance when the point of your training is to do well in competition and ending up being only satisfied if you hit the numbers or felt the sensations you aimed for. So by being truly in the moment, I deviate my focus from the performance side of things and simply enjoy riding my bike hard.
What experiences are still to do on your cycling ‘bucket list’?
I haven’t done any bike packing yet and I’d love to do an epic cycling trip somewhere I have never been. The Alt Tour that Achlan Morton did last summer inspired me a lot!
Thanks for reading about Adele Desgagnes – more Women’s Cycling Profiles can be found heres
