Written by 08:50 Inspiring, Pro Cycling Story

Against all odds: Cuban sensation Arlenis Sierra

(First published in February, 2018)

Last year, I had an amazing season on the bike. It was also the hardest year in my life, going pro with a new team on a different continent. I was all alone but I was fully determined to succeed. This is my story.

Growing up in Cuba, I lived in a humble house belonging to my grandfather. It was me, my parents, my siblings and my grandparents. In fact, my parents, my siblings and I all shared just one room in the house. It was crowded but we tried to make it as comfortable as possible.

At the age of 11, my sister got into a tennis school, which freed up a little extra space for the rest of us in the house. I also tried out tennis, and karate too, but I didn’t really like either one of them. Instead, I started cycling in the local club and when I turned 12, I was promoted to the provincial EIDE [sports school, edt.] and I left home as well. Neither my sister nor I had much clothing but as both my parents were nurses, luckily, we could divide my mother’s nursing gowns between us – just so we had something to wear. The economy didn’t allow us to have much more than that but my parents came to visit me every weekend to wash my clothes.

At the beginning, the coach at the school didn’t think he could use me because I was very tiny at the time. I was the reserve but when somebody else left, I finally got my chance. It wasn’t easy though. We could only start training when the boys had finished since there were only two bikes available. Cycling is not really an uncommon sport in Cuba, it’s just that we don’t have the right conditions and the same materials as other countries. The school relied on donations from friendly athletes who gave us their old equipment that they couldn’t use anymore.

When I was 16 years old, I got on the national team in Havana and that’s when I tried to race abroad for the first time. Two years later, I went to the Pan-American Games in Mexico. This is an experience I will never forget. When we arrived in Mexico prior to the race, there was a problem and we didn’t get our bikes through customs. Therefore, we spent a whole week training on static bikes before we finally got the road bikes. Originally, I was only there to help the other riders on the team. I didn’t even think I could make Top5. However, during the race, I saw an opportunity and I took it. I won! It was unbelievable. It was a wonderful experience and my big introduction into the world of cycling.

Embed from Getty Images

Coming back from the Pan-American Games, I was very eager to race again. Unfortunately, less than two weeks after arriving home, I had a bad crash where I landed on my face. I needed several stitches both inside and outside my mouth. For the following weeks, I could only eat liquid food. However, I kept training hard, focusing on Vuelta al Salvador, which was the qualification race for the Olympic Games in London 2012. I managed to finish fifth in the GC and to win the youth classification. It put me in 49th place on the world ranking and thereby, I qualified for the Olympics!

Afterwards, I was training harder and harder in order to be in the best possible shape for the Olympics. Then it happened. Just two days before I was set to leave for London, I was told that I wouldn’t be going because I didn’t have enough experience. Another rider got my spot and I was so disappointed that I didn’t touch my bike for the next two months.

Eventually, I started training again but with much less motivation. In 2013, I won the road race at the Pan-American Games again and I also took a gold and a silver medal at the track. The motivation was coming back and the following years I did well in Tour San Luis and in the national championships.

“Two American teams were eager to sign me but due to political issues, Cuba didn’t allow contracts with those teams”.

In 2016, I placed third overall in Tour de San Luis, I won Vuelta a Costa Rica and I was finally selected for Olympic Games in Rio. Before leaving, I spent one month at the UCI World Center where I won a couple of races and later Tour de Bretagne as well. This is where I met Astana’s coach Aldo Piccolo. They tried to get me on the team back then but there were some problems. Other teams also tried to sign me. Two American teams were eager but due to political issues, Cuba didn’t allow contracts with those teams.

Luckily, Astana kept trying to get me on board. I wanted to join them but it was ultimately Cuba who had to allow it. At the end, they did and I went on to sign the contract. I must admit though, I was a bit afraid of having to leave my country. What if I couldn’t adopt to this new life in Italy?

Photo: Velofocus.

As it turned out, it was harder than I even imagined. I was alone, far away from the life I knew and far away from my family and friends, living in a country with a language I didn’t know. I was really sad. I cried every night. During the day, I was training alone with the coach behind me in the car. It was only at races that I saw my teammates. The truth is that this was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Luckily, the team completely understood me and I was only in Italy for 45-50 days, which was already more than enough for me. I didn’t really adopt to the Italian lifestyle and it would have been too hard for me to spend any more time there.

However, I must also say that everybody in this team has been very friendly and welcoming. I was able to go out with Aldo’s niece, Yesica, and they invited me over for dinner every now and then. I was also able to spend time with the mechanics and even though the days were long and often boring, everything in this team is just so special. I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am for the way they welcomed me.

“You can knock me down a thousand times but I will always get back up”.

On a professional level, 2017 was truly an incredible year for me. I didn’t think that I would ever be doing such big races and I definitely didn’t think I would achieve such good results. I always give my absolute maximum when I start a race and I always try to do more than I think I can but honestly, I didn’t expect those results. Taking second place in the World Tour race Trofeo Alfredo Binda was the highlight of the season for me. My 10th place overall in Giro Rosa was also a huge result. It’s the hardest race I’ve ever done. Sometimes during the Giro, I just wanted to stop and get off the bike. It was that hard.

Celebrating second place in Trofeo Alfredo Binda. Photo: Velofocus.

After celebrating my second place as I crossed the line in Trofeo Alfredo Binda, many asked me if thought I had won or what the reason was. In fact, I was just so so happy at that moment. I’ve already won medals on the track but road racing is something completely different. I didn’t expect such a great result. I’m thrilled to be participating in these races with the team. It really makes me happy.

I think the main factor for my good results is my tenacity. You can knock me down a thousand times but I will always get back up. I always want to win. I believe that if I just keep going, something better always awaits in the future. A crash prevented me from going to the World Championships in Norway last year, but I prefer to look at the bright side. At least the crash didn’t ruin my career or worse.

Right now, I’m training hard in Cuba and I’m very eager to start racing again when I’m coming back to Italy at the end of the month. My main objective this year is to equal or improve my results from last season. However, the biggest goal is to take part in the World Championships in Austria and live that whole experience. I can’t wait to get started with the season!

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date.


Tags: , , , Last modified: Jan 19, 2020
Close

Never miss a story

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This