Vera Vilaça
Vera Vilaça is a Portuguese triathlete turned cyclist, riding for DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK
Vera Vilaça was always an active child, taking part in swimming and gymnastics before becoming a triathlete at eight years-old. It was in triathlon that she began to excel, becoming National Champion multiple times. By the age of fifteen she was selected for the National Team and represented Portugal in international events.
Vera made the switch to cycling partly due to ongoing injuries from running and after trying out some road races. When we say “trying out”, she rode the first edition of the Volta a Portugal Feminina! Vera has just returned from racing the same race, which is now a UCI 2.2 race (report here). We got her to answer a few questions about how the race went for her.
Vera Vilaça – uma ciclista Portuguesa
You started racing very young as a triathlete, are now a professional cyclist and are studying at University, do you ever have time to relax?
I started so young that I don’t really remember my life before, I was always either training or studying. It is a stressful routine, but by now I have found a balance that works for me and I make sure to find time to spend with the people who are important to me. Sometimes I could do with a bit more relaxing, but I’ll leave that for retirement!
How has the transfer to DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK been? Do you see/train a lot with the other riders or just get together for races?
It was a very big change in terms of calendar, the types of races we’re doing, the team environment and the approach to races, but I have felt welcomed and I’ve really enjoyed being part of DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK. Living abroad I unfortunately only get to see the girls when we’re racing, but they have all been very welcoming and I always look forward to seeing them.
To the race.
The Volta is a newly categorised UCI race which you have ridden it previously, how has it changed?
I am lucky enough to have ridden every edition and it has evolved at every level, each year the course has been harder, the field has been more competitive and the general organisation has been better. With the event’s promotion to a UCI 2.2 race was the level higher this year? Yes, even compared to last year, when there were already a few UCI Continental teams, the level was much higher this year. That was shown by the average speed of the stages and the amount of GC changes every day.
The team did well with 3rd in the team competition and holding the leader’s jersey for a day. Are you happy with how it went?
Yes! The team was incredibly strong and we were a factor in every stage, always being at the front, in breakaways and with riders well placed on GC. Personally I would have liked a bit more luck, but in general I think it was a performance we should all be proud of.
You had a crash early on stage 3 – in the picture you look to have a broken chain – but carried on, was it serious?
It was an aggressive crash because we were riding fast in a counter attack and it happened so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to brake. I got hurt, but nothing serious enough to keep me off the bike so fortunately I was able to keep racing. To be honest I don’t quite remember all that was wrong with the bike, I know one of the brake levers was completely broken and the handlebars were facing sideways, so I had to take a spare Handsling. By the time I came back from the hospital the mechanics had fixed everything on the bike, so I never had a chance to look at the damage.
Reading the reports, was there a concerted team chase on stage 3 to get Frankie into yellow?
On stage 3 the first goal was to get someone in the break so we wouldn’t have to control the stage, and with Tammy there that was exactly what happened. The team that had the yellow jersey had to chase quite hard all day and by the time we got to the final kms, their leader had a mechanical and they didn’t have enough riders to bring her back. It worked out perfectly for us, because we had Frankie in the lead group she was able to take the yellow jersey.
Was it good to be racing back on home roads?
The Volta a Portugal is an emblematic race in Portugal. I used to watch the men’s race when I was younger and it was in the first women’s edition that I decided I wanted to be a professional cyclist. So I always look forward to it. Racing on my home roads and having family and friends there to support me was really special.
What is the race scene like in Portugal, there seems to be a lot of events for young riders.
Women’s elite cycling is still quite small in Portugal, we have four to five National Cups, the national championships and the Volta a Portugal. Not a lot of race days, but we have some strong and motivated riders and people working towards getting more races in the calendar in the upcoming years.
What is the rest of your season looking like?
Now I’ll take sometime to recover from the injuries I sustained in the crash and then I’ll be back to training until the season resumes in Belgium, in the second half of August.
Vera Vilaça and the DAS-Hutchison-Brother UK team are riding on Handling’s A1R0evo. This UCI approved carbon-fibre aero frame has gained has taken the team to multiple victories. Their customisation allows you to equip the bike exactly as you want.
All photos in this article are courtesy of the Federação Portuguesa de Ciclismo.
