Maple Ridge cyclist Maggie Coles-Lyster got her first professional win at a race in Australia.
It came at the the Santos Tour Down Under Women’s One Day Race. Dramatic video see her break up the outside in the final stretch, passing five riders, crossing the finish line, and smiling hugely.
It was a 94.2 km circuit in Tanunda, but she waited for the last few hundred meters to claim her victory.
“The Canadian produces a sprinting masterclass to claim the Vanguard Women’s One-Day Race and her first pro win!” said a Facebook post by the Santos Tour Down Under.
She races for Human Powered Health Cycling, who have been effusive in their praise of their Canadian team member, and her epic comeback after having flia (flow limitation of the iliac artery) surgery last summer. The procedure restored circulation to her legs, and got rid of pain that was sapping her strength.
“China were my first official races back post-op, this is my first race back with proper training and intensity in the legs, so I’m very excited to start a race feeling strong again!” she said in social media on the day before her win.
Having crashed with two laps to go, she fought back to the front in time for the final kilometer. Avoiding two further crashes in the bunch, then timed her final effort perfectly.
“I was both speechless, and it just felt right,” Coles-Lyster said afterwards, quoted by the HPH Cycling media team.
“I have a lot of self-belief and knew it was a matter of time and that the win would come. I just felt so much relief to have been able to prove to myself that I’m on the comeback and already better than ever.”
“This means everything to me. Last year was a huge test of patience and consisted of a lot of advocating for myself,” she explained.
“Iliac artery isn’t always easily diagnosed or quickly operated on, so last year really forced me to trust myself and my sensations, ask for help and keep searching for answers. It was exhausting, but I could already feel a lot of newfound strength in my training in December, and today’s win has already solidified that it was all worth it.”
Coles-Lyster had a message to people on their own health journeys and on the road to recovery.
“The biggest thing I hope people take from this is to have patience with yourself,” she says. “We might be professional athletes, but we’re also still human, and a comeback doesn’t always happen overnight. Especially with big medical procedures, not rushing the rehab can pay off. It’s also easy to get caught up in little setbacks or sensations, but have patience, trust yourself and surround yourself with people who lift you and believe in you.”
The gives Coles Lyster confidence as she heads into two more one-day races in Australia, before heading to the sprinter-friendly UAE Tour Women.