Del Mar Times Sports |

Carmel Valley cycling sisters ride to national championships

Carmel Valley cycling sisters Eire and Aine Chen had a swift summer, winning USA Cycling titles on both the track and road.

At the USA Cycling Junior Road National Championships in Augusta, Georgia in July, Aine took the national title in the Junior 13-14 Criterium race.

At the Junior Track National Championships in Redmond, Wash. in August, Eire was part of a winning trio that secured titles in the Junior 15-18 Team Sprint and Team Pursuit, setting two facility records in the process. To pair with her national road title, on the track Aine won the Omnium, the multi-race event consisting of a points race, a 500-meter scratch race and a three-kilometer scratch race.

“When you win Nationals, you get the jersey,” said Eire of the coveted “Stars and Stripes” champion jersey that both girls got to wear.  “It’s something that a lot of cyclists are aware of, that they strive for and want. Getting the jersey is really special, to be able to wear it when you’re riding.”

Both Eire and Aine are students at Canyon Crest Academy. Eire, a 16-year-old junior raced for Team 2024/Aevolo (a junior elite team) in the beginning of the year and for the velodrome season, she rejoined her local team San Diego Bicycle Club (SDBC).

Aine, a 13-year-old freshman, competes with SDBC for road races and races for Ironfly/icademy on the track, a track-focused junior development team based out of Los Angeles.

“My sister and I train together a lot, on easy rides and sprint things and have a lot of fun,” Eire said of their rides on San Diego’s roads and trails together.

This year’s track nationals were on the outdoor Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome in Washington state, very different than the velodromes the sisters normally ride in San Diego at Balboa Park and in Los Angeles.

In addition to the outdoor elements, one of the biggest differences was the longer 400-meter track (LA’s is much shorter at 250 meters and San Diego’s is 333 meters long). The Washington velodrome is known as the “Gentle Giant”  as it is one the longest in the country, with a maximum slope of 23 degrees in the corners.

“It’s a little different in the type of techniques you’re using and your strategy for how to win the race,” said Eire, who did the team pursuit with three other girls and also the sprint, racing laps as fast as possible.

“To be able to take the win was pretty cool,” Eire said. “I really like the velodrome, it’s really fast and I like to do shorter distances, that’s sort of my style.”

At just 13, Aine is no stranger to the podium—this summer marked her fifth national title in the last three years as she has found success both on the road and on the track.

At the road nationals in Georgia, she won taking the Criterium (which she calls the “Crit”) race, a .7 mile loop course on the streets of the downtown Augusta Common. When racing a Crit circuit, Aine said she typically goes a week before to pre-ride the course and familiarize herself with the road, all of its curves and potholes.

“Georgia was quite hot actually,” Aine said. “It was pretty humid and hot so it was very important for us to drink a lot of water, it was really different weather than here…I just remember being in the hotel a lot to stay cool between races.”

In the 13-14 girls race, the cyclists stayed together on most of the loops and then it was a mad sprint to the finish, which she won.

“I do really enjoy sprinting,” Aine said. “I think track really helps me for sprinting.”

Competing at the track nationals in Washington, Aine did three different types of races, using her power, speed and strategy to rack up points to secure her title and the Stars and Stripes jersey.

While she has experienced a lot of early success, Aine’s approach to competing in cycling is just to enjoy the ride—her goals are to keep going and see where it takes her.

With both sisters competing at nationals, they love being able to cheer each other on, with their races being close together.

“Sometimes my race is right after hers because of the different categories and I’m so stressed watching her that I’m not preparing for my own race!” Eire said. “It’s a lot of fun and a lot of people know that we’re sisters.”

“It’s a really fun experience with your sibling,” echoed Aine.