Kimberly Chen: Winning gold for BC cycling
VICTORIA, British Columbia — Oak Bay High grad and current second-year kinesiology student at the University of Victoria, 19-year-old Kimberly Chen, recently won gold in women’s cycling at the 2025 Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, N.L.. Prior to representing Team BC at the Summer Games, Kimberly had also placed first at the BC Provincial Criterium Championship.
Since starting the sport seven years ago, Kimberly has contributed immensely to the cycling community in Victoria, coaching the Tripleshot Girls’ Cycling Club, as well as acting as ambassador for the “Ride Like a Girl” program in 2024, an initiative she had previously participated in as a mentee.
We spoke to Kimberly about her sport, training challenges and her goals.
What do you love about your sport?
Kimberly Chen: I love that I can go and see all sorts of places on a bike. I also love the speed and lightness I get to feel when riding. When racing, I love the adrenaline from “chasing wheels” and having to make split-second tactical decisions. The sport can be very rewarding when the pieces come together, but also very harsh and humbling other times. I like that it makes me feel strong and confident. Riding alone or with friends also helps me clear my mind, which helps me disconnect from whatever has been stressing me out.
What are your personal goals within your sport?
Chen: I want to continue my development as a high-performance racer and compete at the highest level I can on the track and on the road. I would like to reach the national track endurance team for continental and international projects in the next few years.
What are you working on to improve in your sport?
Chen: Positioning has been hard for me to figure out in some cycling events. I now have a few races where I did figure it out and managed podiums, but other times I would make tactical errors and end up in positions that did not allow me to go for the podium or win. I have found video reviews helpful – my dad records my entire race if he is present. Being able to study my competitors by watching their racing is also a useful skill and helps me make decisions when I am competing against them. I also watch athletes at higher levels of racing, continentally or World Tour, who know how to navigate a pack the way I need to in order to podium or win. This past winter I managed to podium in the Scratch race at Elite Track Nationals, and this was due to me picking the right wheels to move up with leading into the final sprint. It was definitely my best scratch race ever, tactically speaking. At the Summer Games, I was also successful in positioning, which led to me collecting the most points throughout the Points Criterium race, and then ultimately the overall win. It’s always a bit of a game of chance, but hopefully with more practice I can position well more consistently.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Chen: Being a teammate means trusting the process. There’s already a lot we cannot control in a race; things change in an instant and no one can really know what will happen with each decision. We usually make a plan ahead of time, depending on the dynamics of the race and what our strengths are. For me, having never joined a road trade team until this season, I have been learning how to put my trust in my teammates, putting my efforts towards my teammates’ goals, and allowing my teammates to help me achieve mine.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Chen: I would say the overall stress from managing training and everything I have going on outside of it. Cycling is a very time-consuming sport; I spend about 9-13 hours riding each week, 2-3 hours are spent on strength training. There’s also time spent preparing for each session and then the “cool down” from each session. I struggle with managing and balancing my time while making sure I am recovered well between training, school, and other commitments. Sleep is something I especially struggle with during the school terms, and this directly affects my physical and mental state the following day. To manage my time, I prepare meals ahead of time and try my best to minimize activities like “doom scrolling”. This reduces my stress, along with working on schoolwork between classes instead of waiting until I get home, staying organized with my sports equipment, and making time for friends and family so I can mentally reset.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Chen: I don’t remember the words exactly, but it was along the lines of, “You must build the cake before you add the icing”, which means that your base and fundamental skills and understanding must be built and solidified before intensity and complex skills can be added. Otherwise, your icing has no base, meaning it is not a sustainable way to train or practice. However, you can build your base, to take on more intensity and complexity in training, and become stronger from it. Similarly, if you are under recovered, sleep deprived, have not eaten well, or just not physically or mentally ready to take on the training you are prescribed, the benefits of doing the training become questionable.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
Chen: I like to go on trail walks, runs, and hikes, and do strength training. I also enjoy playing the piano, making art, playing video games, playing boardgames, and hanging out with friends and family.
Thank you, Kimberly, and we wish you all the best in reaching your sporting goals!
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